In line with our CES theme, the Geeks thought we’d pick another CES Innovation winner from last year… the Netgear Skype Wi-Fi phone. This phone will allow you to call anyone else on Skype, anywhere in the world for free without a PC. You can make and receive Skype phone calls where you have access to a wireless Internet signal.
You can even connect to any landline or mobile phone outside the Skype network for pennies per minute. The Skype Wi-Fi allows you to manage your contact list and display who is available to talk directly on the phone’s screen. Finally, all calls are secure and encrypted with WEP and WPA-PSK Wi-Fi security.
Skype is the world’s fastest-growing Internet communication offering allowing free voice, video and instant messaging communication between users of Skype software of over 136 million registered users.
At first glance, the Netgear Skype Wi-Fi phone looks like a stylish candy-bar cellular phone. Inside, though, it’s a whole other animal, with a Wi-Fi radio, embedded Skype software, and a user interface that make it surprisingly easy to take advantage of Skype VoIP service. The real story here, though, is that the device completely removes your PC from the picture. As long as you’re in range of a Wi-Fi hotspot, the Netgear Skype Wi-Fi phone provides a complete solution for making and receiving Internet-based calls. There’s much to like about this device and, except for a couple of small complaints, it just might become one of your best-loved tools for staying in touch.
Price: $219.99
(Please note prices are subject to change and the listed price is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of posting)