>From: Jim Denham [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] >To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >VoIP calling goes mainstream at CES event > >By BRUCE MEYERSON >AP Business Writer > >NEW YORK (AP) -- Broadband gear maker NetGear Inc. is introducing a cordless >phone to dial Skype Internet calls over any Wi-Fi connection without a >personal computer, joining a parade of new products at the International >Consumer Electronics Show bringing online telephony to the mainstream. > >Other announcements at CES involving VoIP, or Voice over Internet Protocol, >included new phones from two major names in consumer electronics, Panasonic >Communications Co. and Philips Electronics NV. > >Both companies said they are introducing cordless phones integrated with >Skype, the popular provider of free and low-cost calls recently acquired by >eBay Inc. for $2.6 billion. > >In addition, Panasonic said it is introducing a cordless system for VoIP >phone service from Vonage Holdings Corp., while Philips unveiled an alliance >with Microsoft Corp. to introduce VoIP products. > > >None of the products are available yet, and no prices were disclosed. > >The NetGear WiFi phone will be compatible with public hotspots such as those >available at coffee houses in addition to wireless routers in the home or >office. >The phone displays contacts, indicating who's available for a call and >enables calls to non-Skype numbers using the paid version of the service. > >While a growing number of cordless handsets and desktop phones are >integrated with Skype software, those devices generally plug into a PC or a >special adapter that's connected to a broadband modem. > >The VoIP-enabled phones from Panasonic and Philips are the first Internet >calling products targeting the consumer market from those companies. > >The move into consumer VoIP by the two leading names in home electronics and >entertainment offers another sign of how the technology has begin to shake >its image as cutting-edge or unproven. > >By now, millions of U.S. consumers have switched to VoIP through their cable >TV providers. Most, however, may not realize they're using VoIP since cable >companies tend not to mention or stress the technology, worried they'll >scare off prospective subscribers. > >The Skype-enabled phone from Panasonic, a subsidiary of Matsushita Electric >Industrial Co. Ltd. of Japan, can simultaneously function as a regular >phone. >The VoIP123 cordless phone from Netherlands-based Philips also features dual >functionality so users can make Skype calls in addition to ordinary landline >calls. > >NetGear said it will announce availability and pricing by the end of March. >Panasonic hopes to deliver the Skype-integrated phone by mid-year, but >offered no timetable for the Vonage-enabled device. Philips plans to launch >the >VoIP321 in Europe in May 2006 and in the U.S. in July 2006.
>Jim Denham >National Sales Manager, Dolphin Products Optelec USA, Inc. >Phone: (866) 824-7963 >Fax: (866) 824-7963 >E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Web: http://www.optelec.com >Download site: http://www.optelec-downloads.com Regards Steve Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Skype: steve1963 MSN Messenger: [EMAIL PROTECTED] _______________________________________________ PC-Audio List Help, Guidelines, Archives and more... http://www.pc-audio.org To unsubscribe from this list, send a blank email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] This list is a service of MosenExplosion.com. To see what other lists we offer, visit us on the web at http://www.MosenExplosion.com
