SMC

Late last month SMC put out a new firmware update, version 1.0.0.22P1, for its popular WSKP100 WiFi phone. This SMC phone was one of the first WiFi phones for Skype to come out, so it's great to see the company standing behind the product and continuing to make improvements. This page lists the new features and improvements, of which several are noteworthy:

• New Hotspot Manager (in the Network menu) to make it easier to connect to FON hotspots
• Improved sound quality
• Improved key lock function (so it doesn't accidentally dial in a pocket or bag)
• Over-the-air firmware updating--this is the last firmware update that requires you to plug into a computer to update

Read on to see where to get the update and my impressions of it.

Continue reading "Another Firmware Update for SMC WSKP100 WiFi Phone" »

You may remember the recent summer competition that the Skype hardware team put on that had some really great prizes, including SMC WiFi phones, laptops from Fujitsu-Siemens, and a grand prize of a €5000 euro travel voucher to go anywhere in the world.

The question was: If you could call anyone in the world, who would you choose to call and why?

I wasn't privy to judging the (literally) thousands of entries that the hardware team received, but I have had the chance to see some of the winning entries that the judges chose, and I think they're great.

Continue reading "Skypegear Interview: Summer Competition Winner!" »

OK so another little competition to let you know about, this time over on Skype Journal. Phil Wolff and the team over there have an interesting "what if" discussion going on, centred around the idea of "In-car Skypeing". The idea comes from Jeremy Carbaugh's Flickr photos, showing him on a video call with his pals as they drive along in their car.

Now, whilst the benefits of Skype video calling whilst in the car might not run beyond being able to check whether or not your partner is picking his or her nose at the traffic lights, the idea of a Skype-equipped car really is pretty cool, and not so crazy as wifi becomes more and more ubiquitous and flat-rate mobile data tariffs begin to become the norm.

Continue reading "SkypeDriving Contest over at Skype Journal: Win an SMC Wifi phone and FON Router" »

Nothing gets me going like a good firmware update. (Well, when it comes to gadgets anyway…) It’s great when you know developers are still working to improve devices you’ve bought by fixing bugs and adding new features.

With that in mind I’m happy to note that SMC has just posted a new firmware, version 1.0.0.19P1, for its WSKP100 WiFi phone. We reviewed the WSKP100 a while back—it’s especially cool because it works with FON hotspots. Read on to find out what’s fixed and where to get it.

Continue reading "New Firmware for SMC WSKP100 WiFi Phone" »

Now, the title of Laptop Magazine is slightly misleading, in that it actually covers a whole range of mobile devices - "mobile solutions for business & life", as their tagline puts it. Bearing this in mind, the thinking behind their latest offer is more obvious: they are offering 10 SMC Wifi phone and Fon Router combo packs to their Canadian and US-based readers and online users. But hurry, as the promotion ends on the 15th May.

Rumour has it there may be a firmware upgrade coming out for SMC's Skype wifi phone soon, so this offer from Laptop Magazine is very well timed! To win one of these bundles, currently selling for $159.99 in the US Skype Store, you just have to answer a simple question:

Where is the craziest place you would set up a WiFi connection and make a Skype or VoIP call?

Continue reading "Be quick to win one of Laptop magazine's Skype bundles..." »

Now no-one likes paying for things and, as we know, it's far better to just win them in competitions if at all possible. Web User are a generous bunch, well tuned in to the nuances of human nature, and so have very generously put forward 5 DUALPhone 3088 cordless Skype phones (the ones you can use both to make normal landline calls and Skype calls on), and 5 SMC Skype wifi phones for members of the general public to win by answering a simple question:

How many registered users does Skype have all over the world?

A fair question, and I'm sure the three possible answers you have to choose from (171, 171,000, 171,000,000) won't tax the upwardly mobile, laser-sharp intellectual demographic that Skypegear attracts. So get over to Web User magazine, pick the right answer on this page, and hopefully some Skype goodies will pop onto your doormat very soon.

For those not yet convinced, check out Skypegear's Roadtests of the DUALPhone 3088 here, and the SMC WSKP100 Skype wifi phone here.

Continue reading "Win one of 10 top Skype phones courtesy of Web User magazine" »

For those who haven't seen it yet, there's now an update available for anyone with an SMC wifi Skype phone. The update will allow you to use your SMC phone when you're out and about, wherever a FON hotspot is available.

Continue reading "FON-tastic: SMC wifi phone now works with FON wifi hotspots" »

First of all - what's Skype Pro? Well as Peter Parkes, our new Skype blogger (welcome Peter!) mentions, Skype Pro is a new calling plan from Skype, available in many European countries and in the UK. The deal's pretty simple - to paraphrase:

• Zero cents per minute calling to domestic landlines in your country — this means you can talk as long as you like and only pay the connection fee (3.9 cents or equivalent) for each call that you make to domestic landlines
• Free Skype Voicemail (normally €15 per year)
• €30 discount on SkypeIn numbers
• €5 Skype Credit included as part of the introductory offer

However, of interest from a hardware point of view are the discounts available on some interesting Skype phones and accessories such as

• A €30 discount on a Philips VoIP 841 cordless phone (£21 in the UK), which Skypegear took a look at here. 
• A €10 discount on an SMC WiFi phone (£7 in the UK), which Skypegear reviewed here.

The VoIP841 is listed as coming soon in the store at present, but keep your eyes peeled for it soon.

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.

Continue reading "A home for your Wifi phone: the SMC charger with wifi access point" »

I've had quite a few people (including eagle-eyed Skyper Seb - thanks mate! ) asking whether or not the SMC / FON router bundle announed a while ago would mean that the SMC phone would be compatible with FON hotspots. The official answer: Not yet, but soon.

Continue reading "The SMC - FON bundle - does it work with FON hotspots or not??" »

How do you make it as easy as possible to make Skype calls over a wifi phone? Well, Skype, SMC and Fon have put together one pack that contains everything needed to get going for £99 / €139 / $159.99:

• SMC's WSKP100 Wifi Skype phone
• FON's dinky 'Fonera' wifi router
• 500 minutes of SkypeOut talk time
• 12 months of Skype voicemail

It's a neat package to be sure, and obviously timed very much with Christmas in mind.

Continue reading "The new Skype bundle: Wifi phone and router + Skype credit and voicemail for £99 (E139/$160)..." »

Now I know what you all thought the first time you used Skype: "How come this hasn't featured in a Taiwanese opera yet??". Well, as luck would have it, this Saturday evening in Taipei this logical step in Skype's development will finally occur.

Continue reading "Skype bridges the gap between China and Taiwan in new Opera" »

SMC's WSKP100 is a standalone Wifi phone designed specifically for making Skype calls. No cables or PC are needed, just charge it up, secure it to your network, and it's ready for calling. Can it really be that simple? Skypegear got one to check out this week...

Continue reading "Skypegear Roadtest: SMC WSKP100 WiFi phone for Skype" »

Here's a short video which really caught our eye, featuring an interview with George Polk, head of wifi company the Cloud. The Cloud are a really innovative company who have been making great moves towards that Skype nirvana of blanket, flat fee wi-fi penetration across whole countries.

It's interesting to hear George's views on the SMC phone which is the subject of the interview. Access to a wide-scale wifi network such as the Cloud's coupled with a wireless embedded phone such as SMC's really does mean that you can have Skype at your fingertips as you zip around the city.

Continue reading "SMC "Changing the rules" of mobile communication..." »