Phone with Skype, Without PC

Philips to Release Standalone Skype Phone

by Yaroslav Lyssenko

[ 08/31/2006 | 09:37 PM ]

Getting Skype Off the PC

<%BANNER[article_nw]%>

Until recently, using Skype involved turned on personal computer. Now Philips is trying to change that by introducing a phone that was especially designed to take advantage of Skype services without running the PC.

A news story by BusinessWeek Online says that electronics giant Philips is introducing a phone for Skype that doesn’t require users to have a PC at all. The Philips VOIP841 can be plugged into a broadband connection and traditional landline, and you can make calls using Skype - as well as a regular landline - with a single device. The model, expected to become available in late 2006, is the first Skype cordless phone that doesn’t require support from a booted-up home PC.

“The devices have the potential to radically change the way people access the Skype service and could step up the pace of growth if they’re well-received. Internal trials indicate that users of the Philips phone rely on SkypeOut, a service allowing PC users to call regular or mobile phones, twice as much as an average Skype customer,” says Manrique Brenes, director of hardware at Skype.

”An earlier Skype-compatible Philips phone, the VOIP321, was announced in January and combines Skype and landline calling, though it needs a PC outfitted with Skype to be up and running somewhere in the house. That handset has been selling incredibly well. The new model will further simplify the user experience,” says Nick Dosanjh, general manager of the communication and connectivity group at Philips.

• BusinessWeek Online: Getting Skype Off the PC.