Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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144 of 146 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good, But Do A Little Homework Before Purchasing, September 18, 2007
I purchased this phone a little over two months ago. Overall I'm quite happy with it, though I do wish I had waited until the price dropped and saved some $$! I've read many of the reviews and agree with many of the good ones, and can empathize with many of the not-so-good ones.
First of all, I think everyone assumes someone looking to purchase this phone already knows about Skype, which I'm sure is usually true, BUT if you're unfamiliar with Skype, be sure you visit www.skype.com first to find out exactly what it is, and what it is going to cost you (if anything) to join and use the system. Different plans are offered such as talking to only other people on Skype. . . . Making calls to people on "regular" phones (fee based, but really cheap). . . . and if you want to have your own phone number so that anyone can call you (fees involved). After reading a lot of reviews, I didn't see where anyone mentioned about what Skype actually is, so I wanted to get that out of the way. This phone works with Skype, but you still have to sign-up and select what plan you would like, and that's where there could be fees. Also, you must have high-speed internet access to use this phone. . . BUT you can use the phone without your computer being turned on, which is one of the main reasons for purchasing this phone. Now for the review. . . .
When I first got this phone, I had both a land line and Skype. I have since dropped the land line because I'm more than happy with the Skype service, especially due to how much $$ it's saving me (a ton, by the way). As Skype will tell you, they recommend you keep a land line, because Skype does not work with 911. I have a cell phone which works with 911, so I'm less worried about that and I live in a condo with lots of people around me. If 911 service is of a concern, then you might want to keep the land line. When you place a call the phone will ask you if you want it to go through the land line or Skype. FYI, someone wrote that they were still asked that even though they didn't have a land line, but I was able to change the settings and now the phone always uses Skype.
I agree with someone else who said that they thought that Skype was not as good as a land line, but better than a cell phone. Sometimes the quality is better than others with Skype, but again, I can live with that because of the cost savings.
I have Skype on my computer as well, and it's great that the phone will update when you add new contacts to your computer and vice-versa. You can load all of the phone numbers from Outlook into Skype, and then it will load onto your phone. Really great feature.
As for the phone itself. . . well. . . yes, it is sleek, modern, etc. . . but I agree with someone else who said that it's kind of a pain because it's not like a "regular" phone receiver where you can hold it against your shoulder and ear. Yes, you can use a headset, and yes there is a speakerphone which I find works quite well. But if you're not using either of those, it can be a bit of a pain holding the phone all the time. FYI, there is no volume control, and I really hate that. If you're the slightest bit hard-of-hearing, I would not recommend this phone. Though it's not difficult to use, it is more like using a cell phone. If you have Skype voice mail (fee-based feature) there is an icon on the phone to let you know that you have a message so that you can listen to it. The phone keeps a detailed log of all of the calls which came in, and also that you made. Someone mentioned that the phone does not have the best ring tone options, which I would agree with, but surely you can find one that you'll be satisfied with. Oh. . . I don't know if this is still the case, but my phone came only with a disc with the instructions. There wasn't a printed manual. I found one at the Philips website though. I HIGHLY recommend that you go to the Philips website and take a look at the owners manual before you purchase, just so you know all of the details and what features this phone offers, which are quite a few. Once you get to the Philips website, just do a search for VOIP8411B/37.
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108 of 112 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An Excellent Phone for Skype Users, July 7, 2007
If you hate paying the phone company a ton of money for calls you probably aren't going to make, Skype is a great service. You can make unlimited phone calls within the U.S. and Canada for just under $30. Out of country calls are extremely cheap. For example, I can call the U.K. for a bit over 2 cents per minute.
So having a telephone you can count on to make reasonably good calls is critical. The Philips VOIP841 is not a perfect solution. The sound quality is somewhere between a cell phone and a land line. It's a bit better than the former and not nearly as good as the latter.
But for making and receiving calls from family and friends, it's great. And it will pay for itself quickly and save you a ton of money on your phone bill.
I even use mine for business calls overseas and many times within the U.S.
With Skype, you can make conference calls. So business users will find this of interest.
Although the phone allows you to make Skype or land line calls, the land line is no better or worse than the Skype line. In fact, I believe the Skype calls may be somewhat better on this phone.
