Panasonic adds business-focused Wi-Fi Skype phone kit

Panasonic Communications yesterday entered the Skype phone market with a standalone Wi-Fi phone kit aimed at business travelers.

The Panasonic KX-WP1050 Wi-Fi phone for use with Skype is said to be one in a series of planned Skype Certified products.

Netgear SPH200D Review: Wireless, computer-free Skype for homebodies

Netgear intros standalone Skype / PSTN DECT phone

(Las Vegas) Netgear today announced its Dual-Mode Cordless Phone with Skype.

The SPH200D is a dual-mode 1.9 GHz DECT cordless phone supporting both landline and Skype Internet calls without the need to be connected to a computer.

The base station has an Ethernet (RJ-45) port to connect to a network router and a PSTN (RJ11) connector to connect into a traditional telephone wall jack.

The base can support up to four cordless handsets (sold separately) but only one Skype or PSTN call at a time. The handset has a built-in speakerphone and color display, with an interface similar to that on Netgear's Wi-Fi Skype phone.

The SPH200D is available now at an MSRP of $199.99.

Linksys gets into the consumer NAS game

Ads in the current version of PC World provide a peek at some of the products that Linksys may announce during CES. The Cisco division won't be present in any of the show's venues, but will hold private meetings in an offsite hotel suite.

Linksys launches Skype iPhone

Linksys today launched a new phone that many expected to be announced by Apple in early January: A device with the name iPhone will be available from wireless equipment maker Linksys in the first quarter of next year.

But besides the name, there is little the Linksys device has in common with what we expected the iPhone to be. Instead of a cellphone with iPod functionality, the iPhone WIP320 is a Wi-Fi Skype phone that appears to be a clone to already released models from Netgear and Belkin.

Full story on TG Daily

Belkin's Wi-Fi Phone for Skype Breaks Out of the Pack

Belkin adds Boingo support to Wi-Fi Skype phone

Belkin today announced that it has added support for using its Wi-Fi Phone for Skype with Boingo Wireless hot spots. This makes Belkin the first company to address one of the weaknesses of the current crop of Wi-Fi Skype phones; the inability to be used with wireless hot spots that require browser-based authentication.

A Belkin spokesperson said that the authentication will be done using Boingo's embedded Wi-Fi toolkit, which is basically a configuration file that provides the credentials to authenticate to each Boingo hotspot type. Belkin also said that a firmware upgrade for current Wi-Fi Phone users will be available "by mid December" for download from Belkin's website.

Belkin Wi-Fi Phone users can sign up for a Boingo Mobile Unlimited account, which gives them unlimited access to Boingo hot spots, for only $7.95 per month.

SMC, Skype, FON team for WiFi Skype phone bundle

SMC Networks today announced a product bundle for wireless Skype calling.

The bundle includes everything you need to make Internet calls using an 802.11b or g wireless LAN: SMC's WSKP100 Wi-Fi Phone for Skype (reviewed here), FON’s “La Fonera” wireless router, 500 minutes of SkypeOut credit and Skype Voicemail for a year.

The bundle is available now from the Skype Web store for $159.99.

SMC adds WiFi Skype phone cradles

SMC Networks today announced two cradles for its Wi-Fi Skype phone: the SMCDPCR WiFi phone cradle and SMCDPCR-AP cradle/access point.

The SMCDPCR-AP serves as a charger/cradle and includes and an 802.11g access point. The AP has two SSID’s: one for VoIP calls and the other for regular wireless clients. It also supports WEP encryption and WPA and WPA2 security.

The SMCDPCR and SMCDPCR-AP will be available next month at MSRPs of $19.99 and $69.99, respectively.

First Test: SMC's WiFi Skype Phone