Customer Reviews

IPEVO S0-20 WiFi Phone for Skype

5 star:		(72)
4 star:		(65)
3 star:		(23)
2 star:		(20)
1 star:		(29)

 

 

I have been using the Ipevo So-20 Skypephone for over a week now (mine came directly from Taiwan) and I am amazed at how well it works.
Previously I had tried and returned both the Belkin and Netgear Wi-Fi phones because they were full of bugs, the battery life was ridiculous and call quality inferior to Skype calls from a PC. I eventually settled for the now discontinued Linksys CIT-400 and I am quite satisfied with it except that battery life is also poor and it requires an interface (access point)to be connected to your modem/router.

The Ipevo SO-20 is a totally autonomous Wi-Fi Skypephone, all you need is a wireless network (B or G). Compared to its predecessors the Ipevo has the following advantages:
-Li-ion battery: the SO-20 can last up to 3 days off the charger on stand-by, but count on a couple of days between charges in normal use.
-Wi-Fi connection manager: the Ipevo allows you to manage your wireless access by storing favorite networks and their access keys. You can also decide whether it can connect to non-saved networks or only to preferred ones. It supports WEP, WPA and WPA2 encryption (I just think you cannot use it when you have to log-in on a network through a web page, but check the Skype site, I think they have a flat-rate package to access all Boingo hot-spots worldwide).
Wireless range is pretty decent, I never went below 3 bars (out of 5) inside my home.
-Very modern and clean design and the feel is not that of cheap plastic. The screen is very legible, the keypad is backlit, you can adjust the volume with 2 dedicated keys on the side, like on a regular cell phone and there is a headset jack. You can charge the Ipevo either directly from the charger via a mini-USB connection (handy if you need to use it while charging), or by dropping it on the supplied cradle.

Overall the Ipevo SO-20 is an amazing Wi-Fi Skypephone and I highly recommend it.

After much research I decided to purchase the IPEVO SO-20 WiFi Skype phone. My fiance lives in Australia and I am in the USA and I was searching for an alternative to expensive phone bills. Skype on the PC is great, but I am not always in front of the computer. After running up my last $600 phone bill, I decided to give this Skype phone a shot. I purchased the IPEVO So-20, bought a Skype-in number and a subscription and was ready to roll...

First the positives: This phone is GREAT! It's the size of a regular cell phone and about the same feel. The keypad is lighted for ease of use in the dark and you can feel (not hear) the buttons "click" when pressing them so that key tones are not necessary. The color screen is excellent, very bright, and the Skype display is just exactly like Skype on the PC. The sounds are also just like Skype on the PC so it is very familiar all the way around. I love the Skype ring song and it's so cool to hear it when my phone rings now! :)

Ease of use is the understatement of this phone. After charging the phone for 3 hours the first time, I was up and running in seconds. No need to even consult the manual (I couldn't anyway because mine was in Chinese). I was initially concerned (because of the Chinese manual) that maybe there was mistake in shipment, so while the phone was charging I called IPEVO to ask some questions. I got A REAL PERSON after only a very short wait, who spoke perfect English, and was very helpful! That was impressive! ;) The phone (as the support agent on the phone also indicated) powered up and asked me to chose my desired language before continuing. I chose English with a single click and I was off and running!

The phone asked for my Skype login information and to select an available network, then to enter the network security key. Once connected, the IPEVO phone automatically loaded up my Skype contacts and I was ready to make calls! I did have to set up some of my profile details, which did not load automatically (such as the "mood" message). I also had to set the date, time, region, etc.

The call quality was impressive. Very clear (even better than using Skype on the PC by my experience)! It's very easy to select contacts or just type in a phone number. General use is just like a cell phone. The audio is plenty loud... in fact, my handset is turned down almost all the way and I still hear perfectly. There was a negative aspect to this as well, which I'll share about in a moment, but I was impressed at the volume capacity of this phone. Usually I complain that cell phone devices aren't loud enough. This one is aces in that department!

There is only marginal latency (delay) when engaged in conversation and the full duplex operation works the same or better than Skype on the PC. For example, I've noticed that when I talk to people with Skype on the PC I have to wait for them to finish talking before I start speaking as the duplex capability is not quite 100%. On this phone it works very well and is very natural, like using a cell phone. You can't even notice a latency issue unless you test the phone in the same room with someone talking on another phone.

The battery life on the phone is great too! LONG life on standby and very adequate talk time; several hours before needing to recharge. The phone also uses standard USB so it's easy to charge from a PC, or USB wall charger (which is included) or in the car if you have a USB car charger (not included).

