(Credit:
Yugster)
It's a mouse. No, it's a phone. It's two, two, two products in one! The Targus Portable USB Notebook Mouse and Internet Phone Combo (whew--exhausted from typing all that) is $17.95 (plus 5 bucks shipping) today only from Yugster, a deal-of-the-day site much like Woot.
On the surface, the TPUNMAIPC looks like a fairly typical USB-powered travel mouse--and $17.95 is not a bad price for such a rodent. But it also doubles as a voice-over-IP handset and speakerphone, meaning you can use it to take and make calls over Skype, Google Talk, Gizmo5, or whatever is your voice-over-IP service of choice.
Crazy-cool, or just plain crazy? I haven't been able to dig up a single review of this product, so I can't say for sure if it works well as a mouse or phone. But if you travel a lot and rely heavily on VoIP for cheap/free calls, this could be a swell companion. Plus, you can indulge all your Star Trek IV Scotty fantasies: "Hello, computer." (You know, the scene where he talks into the mouse... Do I have to explain everything?)
(Credit:
Technabob)
Speaking of convergence, the last place we thought we'd see a combo trend is the mouse and phone. That hardware mashup had initially been confined to some smaller brands like Taiwan-based Genius, whose mad scientists have produced such unholy marriages as combo camera-speakers.
But now Sony has come up with its own mouse phone (phone mouse?) for the Japanese market, an optical rodent that can be opened up for use as a Skype handset or propped up to become a VoIP speakerphone, according to Technabob. The Genius model still has one more function--it triples as an instant-message device--but Sony has played to one of its strengths by offering its VN-CX1A in colors designed to match its PCs. But frankly, until it comes in polka dots, we're not interested.
(Credit:
Everything USB)
We've said it before, and we'll say it again: More is not always better, when it comes to combo or all-in-one devices. And even when the combination of functions makes some sense, it's often at the cost of atrocious aesthetics.
Take, for example, the "Trio" Skype phone from Ipevo. Its features are logical--a handset, speakerphone and digital recorder, according to Everything USB--but just look at this thing. We first thought it was some kind of Taser or one of those handheld metal detectors that airport security uses when you've set off the threshold alarm.
On the other hand, if it really does make good on its claims to clearly pick up voices 1.5 meters away, we'd be willing to put up with its distinct ugliness. But we won't hold our breath: Crave has yet to find a speakerphone that doesn't sound like the Holland Tunnel.
(Credit:
Netgear)
Netgear announced today a dual-mode cordless Wi-Fi phone that supports both traditional landlines and Skype VoIP calling. The Netgear SPH200D Dual-Mode DECT Cordless Phone With Skype has a base unit that plugs into both your network router and a phone jack, allowing you to switch between Skype calls and traditional calls. It uses the 1.9GHz band, which should keep it clear of interference from your (or your neighbor's) wireless network. You can view your regular contacts and your Skype contacts, on the handset's screen, and when making a call to a non-Skype user, you can choose whether to make a SkypeOut call or a landline call.
Like the Linksys iPhone CIT400, the SPH200D loads the Skype client directly on the phone base unit, so you can turn off your PC and still make Skype calls. Both models support up to four handsets on a network.
The Netgear Dual-Mode Cordless Phone With Skype is available now, for $200.
It's true: the iPhone is here--but not the one everyone's been talking about. Linksys announced today its family of Voice over IP and Wi-Fi phones, called iPhone.
The new iPhone CIT400
(Credit: Linksys)The purveyor of home networking equipment has been shipping several flavors of VoIP and Wi-Fi phones since 2004 and announced two new products today, but branding them under the iPhone moniker is a new move. The two new members of the family are the iPhone Dual-Mode Internet Telephony Kit for Skype (CIT400) and the iPhone Wireless-G Phone for Skype (WIP320). The former is targeted for the home: it includes a cordless phone base that you connect to your home network via Ethernet and a handset that can be switched back and forth between Skype calling and your regular PSTN line (that is, your landline). The previous iteration of this product, the CIT300, did the same thing, but required that you leave your PC running in order to make Skype calls. The CIT400 incorporates the Skype client directly into the phone base, so you can make Skype calls even while your PC is shut down.
The WIP320 is Linksys' next-generation Wi-Fi phone. Using it, you can make Skype calls while on any wireless network, including public hot spots. While the CIT400 makes sense to us, the WIP320 is a harder sell. After all, if you're strolling about town and you go out of range of a Wi-Fi network, your Skype call will get dropped. Isn't that what cell phones are for? Even Linksys admits that this product isn't quite ready for prime time, as it requires a more universal Wi-Fi backbone, like municipal Wi-Fi.
Both phones support Skype's free Skype-to-Skype calls, as well as its paid features, such as SkypeIn, SkypeOut, and voice mail. The CIT400 immediately hits the market for $180, while the WIP320 retails for $200. Other members of the iPhone family include the iPhone Dual-Mode Cordless Phone for Yahoo Messenger with Voice (CIT310), the iPhone Dual-Mode Internet Telephony Kit (CIT300), and the iPhone Wireless-G IP Phone (WIP330). The CIT310 not only lets you make landline and Yahoo Messenger with Voice calls, but you can also check weather conditions and look up local businesses straight from the phone. The SIP-based members of the family use the SIP protocol and allow you to access music, photos, and videos from the Web and work with products such as Linksys' wireless video cameras, so you can monitor events in the next room. In all, there are currently seven iPhone products offered by Linksys and you can check them out at Linksys' Web site.
As for the rampant speculation about an imminent announcement from Apple regarding a phone, well, Crave knows nothing about that. Call us cynical, but we suspect Gizmodo knew full well about the Linksys announcement and was being a bit disingenuous with its Thursday blog posting. We should admit, though, that we found the resulting frenzy (even among our own ranks) rather amusing. As for the iPhone name, Linksys owns the trademark, so the speculators need to get cracking on potential names for the as-yet nonexistent phone from Cupertino.
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