Skype rings changes with standalone VoIP phone

Skype on Thursday announced new cordless phones that will let users of its internet phone service make calls without a computer or wi-fi connection.

The new Phillips VoIP841 and Netgear cordless phones plug into a broadband connection and come preloaded with Skype software, allowing users to make and receive phone calls without requiring them to have a computer turned on.

In the past 18 months, Skype has expanded its service to appeal more to the mass market. It introduced the SkypeIn and SkypeOut services that allow calls to be made to and received from mobile phones and regular landlines for a fee. And with its partners it has introduced special Skype handsets that plug in to PCs, wi-fi phones that connect users to the Skype service through a wireless broadband connection, and several other products that enable users to connect to the Skype service.

Thursday's announcement takes this strategy a step further.

Stefan Oberg, general manager, desktop and hardware at Skype, said in a statement: "Skype has already introduced wi-fi phones and Skype for PocketPC wireless. Now Skype is taking the next step to introduce PC-free cordless phones. The cordless phones for Skype launched today give Skype users the flexibility to enjoy free Skype-to-Skype calls and inexpensive calls to ordinary and mobile phones anywhere in the house, at any time without a running computer."

The cordless phone makes the Skype service act just like a traditional phone but the company insists it is not a traditional phone replacement, as other services such as Vonage which also sends calls over the internet, have claimed. The main reason is that Skype does not offer emergency calling.

The Netgear and Philips cordless phones have full colour graphic displays, an integrated contact list and a speakerphone. The Philips VoIP841 cordless phone is on display this week at the Internationale Funkausstellung, a consumer electronics show in Berlin. It will be available to consumers during the holiday season for around $150.

Marguerite Reardon writes for CNET News.com