Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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82 of 85 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great Skype Phone, but the software is not perfect, June 21, 2008
Skype is a popular online network which is known for its voice chat and low rate calling to traditional landline and mobile phones. While it has traditionally been limited to use on desktop computers (and accessories plugged into desktop computers), more and more standalone "no computer required" devices are coming to market. Many of them have been WiFi enabled handsets in the shape of a traditional cell phone. The Belkin Desktop Internet Phone for Skype extends the Skype experience to your desk or wall without having to deal with setting up audio or USB devices with your PC.
Hardware: The Belkin Desktop Internet Phone for Skype looks like an office desk phone, perhaps a bit smaller than average. You have your numeric keypad, volume control, hold, redial, mute, and speakerphone buttons, as well as mobile phone-like Answer and Hang Up buttons. There are only three ports on the phone: AC Power, Ethernet, and the connector for the handset (which uses a standard handset cord like you'd fine on any corded phone, which may be good if you currently own a device such as a voice recorder or headset adapter).
The phone does not slide around on a solid wood desk, it stays firm even when picking up and hanging up the receiver. There are also holes on the back if you'd prefer to wall-mount the phone. The screen, while small, is very bright and easy to read.
The speaker phone function is very loud and does not seem to suffer from echo or other audio quality problems like many speaker phones are known for. The handset, while not the most comfortable I've ever used, is very loud and clear, and lightweight.
Software: The phone Software is a straight port of the Skype firmware commonly found on the portable Wifi units, which means it has the same limitations you'll find on those devices. You'll also know you're not working with a regular desktop phone, as there is no dialtone when you pick up the receiver. And when you're placing a SkypeOut (landline/mobile phone) call, you must always dial your country code (example, +1 or 001 for North America) - there is no way to configure a default. This is very annoying for when you want to call someone not in your contact list.
Also, when you dial "00" very fast (for example 1-800, or a 555-1200) your 00 is replaced with the international "+" symbol automatically. The only workaround for this is to dial 0, then wait about half a second, and then press 0 again. There is no way to configure this behavior.
The contact list does not allow you to store multiple numbers per person. If you want to add someone's home, mobile, and office number, you will have to make three separate contacts. This will cause you to use up more available blocks (500 contacts can be stored, according to the specs) and you'll also have to scroll through duplicates on the small screen.
Speaking of limitations - don't expect this to be a replacement for your desktop Skype software. While you don't need to be signed in to Skype on your computer, you can't send instant messages or SMS from the phone hardware. To me, this is a major oversight, as the capability to enter text is there with the keypad. It seems as if this is something that could be enabled with a future software update, but I have yet to hear of this in any other review or Skype hardware device on the market.
The main menu of the Skype software shows your login name, the local time (you can configure whether you prefer 24 or 12 hour clocks in the settings), your status (online, away, dnd, etc - this can be changed via the phone) and your Skype balance. However, the balance is something that is not important to me as I have a North American unlimited plan. If you get under a $1 (local currency), an alert icon shows up on the home screen which is really annoying as you cannot disable it. I can see this being useful for those without a subscription plan, but I have no need to keep a dollar balance on my account and don't want a constant reminder.
While the interface is a bit clunky, it's not much worse than your average mobile phone. You navigate through menus using the round 4 way "circle" (up, down, left, right, and center select). To input text, you use the letters on top of the keys the same way you enter text on a mobile phone keypad. In this respect, it is a bit less advanced than modern phones as you must cycle through 3 options to change case each time (Upper Case, Lower Case, Numbers). So to add the word "Mom", you must switch to upper case, then switch to lower case (having to click through the numbers input option, back to the lower case).
Also, keep in mind than you can't dial all landline numbers - there is no 911 (or 999), and 1-900 numbers are blocked. So don't give this to someone as a replacement for their landline unless you explain all the downsides and make sure they have a way to contact emergency services. (Also, keep in mind this phone has no battery, so it msut have constant power, as well as your modem and networking hardware)
For the average person, this phone could easily be a home landline replacement. You can have virtually unlimited North American outgoing calling for less than $3 per month, and unlimited incoming calling for less than $60 a year. If you already have a cell phone (important in case you do need to make a 911 call) but get poor reception at home, or just hate having long conversations on a mobile device, I'd highly recommend spending the money on this phone. While it has it's (mostly software related) downsides, it still does what is advertised, and is really easy to use and get set up. Plus, we can keep our fingers crossed for a future firmware update with enhanced functionality.
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24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Does the job, but could be a lot better., August 22, 2008
Skype has become my landline, it's 1/10th the cost of the phone company and 1/5 the cost of the cable phone service or Vonage. The technology is still new so the Skype phones available are few and not without bugs.
The Belkin phone isn't bad. You can plug it directly into your Ethernet port and after it's set up you have a working desktop phone that, by using Skype's service, is super cheap and good quality. The unit has a clear speakerphone, a decent color display and works reliably.
Still, there are drawbacks to the design of this phone. As others have commented, the phone is very light and uses cheap plastic, etc. The handset (besides not being very ergonomic) doesn't firmly sit in the cradle very well, the slightest bump and it will pop out. Other drawbacks are missing features as compared to using Skype through your computer such as the inability to make a conference call (although this may change through possible future software upgrades).
The manual is sparse and doesn't clearly explain features. The initial setup and login requires entering letters on a strictly numeric keyboard with no obvious input method. It took a while for me to figure it out and is cumbersome. Another annoying aspect is it's requirement to dial "00" before the "1" on any call, even domestic- plus, if you dial the two zero's too quickly- it's recognized it as a different symbol and you have to start over again. Thus, for every call you are unable to dial quickly- a very annoying thing in the 21st century. Overall the interface is not the most user friendly.
To sum up, for the price it's a decent device to make Skype calls without having to use your computer. At the same time, my guess is future Skype phones will be much more robust, comfortable and practical in their interface and design (at which point the local, nickel and diming phone companies will have a big problem on their hands :).
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Hey, it works!, August 14, 2008
I have used this phone for a couple of days now and it works. Easy to set up. Easy to use.
My only complaint so far is, it doesn't have a default country code that you can set up. So every time you want to call someone, you have to enter +1 then the area code. They should have a feature that defaults to a country code if one isn't entered. Small oversight and hopefully something that can be fixed with a software update.
Overall, very happy with this phone. It gets me that much needed second line into the house without costing an arm and a leg.
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