The phone also comes with a cable attached ear piece for hands free use. Sound quality is great!

As I mentioned before, all the functions of the phone are identical to Skype on the PC (less just a few things, like text SMS messaging). You can search for contacts, add new contacts, check voicemail, change your mood text, change your online status, auto search and connect to wireless networks in the area, view call history, change ring tones (a choice of 3), and view other Skype users' profile and Skype pic! Quite an assortment of features bundled in this cool little phone!

Now for the (slightly) negative: Despite the phone's many glowing positives, it does have a few drawbacks. Nothing majorly annoying but which could use improvement. Before, I mentioned how great the volume levels are on the phone... Well, this is both a positive and a negative. The negative here is that when people call you, if the speaker volume is set too loudly, they can sometimes hear themselves echo. This is why I had to turn my phone volume down to the lowest setting. The good is that, even at the low setting, it is loud enough to hear the caller adequately and the phone will not echo then. Noise-canceling feature needs improvement. The good news is (as you'll read in the follow up comments to this review), IPEVO has fixed this problem with a firmware update you can get on their website! Just follow the directions, download and install and echo problems gone! Future sales of this model will most-likely have the issue fixed, but if yours has echo problems fear not! :) IPEVO has the fix! :)

Another slight issue with the phone is that, occasionally, when someone calls me they remark that the phone seems to answer itself and they can hear talking before I answer for a couple seconds. There have been a few times when the phone rang while I was talking - in person - to a friend and a small bit of my conversation was overheard - even though I did not answer the call!

One little annoyance with the phone is that when you are calling someone, there are two rings that can be heard; One is the ring sound effect on the IPEVO phone itself and the other is the actual ring on the line of the party you're calling. This doesn't affect call quality at all, but it's just a little weird to hear two sets rings over the top of each other. When calling a cell phone that has music instead of a normal ring tone, you hear both the music and then the Skype phone's ring over the top of it. It would be nice if there was a way to turn off the IPEVO ringer or just delete it from the phone altogether as it is unnecessary.

The phone, unfortunately, does not allow SMS messaging at this time. Perhaps a future firmware update will allow it, but not now. You can neither send, nor receive SMS or Skype chat messages with this model phone. I hope IPEVO is able to add this function in the near future!

Another annoyance about this phone is that you, pretty much, need to leave it on all the time (thankfully the long stand-by battery life is excellent for allowing this). If you turn it off, you will have to reset your basic phone settings the next time you turn it on; including the language, time, date, time-zone and daylight settings, calling region, and some profile settings (like the mood text). The good is that it won't lose your saved network settings (or contacts), but this is a detail that certainly needs improvement in future models. To avoid having to reset settings you will simply have to leave the phone on constantly, make sure you keep it charged and make use of the status settings and volume controls (to compensate for those times where you would normally need to turn it off, like at the movie theater). There is, unfortunately, no "vibrating ringer" function on the phone.

Another minor drawback of this phone is that it only works with unsecured networks and secured networks where you have the network key to access the wireless router (such as with a home wifi setup). There is no web browser on this phone so you cannot log into subscription-based networks (like the Skype-recommended Boingo.com service) or public secured networks that require a username and password. If this capability was added to the phone it would be a MAJOR improvement, allowing much broader use of the phone!

Finally, I have some minor complaints about the size and keypad arrangement on this phone. Overall it's great, but it does feel a little small and the navigation buttons are too narrow so that it's easy to press the wrong button. This is a very minor issue and, so long as you pay attention to what you're doing, there is no problem using the keypad on this device.

While the following is not really a issue with the phone (as none of the following features are advertised), purchasers may wish to know that phone does not have a camera, does not play games, does not have emergency 911 calling, no SMS text messaging capability, no web browser, and does not have any other multimedia functions (such as MP3 player or storage options). There is also, unfortunately, no speakerphone capability. This is a straight-up Skype-only WiFi phone for voice-voice conversation. If that's what you're looking for - to be able to voice chat using Skype away from your PC and at remote locations on a WiFi network, this is a fantastic phone that does exactly what it should - WORK! :)

