Linksys Cit200 Cordless Internet Telephony Kit
The Age
Thursday March 23, 2006
Linksys CIT200 cordless internet telephony kit $219 ***?
linksys.com.auSkype is well known because it lets computer users make free voice calls over the internet. Now its popularity has earned it support from device-makers too.One example is this kit from Linksys - a company better known for its networking hardware, such as routers and wireless access points. It looks like a cordless phone but is purely a hardware extension of the Skype software interface.Tap on the handset's special button and you're greeted by your list of Skype contacts on the screen as it would appear on your Windows desktop (albeit with fewer details). Then scroll through the list and hit the call button.Linksys has done a good job keeping the controls as simple and friendly as the software it's paired to, and there isn't much that would confuse anybody who has used a mobile or cordless phone. The full range of Skype features is supported, including SkypeOut (for calling a regular landline number for a fee), SkypeIn (a number that people can reach you on Skype) and voicemail. There's a built-in speaker-phone and an intercom feature if you have multiple handsets. As good as this model is, there are niggling issues: it hijacks your PC's sound by default, so everything comes through the handset - not just the conversation. And the audio quality is a bit scratchy compared with using a headset.Another thing to consider is that competition will come with wifi-enabled Skype phones that don't need a connection to a PC.
© 2006 The Age
