I was impressed with the simplicity of the set up of this wireless DECT SKYPE phone from Linksys. Open the box, and you get the handset, two rechargeable AAA batteries, a mains charger + plastic stand, a belt hook for the phone and a smallish USB box, about the size of a packet of cigarettes.
The handset is very lightweight, but the buttons are a good size and the LCD display's very reasonable. A better indication of when the phone's charging on its base would be nice, though.
As I already had a SKYPE account on my PC (if you don't the set-up on the CD prompts you through the download and install), the phone set up is really easy.
1. Insert the batteries into the phone and charge for 14 hours.
2. Run the CD to set up the simple software. (Don't plug in the USB device until you've installed the drivers - despite what the CD says).
3. When set up has finished, plug in the USB pack and it should be recognised.
4. (Again the CD makes no mention of this) Reboot your PC. Until I did this, I couldn't get the phone to work. Once I rebooted, the linksys phone app started, this in turn started Skype, and that was pretty much it.
Once the phone was connected and up and running, I could browse my Skype contacts, and also my Skype Out numbers on the phone's LCD screen. I could easily add new numbers from either the PC or the phone.
Call quality, both skype-skype (free) and skype-landline (just over 1p per minute) seemed good, and the range enabled me to go from one end of my flat to the other with no fizzing or loss of quality.
It would have been nice for this phone to also function on a normal subscriber line, especially for the price, and that's why it's lost a star from my rating, but if you've got broadband and want cheap (or in some cases free) phone calls, this appears to be a good product.
Mark P
BFBS Multimedia Podcast
(www.bfbs.com/multimedia)
