Speakerphones

It seems that when it comes to Skype phone design, it's really the speakerphones that lead the way. We already have Ipevo's strinking white-and-green Xing, Polycom's functional but not unattractive Voicestation 500, and now out of Japan comes Buffalo's latest Skype salvo: the BSKP-CU202/SV (Google translation here).

Continue reading "Buffalo rolls out stylish Skype speakerphone in Japan" »

Have you seen how many different phones there are to make Skype calls now?! This year has seen an explosion in different new models, so I thought it was time for a quick Skypegear overview on the different phones you can use to make calls via Skype.

Cost-wise Skype phones run from around £10 right up to hundreds of pounds, so it's important when you're choosing a phone that you pick one based not just on your budget, but more importantly on your needs. I've divided them up into four categories:

• Phones that you need to have your PC on to use
• Phones that can be used without a PC
• Speakerphones
• Headsets.

Of course there are other ways to make calls such as by plugging in a phone adaptor to your regular phone, or by using the in-built mic in your webcam, but these really are 4 main ways of improving your Skype audio calls with hardware.

There's also a great interactive guide to choosing a phone in the Skype store, but read on for more info...

Continue reading "The 4 main types of Skype phone...or, a beginner's guide to buying a Skype phone" »

Ooh not one but three phones from Futiro have come Skypegear's way for testing. The Solo, Terra and Luna are Futiro's answer to an all too common problem which plagues some phones (not just Skype ones): they tend to sometimes look like they have fallen out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down. Not so these three beauties, who wouldn't look at all out of place in the offices of a designer architects or swanky boutique. Skypegear got all three to have a play with...

Continue reading "Skypegear Roadtest: Futiro Solo, Terra and Luna" »

The Ipevo Xing is Ipevo's large form factor speakerphone, aimed squarely at the small business user. It certainly has the X-factor in terms of visual appeal, but how does it measure up in use?

Continue reading "Skypegear Roadtest: Ipevo Xing Skype speakerphone" »

Taiwanese manufacturer Ipevo just don't muck about: rather than sticking with the one Skype announcement at CES this year, they've gone for three.

Continue reading "CES 2007: IPEVO pull 3 new Skype phones out of the bag" »

Following on from my initial post on the Polycom Voicestation 500 last week, I've had a good chance to put it through its paces, and it really is everything you want an office phone to be: efficient, non-nonsense and good quality. In short, it's a cracker of a phone.

Continue reading "Skype Gear Roadtest: Polycom Voicestation 500" »

Polycom have really grasped VoiP with both hands, which perhaps explains why their two first Skype-certified products are both handsfree speakerphones! As a company which focuses on combining voice, video, data and web content whilst communicating, there is a natural synergy with Skype.

Pretty much anyone who has had the dubious pleasure of working in an office will have come into contact with Polycom's Soundstation, which graces burr walnut boardroom tables of offices the World over, and has gained a deserved reputation for quality. This expertise with high performance enterprise products can clearly be seen in both the Communicator and the Voicestation 500, both of which are Skype certified.

Continue reading "The Polycom/Skype family is growing..." »