Make Skype calls over a WiFi network without a PC
Netgear’s WiFi Phone with Skype looks much like an older candy-bar style mobile phone with a desktop charging cradle.
But unlike a conventional mobile phone, the core technology inside the Netgear handset is a WiFi 802.11 wireless chip rather than a cellular chipset.
This, coupled with the Skype software stored on the phone, enables users to make and receive Skype phone calls wherever they have WiFi access. I tested the handset recently and had no problem using it in a WiFi-enabled hotel room and in WiFi hotspots operated by several leading WiFi operators, including Deutsche Telekom’s T-Mobile USA unit.
The handset, which can store details of up to 500 contacts, automatically connects to open WiFi networks and is easily configured for secure networks - once it has been connected to a network it remembers the settings and stores them as a preferred network profile.
Using the handset, which has a speaker phone, is as simple as making a regular mobile call, and calls to other Skype users are free. (You need a prepaid Skypeout account to call non-Skype users, though call costs are still much cheaper than most mobile operators.) The phone costs $160 (£107) online.
source: www.ft.com
