Netgear

Several interesting bits of Skype Gear-related news from the blogosphere recently, on a variety of devices that show off many of the different ways you can use Skype.

- Video: great story about usage and a Logitech QuickCam Orbit AF review
- Mobile: Results to 3mobilebuzz's recent contest: Why I need a 3 Skypephone
- WiFi phone: Netgear SPH200W one of Time's top 10 gadgets of 2007
- Headsets: A look at the FREETALK Stereo Wireless Headset

My full take after the jump...

Continue reading "Gear News Roundup: A little bit of everything" »

Skype Gear has been all over the news during the past week. Here are some highlights from a few reviews and articles (as well as a video):

Martin Brown from Computerworld wrote about his experience of using two Skype cordless phones at the same time (well, one at home and one at the office) for six months here. He was using the RTX DUALphone 3088 (which just won the Danish Product Award 2007; review here, shop here) at work and the Netgear SPH200D at home (review here, shop here). Both connect directly to your router so you don't need to have a computer on to use them. Martin noted the aspects he preferred on each phone (he preferred the interface on the DUALphone 3088 but the handset design of the SPH200D) and also a few shortcomings (the selection of ringtones on the SPH200D, and the lack of a 'favorites' system in the contacts of both phones for easier dialing)--though overall he's "very satisfied" with the phones. My parents have a Netgear SPH200D at their house, and I have to agree that it's a nice way to have Skype at home away from your computer (BTW, it's especially good now that's I've got a 3 Skypephone, as they can reach me whenever and it's free for both of us).

Continue reading "Gear News Roundup" »

We've mentioned it while it was a rumor but now it's official--Netgear has launched the followup to its popular SPH101 WiFi phone: the SPH200W. In addition to making the phone a little smaller (and upping the battery life to a typical 4 hour talk time / 48 hour standby time), it has two cool improvements: it now includes a cradle (so you'll know where it is and it'll hopefully always be charged when you need it) and it works on T-Mobile USA's hotspot network (if you already have an account of course), so you can use it at the thousands of T-Mobile hotspots across the US (link to map here).

Being able to use the SPH200W at T-Mobile hotspots makes Skype a lot more mobile. Wherever you are in the US, you probably aren't far from a Starbucks and they nearly always have a T-Mobile hotspot inside. Getting your caffeine fix and Skype fix quickly and easily without lugging around a laptop? Sounds pretty awesome to me.

You can read more about the SPH200W at Netgear's site here, and you can purchase it from Skype's US Store for $149.99 here.

Laptop Magazine in the US recently published its annual Ultimate Mobility supplement, and sure enough it noted a bunch of Skype products that can help advance your own personal 'ultimate mobility' with Skype. It's not the greatest scan (PDF here), but these pages highlight 5 Skype Certified products and a few other products that aren't Skype Certified.

LAPTOP named the Phillips 8411B (aka VOIP841, review here, store here) its Ultimate Choice 2007 for VOIP phones, saying "VOIP phones don't come any slicker or more versatile." The article also mentions the Netgear SPH200D (my personal fav, review here, store here), the Linksys CIT400 (review here, store here), and the Logitech Cordless Internet Handset, which I haven't had the chance to review yet but looks pretty slick.

The article also names the SanDisk Cruzer Titanium USB stick (store here) as its Ultimate Choice 2007 for USB memory drives. It uses SanDisk's U3 technology to let you run Skype and other programs in a convenient self-contained environment. We've mentioned it on the blog before here. I actually have one of these drives on my keychain, the SanDisk Cruzer Micro (not Titanium, sadly) and I love it especially for its design--it's small and the USB jack slides in and out easily so you don't damage it when it's in your pocket or have a cap to lose.

Check out the full Skype coverage in the Ultimate Mobility section here.

Five recent bits of Skype Gear and Skype-related miscellanea rounded up on the internets:

1. A Mini-review of the Netgear SPH200D
2. A Frugal Skype Overview
3. A Mac Hardware-Skype Experience
4. A Series of Tubes: The Internet
5. A Catastrophe! The internet crashes.

Continue reading "Skypegear Roundup: 5 bits of miscellanea" »

One reminder and two notes of interest:

###Contest!

Don't forget about the Skypegear Haiku Contest -- last day for entries is June 12. Write us a haiku about Skype and the gear you use to Skype for the chance to win a Sony VAIO Mouse Talk VN-CX1. Full info here. We've gotten some pretty good entries so far. Keep them coming!

###Netgear!

On the heels of the Netgear news yesterday, American users of Netgear's SPH101 WiFi phone should have a look at the latest firmware update, posted yesterday. It adds the ability to log onto T-Mobile hotspots across the US. Do note that it won't work at T-Mobile hotspots outside the US, and you need to have already established a paid account with T-Mobile before trying it out--you can't sign up from the handset.

###Video!