In conclusion: This phone is one of, if not THE, best WiFi Skype phones available to date! The sound quality is excellent - very clear! The looks are attractive, the functionality great, and ease of use is top notch! It works flawlessly with both 802.11b/g networks and is very easy to get connected and log on. Battery life is very good as well! Best of all, if you already have a Skype account and use it as often as I do, this is a WONDERFUL product! I am saving sooooo much money with this phone! Before, it cost me 28 cents a minute on an International call plan with my cell phone provider (not to mention the 300 dollar cell phone and the expensive monthly subscription cost to use it). With the Skype phone all Skype-Skype calls are 100% free with no monthly fees ever!!! If you buy some Skype credit, you can call any regular phone number in the USA for next to nothing (about 2 pennies a minute)... And even if you do go advanced and get a paid subscription with Skype, it still beats cell phone prices hands down. At the time of this posting, unlimited USA and Canada calling is less than 3 bucks. Unlimited calls to landlines in a specific country outside the USA is less than 6 bucks and World-wide unlimited call plans are less than 13 bucks a month (making this a great option for world-wide travel as many airports have free wireless Internet available). These kinds of options make this phone an incredible value because I have wireless internet at home, office and many hotspots around town are free. It almost like having a cell phone for free.

Despite the phone's minor issues and little annoyances, I heartily recommend the IPEVO SO-20! This is a GREAT phone that does exactly what it advertises.

Decided to go with this wifi phone and even though I have never heard of this brand, I am shocked and thrilled to report that this product works better than what I expected. It took me around three weeks for searching and researching for a wifi phone that didn't get mediocre reviews and thanks to Cnet, I decided to go with this phone. Setup was easy and I was up and runnig in literally 2 minutes(not counting the 3 hour charging time). Call quility with skype is off the meter! This phone is strictly for skype and for what you pay for, it is worth it. I uses my skype number *bought for $60 a year, and the unlimited domestic calling plan ($4 a month) and I am in business. I live in Japan and as long as you have broadband internet and wifi fi router, this phone makes calling the states a breeze. I highly recommend this product to anyone not wanting to spend big money on big brands. Ipevo is going to do big things in the future. This phone is very small like a cell phone and I cannot wait to see what the future brings for this company.

UPDATE on August 5th, 2009:
A few days ago I received an email from IPEVO, regarding a firmware update. [...]

The update addresses the echo problems that certain users experience. Having used this phone for months now, I certainly still give it 4 stars, and I keep hoping for a new firmware update that will add the much needed browser functionality.
Thanks IPEVO and keep it coming!

>>> Original review
I received this phone 3 days ago. The marketing push from IPEVO is evident, and with good reasons since everything seems to fall into place: great hardware + great design + great packaging + great MKT.
The product came with a nice green tote and a USB hub as gifts.

Now, to the phone review. After doing research for days I decided to purchase it and I can't be more pleased. Most of the people who gave this product 4-5 stars are right on track! I can't understand the 1 star review... not sure which expectations the customer really has.

Here is a list of ideas:

Pros:
1. Fast software reaction to button pressure since SKYPE is built into the phone. No delays beyond reasonable reaction times.
2. The phone is very light. Size is comparable to a cell phone. Construction looks solid, not "toyish" at all.
3. Connects easily with wireless network (WPA,WEP compatible). It has NO PROBLEMS memorizing networks. It saves them as preferred and attempts to connect to them in order of choice.
4. Great WI-FI range
5. Voice quality is excellent (both MIC + speaker)
6. Nokia (Bl-4C or Bl-5c) battery format compatible
7. Comes with charging base and adapter. You can plug the charger directly to the phone as well, effectively bypassing the base if needed..... It's a charger "on-the-go"

Cons:
1. NO SPEAKER...yet? The phone effectively rings when receiving a phone call or when logging into skype it makes the usual sound. On the back there is an opening and most likely there is a speaker built in. I think it's a problem of software rather than hardware. I could see this phone easily having speaker functionality with a future software upgrade.
2. No web browser included to authenticate in hotspots that have "GUEST" modes and login requirements... yet?. AGAIN, something easily fixable with a sofwtare upgrade!
3. Battery indicator seems to malfunction. 50% charge actually represents 0% ????
4. Took 7 days to get home! Horrible delivery time.

Conclusion:
Make no mistake. This is a G-R-E-A-T product.... It does not even compare to the BELKIN competitor. My friend owns the latter and complains about the MIC and sound quality. I actually called him SKYPE-to-SKYPE and I could hear him ok, but sort of "condensed" for his voice spectrum. In turn, he said I sounded very clearly and with great quality.
IPEVO seems to have its act together. With a minor and FREE software update they could easily knock the competition down by adding SPEAKER functionality and built-in web browser.

2 thumbs up!

A couple of reviews (and a couple of comments from a helpful IPEVO rep) have already pointed this out, but I wanted to headline the fact that you can now go to the IPEVO website and DOWNLOAD A FIRMWARE UPDATE THAT FIXES THE ECHO PROBLEM (used to be that the sound at my end was perfect, but the person I was talking to would hear an echo).

