Having a wifi phone is all very well and good, but the question is: when you're not using it, where do you put it? It's all very well and good putting it down on the sideboard, but if your house is anything like mine, before you know it's disappeared under a load of clutter.

As if by magic SMC announced two interesting new products last week to complement the SMC WSKP100 Skype wifi phone and address this very need: a simple charging cradle for the phone, and a charging cradle which also includes a wifi access point.

Both products are designed to fit in with the smooth, white lines of the phone; the charging cradle (the SMCDPCR) is noticeably squatter and priced at an RRP of EUR29.99. The second (the SMCDPCR-AP, since you asked) contains added lights to show the presence of LAN and internet signals and is priced at EUR 89.99.

Whilst you still need some form of wifi router, using the SMCDPCR-AP as an access point means you can effectively extend the range of your wifi network, and ensure that you have a decent signal across pretty much the whole house - depending on how big your pad is, of course.

In addition, the access point has a dual identity: one network SSID for your regular internet usage, and one for Skype calls, keeping both uses separate.

As well as having come up with their own Blue Peter solution for a cradle, retailer Amperor Direct have had a really good look at the SMCDPCR cradle here. Release dates and prices in other currencies/regions to follow.