Netgear announces Skype phone

Netgear recently announced its plans to release a WiFi phone for Skype. More popularly known as a manufacturer of networking hardware, including wireless-enabled broadband routers and WiFi adapters for desktop and notebook computers, the equipment supplier’s entry into the mobile phone market is marked with a stylish handset reminiscent of SonyEricsson’s own award-winning cellular phone designs.

With the introduction of Skype-enabled mobile phones such as this cool number from Netgear, Skype users can expect more flexibility in calling friends and family through the Internet. Setup is simple–you only have to set up the phone with your Skype username and password, and you’re all set to go. You can call your Skype contacts, or receive calls from any WiFi hotspot, whether from your own home, office, or from a public hotspot.

You can also get in touch with friends who don’t have Skype, with SkypeOut and SkypeIn. SkypeOut allows you to make calls to any regular telephone–even those abroad–for a fraction of the cost of international calls. With SkypeIn, you can receive calls from regular telephones using your very own Skype phone number.

This development seems to be in line with recent trends of convergence between wireless and Voice-over-Internet-Protocol technologies. It is still early to say whether WiFi plus VoIP would become a viable contender to the existing business model of the cellular phone industry. Nonetheless, it is good to note that consumers are better off because we are presented with alternatives that may eventually prove to be less expensive and of better quality.