65 of 65 people found the following review helpful:
Easy to use, great value - but it's not a VoIP phone!
With the explosion of voice over IP applications, new devices appear everyday to supposedly ease our digital life, but the abundance of "standards" and protocols makes it difficult for the end user to figure out exactly what each product can accomplish.
My biggest gripe with this specific product is that despite its name, it's NOT a VoIP phone. A real VoIP...
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
ALMOST there...
I like this phone, despite a couple of issues, but only gave it three stars because of a serious problem - it doesn't ring for an incoming call on the Mac. Makes it almost useless except to make outgoing calls. Another reviewer stated that they've spoken with Skype and this bug will be addressed in a future update, but I've been promised that before by software...
With the explosion of voice over IP applications, new devices appear everyday to supposedly ease our digital life, but the abundance of "standards" and protocols makes it difficult for the end user to figure out exactly what each product can accomplish.
My biggest gripe with this specific product is that despite its name, it's NOT a VoIP phone. A real VoIP phone contains everything that's needed to hook up to a TCP/IP network (wired and/or wireless) and implements a telephony protocol such as the open standard SIP or the proprietary Skype. For instance, the Zyxel W2000 can connect to a SIP server though an ordinary WiFi access point without the help of a computer, because it has an 802.11b wireless interface and implements the SIP protocol.
Instead, this Keyspan phone is just a wireless USB handset, which requires the use of a computer to function. Many similar products have been available for over a year, but they only work on Windows. This one supports both Windows and OSX.
The small box contains the phone, a USB dongle smaller than an iPod Shuffle, an installation CD, a USB to mini-USB cord and three AAA rechargeable Ni-MH batteries. To recharge the phone, you plug it into a powered USB port. Keyspan does not provide a separate charger, but this is a minor issue since this mini-USB connector is becoming increasingly common.
The Macintosh installation adds a small application named WirelessUSBPhone, and a USB driver. The application bridges the Keyspan phone with the Skype application through the use of the Skype API.
To start using the phone, you need to pair it by pressing a tiny button on the USB transmitter while the phone is in close proximity. Once this is done, you can scroll through the contact list on your phone and call them, or you can also dial numbers directly. When calls come into Skype, the screen lights up and displays the caller name.
The sound quality is excellent. The range is also particularly good, considering the tiny size of the components and the lack of external antennas. In my informal tests it is equivalent to that of a recent good quality cordless phone. Finally, the battery life is also very good: I would estimate it to be at least 4 days of stand-by and several hours of talk time, and since it uses standard AAA batteries it's easy to keep a backup set around just in case.
If you're looking for the Skype equivalent of a SIP phone, i.e. a standalone phone that works without relying on a computer, don't buy this product. Otherwise, if you use Skype a lot and wish you could use it without being tethered to your computer, this phone is the perfect answer. Unlike competing products it comes with very high quality software and offers a Macintosh version (Keyspan is well known for the quality of its products and software). Installation could not be easier and the software functions flawlessly and transparently. After a few days with the phone I'm very pleased with my purchase.
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I like this phone, despite a couple of issues, but only gave it three stars because of a serious problem - it doesn't ring for an incoming call on the Mac. Makes it almost useless except to make outgoing calls. Another reviewer stated that they've spoken with Skype and this bug will be addressed in a future update, but I've been promised that before by software manufacturers...
The phone itself works pretty well and the sound quality is actually very good with no echo, fading or dropouts experienced even two floors away from the transmitter on the computer. The phone itself is a bit on the smallish side. Especially given its purpose (a house phone), it really sacrifices ergonomics needlessly to make it more pocket-size. But overall, it appears well made (as well made as most modern consumer electronics that is) but the phone interface is not exactly intuitive.
Another gripe is that in installing it on the Mac, it requires your Administrator password. There's absolutely no reason for it to require root access. Unfortunately, that is a shortcut that many companies porting applications over to the Mac are taking. So while I'd rather not give it root access, I'll begrudgingly allow it as it's better than having to install it on a PC.
So overall, it's not bad at all for the price (assuming that Keyspan fixes the incoming call ring issue), but if you don't need one right now, I'd wait and see what else comes along.
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I had the misfortune to buy one of these phones last week, believing it to be compatible with Mac OS X, as advertised. It is not in any meaningful way. The driver that comes with the phone does not work with the latest version of the Mac operating system (10.4.9), and has not worked with any version since at least the end of 2006. The help section of Keyspan's website acknowledges this - though only after you've submitted a complaint. The advice given online is that a new driver will be released 'January 2007'... Since this is now May, we can only assume Keyspan has been selling this product knowing it did not work as advertised, and that the company is in no particular rush to sort it out! After 4 days, I have, as yet, received no answer from two submissions to their email support service either - so, to be charitable, they seem to have their heads in the sand on this one. I am not given to writing bad reviews online, and am generally sympathetic to companies pioneering technologies in newer areas, such as VOIP. But Keyspan has already demonstrated to me that it is out of its depth here, and the customer service has been appalling. A simple acknowledgment of the issue up front would have been far more helpful; instead they have just wasted my time. Very poor... The actual problems experienced with the phone are:
1. Although it is possible to get the Mac to recognize the phone as a sound input source, I could not get it to work as such. I know the sound side of Macs well and am confident the issue is with the phone.
