The tech shops of Japan's Akihabara district will have a new Skype-certified Wifi phone hitting the shelves very soon: The Buffalo WSKP-G (Google translation into Google-English here). It has Skype built into the handset and so doesn't require a PC at all to operate, just a wifi internet connection.

There's no word on global availability yet, but it is expected that stores in Japan will be selling the phone by mid-December and that it will retail at ¥24,100 ($207). Like other current Skype wifi phones, this one will work on any wifi network which does not require browser-based signup, as it doesn't have a web browser built in to the phone.

The Buffalo has a similar feature set to other wifi phones we've seen, allowing you to call normal phones using SkypeOut as well as calling friends who use Skype for free, use Skype voicemail and search for Skype users from the handset. However, it also contains a new features not seen before on a Skype phone.

Buffalo's AOSS (AirStation One-Touch Secure System, don't you know) technology allows users with a Buffalo AOSS-compatible router such as the extra-fast 125mbps Airstation G54 to simply press a button on the phone and the router in order to set up a secure connection, using either WEP, WPA or WPA2 security. This saves having to enter all your passkeys and so forth into the phone, which can be a bit of a drag. It can also work on both 802.11b or g networks.

Another interesting development with this phone for Japanese users at least is that it is compatible with Freespot's network of over 4.400 wifi hotspots, many of which are located in business hubs around Japan.

I've been wondering when this phone would surface ever since Broadcom's announcement a couple of weeks ago that their Wifi phone platform would support Skype, so it's good to see this phone now being released. More details as they become available.

No Emergency Calls: Skype is not a replacement for your ordinary telephone and can’t be used for emergency calling.