Wireless VoIP Internet Telephone Services
Inexpensive, or even Free, Wireless VoIP without a computer
Forget about your old telephone company. In the very near future the only phone company you'll need is a VoIP internet telephony service provider like Skype or Vonage, who send your telephone conversations over the internet using packet-switching technology.
Now, with the emergence of wireless VoIP technology and hardware, you can (almost) tell your cell phone service provider goodbye too. With the new Wi-Fi phones, you can make calls over the internet from any wi-fi hotspot.
Looking forward: For home users, at least those in houses with a Wi-Fi network, these phones make good sense as a replacement for the home phone. But because they also work (using your home phone number) from open Wi-Fi hot spots, they will become more and more useful and popular as Wi-Fi networks grow. Considering the cost savings you can get with a VoIP phone, you can certainly expect phones like this to quickly become necessities, rather than luxuries.
Available WiFi Phones:
NETGEAR Skype WiFi Phone. Due to hit the stores in the summer of 2006. This is a mobile WiFi phone that enables you (without a PC) to make free Internet calls to anyone else in the world who has the Free Skype Telephony Software .
How does it work? It is pre-loaded with Skype software, and ready to use with a wireless network out of the box. Skype users can talk for free by plugging in headsets, speakers, or USB phones into their computers. But the Netgear Phone changes that, freeing you to walk around unwithered anywhere within a WiFi network to which you have access, while you talk to other Skype users worldwide.
Find out More. Go to the Skype Store (USA) and click on "Phones" to get the pricing, release date and to reserve your own Netgear Skype WiFi Phone. (Skype Store Europe )
Vonage Utstarcom WiFi Handset The Vonage F1000 handset looks and acts a lot like a cellphone. It even has ringtones and built-in features like three-way calling and call waiting, and it's available now.
How does it work? Just like the Skype phone above, Vonage subscribers can make calls anywhere they can log onto a Wi-Fi connection. With an 80-hour standby time and three to four hour talk time, this phone may even be practical enough to use as your primary phone, not to mention extremely handy to have around for backup communications. Plus, you’re sort of getting a Wi-Fi location device for free.
The UTStarcom F1000 is a standard SIP phone, as well, which means that it can be used with an assortment of VoIP providers.
Find Out More. For you technical-minded types, check out the UTStarcom website for all the fine details. If you're just interested in what it can do for you, then hop on over to the Vonage website and see what kind of wireless VoIP deals they are offering today ~ Vonage.
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