2. The ringer is inaudible, which is a big disadvantage on a cordless phone! The help site acknowledges this problem and offers a workaround which blames Skype (!) and offers a Keyspan driver-based solution that cannot be implemented on a Mac using the latest OS.
3. Skype Out numbers in the Skype address book are only displayed as numbers on the phone's screen - not with the relevant contact names. This means you have to know everyone's number by heart to dial using the cordless phone! Worse, the numbers are displayed in numerical order, not in the order Skype has them! Again, the help pages say this will be fixed in January 2007 as part of the mythical new driver...
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The VP24a does not work at all on the most recent Mac 10.5.7 release (Intel processor) regardless of what version of Skype software is being used. I contacted Keyspan CS (actually Tripplet) and they responded that they will pass the issue to the manufacturer of the product. The phone will function on Motorola machines running 10.4.11. It worked initially with my 10.5 system but only as a remote headset. After the first Mac update, the phone became very buggy and with the next update, it doesn't operate at all.
It does function perfectly using Windows XP. So if you are a Windows user, I would give it a 4 star rating. It loses a star because it is so small it is very difficult to talk and hear without moving the phone up and down. Mac 10.4.11 rates a 3 star as it does work but without any of the Contact functions. 10.5 and above gets a 0 star since it just doesn't work.
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I bought this phone a couple of months ago when my wife was going to be home for a while recovering from surgery and while Skype was not charging for landline calls in the US. She is not into tech, so she did not use it much except when I call for her. I have used it a lot myself for when the landline in the house is in use and I do not want to walk outside to make a cell call (poor coverage at times with my Treo 650 inside my house). The call quality if fair. It is not as clear as you get on a good headset on your computer, but still very understandable. the display is a little small, but has a lot on information on it, including signal strength and battery status.
As stated in other reviews, this is not a stand alone VOIP phone. You install software on your PC or Mac and then plug the small transmitter/receiver into a USB port on your computer. The transceiver is about the size of a thumb drive. The phone comes with standard pair of rechargeable AAA batteries that you charge with the supplied USB cable. You only use the cable to charge the phone. I have found that the range is limited when compared to a modern 5.8GHz cordless phone. I am not able to go more than a room or two from the base. This might be an issue with the location of the transceiver since it is located near a couple of LCD monitors on my PowerMac that might be shielding it. It easily works within a 40 foot range which is more than enough for my application. Battery life has also been good. I have not used it for any long calls so I do not know the duration of the batteries, but they do seem to have good stand-by time since it has been weeks since they have been charged. (I do not have the unit on except for when I want to use it. I only SkypeOut).
I am overall pleased with the unit. The sound quality is more a like 3 stars, but the ease of use and Mac compatibility push it up to 4 stars for me.
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Phone keys nonfunctional with Mac 10.5.5 OS. You can use only by dialing out of the computer. Customer service ugly to say the least. Their answer dont have drivers and they dont even know if they will make them. Also they dont answer Your emails. I will not buy anything from this company.
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I have used the Keyspan Cordless phone in combination with Skype for well over a year. I travel throughout the world and can almost claim that I have used the phone and Skype in almost every continent. The Keyspan phone is compatible with the Mac-- not only does it ring but the phone will announce the name of the caller if they are listed in your Skype contact list. The wireless function works well in a hotel room, meaning you can be in bed and take the call. The only issue I've had occurs, albeit infrequently, is when I watching a movie on my Mac PB G4 (OS X. 10.5.8) and a call comes in. The Keyspan will ring, but the output sound (my response) will not switch over. I addressed this by putting the Mac's audio control icon in the menu bar and manually switch the output to USB. On the few occasions this has not worked, I quit and restart the Skype application and the software defaults to the Keyspan. This always solves the issue. Simple calling procedures such as redial and calling a contact works well. I rate the Keyspan four and not five stars because, I beleive the phone application could be more intuitive. However, this is a mega money saver and no-brainer. The cost savings of one long distance 10 minute toll phone call from Nairobi to the U.S. pays for the phone.
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I purchased this phone to use with my skype service. The best feature is the fact that you don't have to be tied behind your computer with a headset. The coverage area is pretty good. A few drawbacks:
1. When calling companies that prompt you to make selections using the keypad on your phone, I noticed that many companies don't recognize the touch tones. So I am left with using my cellphone to complete those calls.
2. The menu on the screen is not very user friendly.
3. Standby battery source depletes fairly quickly.
Overall, get this phone if you want something affordable without being tide-down to your desk.
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I have been using this phone for the last four months. The one I received initially was defective, but the manufacturer sent me a replacement immediately and this has functioned perfectly. It works very well with my MacBookPro, though it does not ring when receiving incoming calls (this is a known glitch). Sound quality has been excellent. The phone screen is on the small side. Keyspan customer support has been superb!
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All in all, I'm pretty happy with this phone. The sofware was easy to install and the phone itself is easy to use. It's a great treat to be able to walk around the house and not being chained to the computer. The only annoyance is that the phone is not very reliable. While the connection always seems to be perfect for me, my friends and family often complain they can't hear a thing I'm saying. As soon as I unhook the phone and use my headset again, the connection is crystal clear for both of us.
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