Hey Matt, I wonder how much safer you are with a WiFi Skype phone than the journalists on HP's radar?

Please post the follow up review when you've had the phone a litte longer.

Does e911 come with Skype in your area?

Might this be the next WRT54G? The Linksys Wireless router was famous in the Linux/Open Source community because it was a simple box running Linux that could be "hacked" to add new features (WDS, signal strength boosting, etc). I'm wondering if this Skype phone might become just as popular. If it is running Linux and Netgear does release the source, we might see added features from the open source community pretty soon. I can see 802.1x being one quick possibility, as well as the ability to use other non-Skype VoIP services (generic SIP?). As of now, the device can't connect to a wireless network that requires web authentication or even just a simple "I agree" web page before granting internet access, depending on it's ROM size and capabilities though, I can imagine someone will put together a pretty simple web browser for the device. It wouldn't need to be anything more fancy than Lynx text based or even wget with a few simple programmable scripts to login...

Many possibilities... Hmmm, wonder if my boss would buy me one for "testing"...

I just got back from a couple of weeks in
Europe. I have the same issues as you do with
US carriers' international charges for mobile
roaming. In practice, I use my mobile phone only for SMS, and for emergency voice calls, when I am overseas.
I pack a USB headset with a boom mic, and
use a VoIP client on my laptop to make calls. I connect to
Oracle's servers over a VPN, so
security on the wifi connection is much better
for me. This means I can use wifi access
points where you need browser-based auth, too.
I do get some odd looks, sitting in
the hotel bar with my headset on.
I predict that you will get frustrated
with the fact that you can only use free wifi.
Even in airport club lounges and hotels, it is
generally still true in Europe that you need to
pay for your wifi connection. With a laptop
VoIP client, I can make calls and check email
over the same login session, but the Skype
phone won't let you do that.

True enough, Mike, though I think I'll use the phone as much in the US (to call internationally) as I will in the UK/elsewhere. I have to call our headquarters in the UK at least once daily, so having a free phone will help (though, admittedly, I have that already today with my Vonage line. If the sound quality of Vonage were as good as Skype on average, I wouldn't be worried about needing a Skype phone...).

Regardless, even overseas, if I'm in my hotel room I can use my Mac as a wireless router, so that I can take my in-room Ethernet connection and share that connection wirelessly, then use that WiFi connection for my Skype calls. Oh, yes. It's a Mac that makes the magic happen. Can't do it with a Windows PC. :-)

In response to Jay...

What a cool idea! Given the little licensing manual that it came with, I'm sure it's running Linux. Let me go check the manual to see....

Yep. Here's where you can get the code: http://kbserver.netgear.com/kb_web_files/n101238.asp. At least, that's what Netgear says, but I don't see the SPH101 product listed.

Can anyone else find it?

Actually Matt, you can use your pc as a router/wi fi hotspot whether your wifi is internal or an add on card. Its not hard, plenty easy and and while mac is sleek and pretty, there's more than one way to make magic, mac isn't the only game in town that'll let you do it from your hotel ethernet ;)

But I think I should say, great article and its nice to see that people are picking up on the netgear phone and the skype bandwagon. Keep up the great work there Mike.. but careful with the mac/pc debate.. that's been going on for years with no end in sight.

It seems a great toy! Sure, free wifi spots in my country (Italy) are the exception, but for me travelling abroad (I recently spent 3 weeks in California) it's a big deal compared to standard roaming charges. (I NEVER EVER call at standard rates, I just send messages or call if I can get special, summer-time deals for roamings).

BUT...
I ask myself: provided all the limitations of a similar toy (no e-mail or text messages, no able to log-in if web authentication reqired), wouldn't be much easier to just by a cheap WIFI-enabled PDA and use standard Skype? I don't know the price of Netgear products, I guess is much lower than a PDA, but PDAs are now so cheap comparatively to what the offers and so small that they can easily fit your pockets and free your mind about finding the right hotspot.

Can this phone be used as a wifi card for the PC? If so, that would allow one to access the web via the phone's mac address and authenticate on networks that require MAC authentication.

Just ordered one of these. Looking forward to trying it out.

Just a few questions I can't find answers to anywhere:

How many hours of talk time do you get per (how many hours) charge?

If you have more than one SKYPEIN number, will both ring on your phone?

Can you call and leave a voicemail outgoing message via the Netgear phone?

thanks!

The answer to your first question is, "Not much." I should go back and revise my original review, since battery life is abysmal.

As to your second question, I don't know, but suspect not. Although it's geared toward your Skype login, so if you have two SkypeIn numbers hitting the same user name/password, it should work.

On your third question, I don't know....

I don't see this device as a roaming phone, more like a convenient way to use skype at home just like any cordless.

My wife uses it when *I* am traveling. I call her from my laptop and she goes around the house with the phone, without having to stand near the computer.

SkypeOut would allow me to call the home number, but then I would get charged 2c/min since I am often overseas.

Battery life is bad but again, for a home usage it doesn't matter. The phone looks cheap and the UI isn't great but hey, it works as advertised and the sound quality is pretty good. I also got it for free so that helps :-)

Dell pocket pc did this for a few years now