And finally, remember the Skype coverage on The Lab with Leo we posted recently? Well, last week Skype was featured on another newscast, this time New York City's Fox 5. It's a nice little segment, though be warned it has a bit of that sensationalism that American local news is known for. Like the previous segment, it's especially good for showing to people who like saving money but aren't familiar with Skype yet. The video is online here.

There's always plenty of speculation about new Skype phones on the way, and Jeremy Toeman over on his Live Digitally blog has some nice juicy picture this week of a possible new wifi Skype phone from Netgear, introduced to him by none other than Netgear's CEO, Patrick Lo.

Netgear have a heritage to be proud of with their Skype phones, not least the SPH101 wifi Skype phone and the SPH200D phone, which combines a regular landline with a cordless DECT Skype phone, giving you the best of both worlds. Details are not forthcoming, it's still in beta and hasn't been Skype certified as yet, but this should be a great complement to the Netgear stable of phones. For more details, including an extract of the interview with Patrick Lo, check out the post here.

Continue reading "Netgear tease us with new beta Skype wifi phone..." »

The Netgear SPH200D is designed to let you do two things: make Skype calls, and make 'normal' calls via your landline. And not only is it cordless, it also doesn't even need a computer in order to make Skype calls as it just plugs straight into your wifi or normal ethernet router.

We've seen a few of these cordless phones pop up, and because they offer a 'one phone does all' solution they have proved very popular with Skypers whenever they come out. So how does the SPH200D stack up?

Continue reading "Skypegear Roadtest: Netgear SPH200D Cordless Skype Phone" »

The refitters have been in on the US Skype store tidying, re-jigging, and generally making sure everything's ship shape, and as you can see the newly facelifted US Skype store is now open for business. To celebrate the relaunch, Skype are offering free ground shipping on all orders over $80 to mainland US destinations.

In addition, there is currently a $20 mail-in rebate on the Netgear SPH200D dual-mode cordless phone (which Skypegear will be reviewing later this week...) in addition to the existing $50 discount, meaning all you US Skypers could have one sitting on your desk for an all-inclusive price of just $149.99 after the rebate, rather than the original $199 plus shipping price tag. For more info check out Trustedreviews (who gave this phone a hearty 8/10 in their in-depth review), and PC Magazine (who awarded it an impressive 4/5).

Continue reading "Free shipping on Skype phones & accessories in the US, and other offers..." »

Well it appears in the white heat of CES that Skypegear missed out on a few of the Innovations awards that Skype partners had bagged at CES; turns out that it was in fact a grand tally of at least 7 rather than the still 3 that I reported previously.

Continue reading "Correction: Skype bags 7 innovation award winners at CES rather than 3...!" »

The Innovations Design and Engineering Awards have been going since 1989, and are a way for the industry to acknowledge products that their team of independent judges consider to be the best designed products in consumer technology. Skype partners managed to bag no less than three honorees this year at CES, so congrats are due to:

• Thomson - for the GE DECT 6.0 Embedded Skype Residential Phone
• Plantronics - for the .Audio 910 Bluetooth Headset
• Netgear - for the SPH200D cordless Skype phone

The Plantronics is pictured above; (slightly blurry I'm afraid) photos of the other two award winners with their newly earned stripes after the break...

Thomson cordless GE Skype phone...

Continue reading "CES 2007: Skype partners bag 3 Innovation awards" »

So CES is officially "go" today, and first off the block for Skype announcements we have Netgear's cordless SPH200D.

Sharing a very similar design to the company's existing wifi Skype phone the SPH101, the SPH200D is designed to let users make both regular landline calls as well as both free Skype-to-Skype calls and cheap SkypeOut calls to regular landlines or mobile phones.

Continue reading "CES 2007: Make Skype or landline calls from Netgear's new cordless phone...without using a PC!" »

Following on from yesterday's news regarding availability of the Philips VOIP841 and DUALPhone 3088 from RTX, news reaches Skypegear that the Netgear Skype wifi phone  is now available in India.

India is obviously a big market for Skype, and apparently now Indian Skypers will be able to talk wirelessly via the Netgear phone.

Continue reading "Netgear Wifi phone available in India" »

The head of Skype in France, Jérôme Archambeaud, did a stint on French TV channel LCI's popular 'Plein Ecran' program last Friday. Subject: how Wifi networks are changing the way people communicate both in and out of their homes.

Continue reading "Making the most of the "Skype Ecosystem"" »

Just as the sexy NetGear Wi-fi phone is hitting the shelves in all its shiny white gadgetness, well respected website The Register has got its hands on a review phone and the verdict is: It's a winner.

Continue reading "The Reg, Gizmodo, and many more bigging up the NetGear SPH101 Wifi phone" »

As well as featuring favourably in the Time roundup, Netgear also managed to snag one of Popular Mechanics' coveted Breakthrough Awards.

Continue reading "Official: Netgear's wifi phone is "brilliant", and adjustable spanners are the new MP3 players" »