I do find there is a small amount of static on my Skype to land line calls at times. Not enough to make the calls bad. But you'll notice it. And it's not always there. Calls are dependent on your connection and the traffic.
In addition, the phone is not especially comfortable in your hand. At least I don't think so. It's too small and not shaped well. You have to hold it a certain way to hear well.
The speaker works quite well. I can hear the other person very well on the speaker. The other person says it's not as good on their end. But it's a good feature to have. The mute feature is also good to have.
So if you're looking for a true land line replacement, this is not it. Of course, Skype will tell you that you can't make 911 calls. So most people want this for a second line anyway.
I like to watch my costs. And one place you can spend way too much money is with the phone company. So I cut my land line service to the bare bones (I like having 911 and the option to have clear calls) and I have a good cell phone plan. Added to that this phone and Skype and I save a ton of money. I signed up with Total International for long distance on my land line. So for me, that combination works great.
The phone is feature rich. It does have some bugs. And I found that customer service doesn't know much more about the phone than I do. They're of very little help. And the documentation is poor. They do have a decent FAQ on their Web site and you can find some answers. Plus, Skype has an active forum with lots of folks who use this phone. So there's help there too.
But having said all that, I recommend this phone for people who use or plan to use Skype for a lot of long distance or PC to PC calls. I expect within a few years someone will come out with a phone that is a true solution. Until then, I'm glad I bought this phone and I really enjoy the savings it provides me with.
I doubt you'll find a better Skype phone at this time and this one enjoys high ratings from most reviewers who review for a living.
Update: July 21, 2007
After using this phone for several weeks, I can tell you I'm glad I made the purchase. It's worry-free and very dependable. Making Skypeout calls are quite clear, regardless of where you call. The landline, however, is not too good. So I don't use it for a landline at all.
I've never had any dropped calls or any problems and I've used the phone a lot. I pay Skype less than $30 per year for unlimited calls in the U.S. and Canada and keep a little in my account for overseas calls. I talked to London for five or six minutes and it only cost me a nickel.
I ordered a Skype desk phone for my office to use along with this one. But it's not portable. I also read in The Wall Street Journal that there is a new type of VOIP calling coming out in September, called Ooma, which may prove to be a better deal. I'll be checking into that and buying the unit.
So, in summary, I've been very happy with this phone and it's worth the price. I continue to highly recommend it.
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61 of 63 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Well thought out and straightforward, May 10, 2007
The phone is gorgeous in high gloss black ... puts Belkin and Linksys offerings to shame, but finger prints take a lot of effort to remove. Fit and finish are good and it's nice that Philips included all the necessary cables (ethernet and regular phone). Yes there is a mini jack that accepts a headset (my Panasonic works) and here is volume output that is finally loud enough for me. For some reason, the jack location is about 1/8" too low for the headset to remain plugged in when you return the phone to the charging cradle. I can't tell if this is deliberate or a design oversight. Handset batteries are a pair of standard AAA NiMH--good because replacements are cheap and easy to find, but I can't help but think the talk time would be more with a custom battery. We'll see.
Navigation is decent--no confusion if you know your way around a cell phone. The screen is easy to read but, like a cell phone, the contact list is only about 11 characters wide so long names are truncated. Philips makes the selected contact name scroll like a ticker, but it would be nice to just to see more of the name to begin with. Setup for me into a Linksys router was effortless.
I was a Skype user before I bought this phone so the first thing I miss is the ability to conference several contacts in to a single call I am hosting. I'm finding that Skype on my Mac still works (login with same username) so I can enter contacts on my keyboard and they update the handset a couple of minutes later. However, I do notice that sometimes my active contacts are grayed out on my Mac, possibly because the handset was off hook recently and has not released control. Sound quality is a little tinny compared to Skype on a Mac with a hard wired USB headset, but still respectable.
If I had one wish, that would be a menu option to make all the land line features disappear. As it stands, I can dial the number to a regular phone but have to select SkypeOut or land line when I place the call. Since I don't have a land line, this is an extra step for me each time (This doesn't apply to numbers already entered into my Skype contact list).
All in all I am very satisfied. The phone looks awesome and belongs in the MoMA, and I am saving a good chunk of change by terminating my land line. BTW, since I have a cell phone that gets me 911, I doesn't bother me that Skype doesn't provide this.
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