The magazine of the Melbourne PC User Group VoIPVoice Cyberphone K Ash Nallawalla ash@melbpc.org.au |
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How do you use Skype? Do I hear you ask what is Skype? If you use cable or ADSL Internet, then Skype is one of the best free tools you can install to make free calls to other Skype users. The quality of the call is excellent because Skype uses the power of all Skype-equipped PCs and their Internet connections, whether they are manned or not. These peer-to-peer connections hold up when a more conventional, point-to-point Internet call might fail. I have proven this a few times when I have asked my Vonage phone caller to switch to Skype. An extra benefit of Skype-to-Skype calls is that they use more bandwidth than the conventional telephone, so you hear a very natural-sounding voice, not unlike the difference between AM and FM radio stations. Skype also has a paid offering called SkypeOut, where you can call any landline number at low rates. I have not needed to get SkypeOut, so I cannot comment on it other than as a recipient of a SkypeOut call, which sounds like a normal phone call. Most Skype users use a computer headset and microphone, which is quite acceptable for casual use. I have one that plugs into my sound card and covers both ears, so I can listen to the caller easily. The main drawback is that if I am not near my desk, I cannot hear the ringing of incoming Skype calls, because they ring in the earpieces of the headset. Yes, I could use Skype with my desktop speakers, but the other party would hear their own echo and this is very distracting. Cyberphone K Enter the VoIPVoice Cyberphone K, which is advertised at http://www.voipvoice.com for US$59.99 including shipping. This is a purpose-built telephone handset for Skype and it is both functional and attractive. Its USB connection goes to the PC or laptop and that is all the power it needs. The units are made in China for the designers and manufacturers: Promotion & Display Technology Ltd, http://www.pdtuk.com of Prestwich, Manchester, UK. |
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The Cyberphone requires a Pentium II or later computer that runs Microsoft
Windows 2000 or Windows XP. It is well packaged and includes a CD-ROM containing
Skype. There is no instruction sheet - the simple illustration on the box is
sufficient. Just install Skype and plug in the phone.
In Use
Being a purpose-designed unit, the Cyberphone K has five special buttons:
Of special note is the scroll button, which enables you to find a name in your
contact list. Once you are in the call, the same button doubles as a volume
control.
The unit has the usual 0-9, *, and # buttons like a standard telephone, which
can be used to make SkypeOut calls.
On the side is a 2.5 mm socket for connecting a headset for those long,
Skype-to-Skype calls. Paid calls are self-regulating, but the ease of free calls
has meant that you are discovered by long-lost acquaintances (some of whom
should have remained long-lost, but that's a different story).
It is not a plastic toy whose base might lift or slide when you pick up the
receiver - it has been weighed down to stay put. This is an important design
feature, as you don't want to be distracted by a wandering phone when you are
talking to someone. You could also mount it on the wall or use Velcro strips to
attach it to the PC monitor.
Skype also has a chat window for those quick messages
When you lift the receiver, Skype pops up on the computer screen. This may seem
trivial, but it is an important feature, considering that the only sign of an
incoming call is the ringing sound and a flashing Taskbar icon. When my headset
was on the floor, I sometimes did not hear the ringing and did not notice the
flashing Taskbar, so I missed calls. The Cyberphone K, on the other hand, bleeps
loud enough to be heard in neighbouring rooms.
Sound quality is crucial in a telephone and this is excellent on the Cyberphone
K in both directions. All my callers praised the sound quality and I found their
voices easy to hear.
If you travel a lot and use hotels with broadband Internet in the rooms, you
will want to use Skype for making free or cheap calls. The telephone packs well
for travel, so the Cyberphone K will accompany me on my trips. If you are a
Skype user, you won't be disappointed with it.
The Skype program interface.
A Skype conference call in progress
