Skype, the internet telephone service which lets you call other users free of
charge, is one of the successes of the internet age. The company, which
started in 2003, now has more than 170 million registered users for its
service. Until recently, the big bind of using the service was that you had
to be connected to your PC or laptop to use it – no longer.
A number of gear manufacturers, including Belkin and SMC, have launched
handsets that work on wi-fi. Netgear’s take on the wifi handset is the
SPH101, with an iPod-inspired white design that is already starting to look
retro.
Calling someone who is also on Skype, as with PC-based calling, is free of
charge. You can also call landlines and mobile phones at low rates, such as
1.5p per minute to landlines in Sydney or 17p per minute to UK mobiles. If
you sign up to Skype Pro, which costs 2 euro (£1.40) a month, you’ll can
call all landlines in your home country free of charge and get free
voicemail.
I experienced pretty good quality on a number of test calls to different
destinations, certainly far better than when internet telephony first
appeared.
The SPH101 has a reasonable colour screen and fairly straightforward user
interface, accessed through a mini joystick. If the wireless network you are
using has a long WEP or WPA security key, entering it can be a bind.
The spec
Size: 110x46x19.3mm, about the same footprint as a mobile phone but slightly
fatter than in-vogue slim models. Weight: 110g. Talk time: 2 hours. Standby:
20 hours. Compatibility: 802.11g.
The hype
They say: Now for the first time, a phone that lets you use any WiFi network
to which you have access, to talk with anyone else who’s also on Skype,
anywhere in the world, for absolutely free.
The reality
We say: While you can use many wireless networks, the main problem is that
because the phone does not incorporate a browser, you can’t log in at
hotspots that require authentication, which rules out most of the commercial
hotspots around the world.
The bottom line
£89.99 from Amazon
The verdict
It’s great to be able to Skype without access to a computer but it’s a shame
that you can’t use commercial networks. If you do find an accessible
hotspot, it can dramatically reduce your roaming phone bills. Until such
time as every mobile phone has built-in wifi (and a Skype client to go with
it), this is a good option.
The roadwarrior rating
7 out of 10
