Customer Reviews

Ipevo Free 2 White (with LCD Display) - Skype Certified USB VOIP Internet IP Phone

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This phone works very well for apple computers. It is also about the size of a candy bar and is great for travel. I like the LCD model so that you can dial a number without using the computer (although long names don't show up entirely on the screen). There may be better options but for traveling with a macintosh it has worked very well.

I looked a long time for a VOIP phone to work with Mac. Most did not, as I learned the hard way.
This phone does, and well. The sound is clear. I use mine with Skype for those times when I know it will be a long wait or for phoning businesses.

If your life is centered around a computer, and if you use Skype, this is a great way to enhance your communication tool. I am a professional photographer, and I talk to clients on phone for consultation, package description, price quote, booking, etc. The sound quality is just as important as my voice quality and what I talk in order for my prospective clients to find confidence in hiring me. Skype and IPEVO phone together give me a very effective tool for high quality voice communication, inexpensively and conveniently. This is the bottom line.

The strength of Free.2 (and New Skype Certified USB VOIP Internet IP Phone White handset for PC Laptop Notebook win IF award, which is the same product without the LCD) is that you can get very high quality Skype voice communication with minimum setup effort. In fact, in my tests, Free.2 gave better voice quality than a number of other Skype phone products (including IPEVO IPEVO S0-10 Skype Desktop Phone-Black handset and IPEVO S0-20 Wi-Fi Phone for Skype).

I have a business phone number attached to my cell phone, but if the signal reception is not good, I will suffer from rough voice quality and choppy voice. Another good thing is that, with Skype, you can carry this phone and log in to Skype from any computer and you get to use the same Skype-in phone number if you subscribe that service. That means, whether I work from studio, office, home, coffeehouse, shopping mall, clients location, etc., I get calls at the same number without call transfer. People are already used to this arrangement in this cellular phone age, but if you try to do that with a landline, it is very hard. Skype is the way to go.

IPEVO Free.2 phone is small and lightweight, so you can easily travel with it. However, without a computer, this is useless. Now, compared to IPEVO SO-10 and SO-20, both of which operate without requiring a computer, what are the advantages of Free.2 handset?

1. You can use the dialer functionality of your address book, etc. You can look up a local pizza store in your area on google and call that number without leaving your browser screen. If your client wants you to call him/her, just click on the number in your email and dial it without leaving the email app. Standalone phones cannot do that. You have to manually type in the number or make contacts in your Skype account. (By the way, I don't have those edible food-like substances delivered to my place, so that was just an example.)

2. When you are playing music on iTunes, Skype pauses it for you when you receive or initiate a call. Standalone phone can't do that.

3. Free.2 USB handset does not require a battery or a power adaptor.

4. Free.2 USB handset is cheap.

5. Free.1 and Free.2 are probably the only options available for Mac users. (If not only, best.)

Now, I do hope those IPEVO standalone phones implement functions to work with dialers in the computer, and perhaps iTunes, whether it may be via Wi-Fi, bluetooth or USB. But for these reasons, I find Free.2 to be still useful.

Now, disadvantages of Free.2:

1. The "driver" is actually a Mac OS app, called IPEVO Control Center. This has to be running on your computer in addition to the Skype app, in order for this handset to operate. This Control Center app is a simple app but takes up a window space. It should be somehow integrated via dock menu or some other forms. The Control Center is also sometimes flaky and also crashes frequently on Snow Leopard. I hope to hear about the new version soon.

2. The range of ringer tone is very limited. It sounds like pocket game machines (you know, those operated with two or four button cells, from 1980s). Sounds only marginally better than digital kitchen timer.

3. You always have to dial +1 when making US/Canada domestic calls, even if default country code of +1 is registered with the Skype app. (You need to dial +1 on Free.2 handset but you don't need it when you dial directly on the Skype app on the computer. Why??)

4. When you adjust the handset volume by pressing buttons on the side of the handset, not only you but the person on the other side of the phone also hears the loud beep.

5. There is no backlight on the keypad, making it difficult to dial in the dark.

Now, here're some suggestion to IPEVO for Free.3 model.

1. fix all of the problems above.

2. incorporate the biggest affordable flash drive within this handset, so that I can carry the Skype app, work related files, etc. in just one device, without taking up multiple USB ports.

3. incorporate Hi-Fi stereo audio DAC in the handset, with a 3.5mm headphone jack, so that I can listen to music through it, and hear the ringer tone through it when someone calls me, and perhaps hear the other person's voice through it, while I talk to the microphone on the handset.


