Actiontec Electronics is extending the world’s most popular Internet telephony software, Skype, to the home phone with the Actiontec Internet Phone Wizard. When connected to a PC, this small hardware accessory allows free and low-cost Skype calls to be made from and received by any traditional handset. UK consumers who purchase the £34 Actiontec product at www.dabs.com and www.retailonline.co.uk also receive vouchers for 60 free SkypeOut minutes and one month of free Skype voicemail under a UK-exclusive promotion that begins today.

The Actiontec Internet Phone Wizard can turn any corded or cordless phone in a household with an Internet-connected PC into a Skype-enabled device, permitting consumers to talk to other Skype users worldwide for free and to make low-cost SkypeOut calls to landline and mobile phones anywhere in the world. The SkypeOut service offers global calling to traditional phone numbers at local rates, keeping costs lower than most regular long distance services.

No special phones are needed to use the Actiontec product, and the same phone can be used for regular and Skype calls. Family members on different phone extensions can be on landline and Internet calls simultaneously, effectively providing a second phone line at no cost.

The Actiontec Internet Phone Wizard plugs into the user’s phone and the USB port of his or her PC, allowing it to be used from country to country without worrying about compatibility with different wall sockets. The product supports call waiting as well as Skype speed dialing, and incorporates state-of-the-art echo-cancellation technology for signal clarity. No network configuration, change in firewall or router settings, or external power supply is required. Power is provided by the USB port of the user’s PC.

The Actiontec Internet Phone Wizard is an official Skype Certified product.
For more information, visit http://www.actiontec.com.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, August 4th, 2005 at 11:48 am and is filed under Hardware, Skype. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

Telephone communication just got easier — and cheaper —with the Actiontec Internet Phone Wizard, a small hardware device from Actiontec Electronics that enables consumers to make and receive free or low-cost Internet phone calls from a regular phone using Skype Technologies’ Internet calling service. It is the first solution that allows the same phone to be used for both regular and Internet calls, avoiding the complications of needing separate handsets for each.

With the Skype-enabled Internet Phone Wizard, there is no need to pay monthly subscription fees to a commercial Internet calling service for the privilege of making Internet calls over a standard phone. Nor is there a need to be tethered to your PC and hooked up to a headset to take advantage of Skype’s service. You can use your regular corded or cordless phone to call any Skype user for free and everyone else at low SkypeOut rates.

As a bonus, you get a second phone line absolutely free. If a family member is on a landline call in one room, you can pick up your Skype-connected phone in another, tap a few buttons, and make an Internet call on the spot.

Just plug the Internet Phone Wizard into your PC and phone, connect to Skype via the Internet, pick up your phone, and dial anyone on your Skype “Speed-Dial” list. The Wizard will automatically dial the number using the free Skype service, essentially moving the Skype call from the PC to the phone for a more natural interaction. If you receive a regular call while you’re on the Skype conversation, press the # key twice to put the first call on hold and pick up the second.

If you’re calling friends, relatives or colleagues who don’t have access to the Internet to use their free Skype service or haven’t yet hopped on the Skype bandwagon, you can use the Internet Phone Wizard to make a low-cost SkypeOut call from your regular phone to any phone anywhere in the world. You still save money because SkypeOut charges at local rates, even if you’re calling overseas.

Calls made with the Internet Phone Wizard are as clear as regular connections, thanks to the latest echo-cancellation technology. Speed dialing is integrated for fast calling. No network configuration, change in firewall or router settings, or external power supply is required. Power is provided by the USB port of the user’s PC.

“Using the Internet to make phone calls clearly saves money, but until now the fact that you couldn’t use the same phone for both landline and online calls was a major drawback,” said Gunjan Bhow, Actiontec’s Vice President of Marketing. “The Internet Phone Wizard solves that problem for the first time, enabling consumers to take advantage of free Internet calling services like Skype while not losing any of the convenience or benefits provided by their regular phone.”

Pricing, Specifications and Availability

The Actiontec Internet Phone Wizard is available for $69.99 at http://www.actiontec.com, including USB and RJ-11 telephone cables for connecting the device to the PC and telephone. Minimum system requirements include a Windows 2000/XP PC with a 400 MH processor, 128 MB RAM, CD-ROM drive and an available USB port, plus a LAN or modem-based Internet connection. Skype’s Internet calling service is available as a free download at Skype.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, January 6th, 2005 at 11:09 pm and is filed under Hardware. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.