I won't repeat all the detailed praise in the other reviews, but just add that IMHO the phone is now essentially perfect. In deciding whether to buy this phone, you can now safely ignore any older reviews that mark it down because of this echo problem.

A few practical points about the firmware update:

1) Currently, you need a PC [no update program for Mac];

2) You need a standard mini-USB cable to connect the phone to your computer;

3) I could not get the update to work on my university-owned Vista laptop, but this may have been due to some paranoid settings dictated by our IT department. When I borrowed my wife's XP machine, the update worked flawlessly.

Very neat phone, good LiPo battery. Better range than the Netgear equivalent.

People I call complain of an echo where they hear their own voice come back.

Does not have a web browser, so places that charge you to access their wireless network are impossible to access.

Bought one from Fry's for 129.99. The Belkin was on sale at 99.99 but I decided that "Made in Taiwan" (where the Ipevo is built) vs. "Made in China" is worth more than the 30$ difference.

Not much to say about it other than the thing just works. I'm using skypeout and I had zero issues with this handset. Its WiFi chipset is better than what's in a typical notebook; the skype connection remains good even in spots where my dell's WiFi starts dropping the ball.

Even the customer support, while not as fast as they claim it to be, was OK. Someone replied to my question about dialing international numbers in about 3 working days.

I decided to buy this phone because Ipevo has a great reputation, and I wanted a wifi phone to use as a landline. This phone definitely gets the job done.

Pros:
- Great reception.
- Allows you to have skype access 24/7, without your computer. Combined with a skype number, you can get rid of your landline.
- Good battery life. Plus, it recharges on the cradle.
- Quick redial, access to contacts etc., just like a cell phone.

Cons:
- No speakerphone.
- My battery indicator doesn't work, and I can't tell that battery is low until I get a message.
- Had some difficulty connecting to my wifi network, but got it to work after I connected manually.
- Can't send skype SMS messages.

I got my phone two days ago. I was very surprised with its size and weight. It's very light and it's smaller than my mobile phone. Have not experienced any of the echo problems some people have mentioned here. Could be because the software that came installed in my phone is dated after Ipevo issued a firmware patch to correct the problem. Setting it up was a breeze and had all my phone numbers right there as soon as it logged in. Could use a speakerphone and an edit contact function on the contact list. Would recommend it to anybody looking to cut costs in home phone service like I was. Overall, I am very impressed. Kudos to Ipevo!

**Update**
It's been a little over a week since I got my phone. Had been experiencing problems with the phone disconnecting from my router and being unable to reconnect. Between the FAQ section on the Ipevo webpage and the support information for my router solved this problem. Changed the channel on my router and voilá! the problem was solved. No more disconnects. Also downloaded a firmware update from Ipevo that allows the screen to turn off according to selected time out settings when the phone is in its cradle, preventing early burn out of its screen. If I could give six stars to this product I would.

***Update 2***
It has been almost two months since I got my phone and I am extremely satisfied with my purchase. Been keeping track of any additional firmware updates released by IPEVO to make sure my phone has the latest software and take advantage of small improvements they are making via these updates. If you want to get rid of your land line, this is the way to go....

****Update 3****
It has been almost four months since I bought my phone. I was crunching some numbers on my budget recently and I will be saving close to $300.00/yr with this phone. This means the phone will be paid for in approximately 6 months, two more months to go to recover my investment. Nope sir, you will not hear any complains from this end.

Having purchased a number of different Skype phone products in the course of my job, I have tested USB adapters, stand-alone wired Skype phones, stand-alone wireless video phone, WI-FI phones from other manufacturers, and finally this IPEVO Skype phone.

I've seen some hits and some big misses. Up until now the WI-FI phones from other manufacturers have been the worst. I had no hopes that this device would be any better but I took the plunge anyway. I'm glad I did, because I think that this little phone comes as close to delivering on the promise of portable Skype calling as any other product. There are just three issues holding it back from being a truly stellar product:

1. Configuring WI-FI on this phone works fine, unless your WI-FI location requires you to visit their web site to authenticate. If that's the case you're out of luck. This phone needs a web browser.

2. Call quality is superior to any other WI-FI phone I've tried by far. However, the speaker is quite tinny. May be due to the small size of the phone, but I'm sure that they could do better.

3. The battery can get pretty hot, at least on the unit I have. This normally happens if the conversation goes for more than 10 minutes or so. I had to hang up on one call I had last week because my hand and ear were cooked.

If you can't wait until these issues are resolved in order to have portable Skype capability then I say Go For It! It really is a decent little Skype phone, and could pay for itself pretty quickly especially if you are required to make a lot of long distance and/or international calls.