I like this product very much so far, and I really like to see an update of the IPEVO Control Center program soon. Other than that, this product is very close to perfection in this class. In fact, I'm so impressed with this product that I'm contemplating using other Skype phones made by IPEVO.

So simple to use, this is so clear, I cant believe how loud and clear it is...better then my netgear cordless skype phone, Works great with Macs and Leopard, No issues at all......

I have a macbook, and I love the sound quality with Skype. Great product, easy to pack, reliable, great echo cancelation.

The IPEVO Free.2 is very compact and provides great speech quality without an echo. The other parties don't know I'm on a Skype call. I bought the phone for two reasons: small size and good sound quality and it has met both expectations very well.

The design of the this Skype phone is beautiful. Installation is simple and took only 3 minutes to complete. Function is easy to learn and use even though without a manual. The voice is fabulous. Highly recommend.

Sharp-looking phone, light, has a stand that because it is so small and light it would fall over easily so they provide a double-sided stickum tape. I put it on top of my PC tower. Someone complained that the ring isn't loud enough but the software allows you to figure the phone to ring both the phone itself and over the PC speakers. If you have external speakers on your PC with good volume, you can turn up volume and get a plenty loud ring.

The neatest feature of the phone and its software is the recording software that you can turn on by pressing a button on the phone. The sound, as others have said, is excellent, but on occasions when I need to get the utmost from the terrific Skype sound, I use a Plantronics headset.

The only reason I didn't give this phone five stars is that the numbers on the keypad are hard to read. Not a big deal since of course we all know that keyboard by heart, but sometimes I have to pause and think where the next number is.

It's narrow, which we are not used to in a phone, but why have wide if the innards don't require the space? It is long enough to reach from ear to speaker by mouth--a great plus with me, I hate these tiny phones where the speaker ends up by my cheek.

Overall, I'm so pleased with this phone I'm ordering another one for my laptop.

it works fine, voice is very clear, i did some international calls and the voice was great, the pictures shown here makes u feel its big, its much slimmer in terms of width which is good , at least for me (half the width of the regular handset

usb cord is long enough
yes i agree with some other reviewers it still needs some fine tunes specially if u didn't pick up after the 3rd ring it goes to the voice mail , that is the most adverse point i found.

of course your computer has to be on and ur skype has to be signed in order to use it

to avoid the international code problem shift from 1 country to the other, the best thing is to save the frequent dialed phones on ur contact list and u choose them directly so u don't have to insert the international code before each number

overall it is good product and worth the 40 dollars

IPEVO makes a full range of corded handsets for use with Skype and other VoIP applications. The FRee.2, in the middle of their lineup, is perhaps my favorite. Cited on IPEVO's website to be 8-times the clarity of landline telephone calls, my experience with the FRee.2 has been one of stellar call clarity when network conditions allow. The svelte FRee.2 packs easily in my laptop bag, and allows me privacy when calling from public wi-fi hotspots. The FRee.2 sports the iconic IPEVO look with a rectangular hole through the handset, near the mic. The hole is more than ornamental by helping reduce the echo heard by your caller. I've tested calls with and without the handset and my caller could hear a noticeable difference in echo reduction compared to my Mac's built in speakers and mic.

Out of the box, there's a simple driver to install, which can be set to auto-launch at system start, or (my preference) can be launched manually. I dragged an alias to the Macintosh desktop Dock for quick access. When the Skype application is launched, the phone's screen is populated with recently called numbers, and my remaining SkypeOut balance. Very handy! I've found the 'called' list easier to access on the screen of the FRee.2 than from within the Skype app itself! My only criticisms are a bit of a firmware lag when trying to keep-up with fast number dialing. For example the keys will not 'beep' once per key-push when keying too quickly. I would also love an optional DTMF instead of the monotone beeps. For me, the DTMF tones confirm that I'm dialing the right number. I also found the cord to be too generous (long) for portable use. If I were making a call while cooking in the kitchen, it would be perfect. Even though it would probably add a few bucks, I'd recommend a shorter USB plus a male-female extension cable that could be left at home.

I've tried Skype calling from my Mac's built-in audio, and have tried several Bluetooth headsets (and hated the call quality when compared to wired headsets - even with the $100+ Jawbone!) and can say that the clearest Skype calls I've experienced have been on the IPEVO FRee.2

Well worth the forty bucks, and heartedly recommended!