The Skype Video Phone (USB-P4V)
The market is pretty well catered for in the USB phone handset market now, perfect for making Internet based phone calls for business and pleasure. Now we’ve got our hands on the latest Skype video phones for a test!
The unattractively named USB-P4V “USB Video Phone” from Yealink is a full-size phone which sits on your desk. It includes a full numerical keyboard, complete with the hash/pound and star keys. Further buttons provide volume control, time/date display, microphone mute, on-hold, call, contacts list and ringtone cycle buttons. The phone basically acts as a glorified hot-key pad for the software on your computer.
The unit features a large blue back light LCD, although it is not dot-matrix so all messages are made up from traditional style LCD numeric display lines. When a call comes in the name of the caller appears on the phone’s display, but its sometimes not very clear with the letters.
Making calls can be initiated either by selecting them in the Skype application, or using the up/down button on the phone base to move the cursor on the computer screen up and down. Upon selecting your target the phone rings you first, after picking up the receiver you are then connected to them.
However, display aside, the call quality is superb – and have had no problems with it at all for the 3 weeks of daily testing it has had.
The handset of the phone is suitably sized for holding to your face, or against your shoulder whilst doing something.
The base unit features a number of ringtones that are loud and suitable for use in an office (i.e. no stupid “realtones”).
Now the interesting bit is the supplied 320×240 VGA web cam. Claims of up to 30fps support, the picture quality on the local network is superb. After the compression via Skype over the Internet has done its job it’s not worth worrying about the details in the camera image output in my opinion. It works well – and the poseable arm that the camera is mounted on is superb for adjusting the camera position to the perfect place. With LCD screens everywhere these days standard web cams don’t have anywhere suitable to sit these days!
The phone does require some additional software to be installed on the machine it is connected to. It’s also worth noting that in order to make and receive calls your PC does need to be turned on, logged in, and running the main Skype application. The additional software provides a communication channel between the buttons on the phone and the Skype applications on-screen controls.
The fact that this handset needs MS Windows XP based software installed to run is frustrating, as it meant I was unable to use it with my Apple MacBook.
Having additional software running in your PC’s system tray is a minor gripe I have – as I add more devices to my PC the boot-up time is slowing with all the additional junk being loaded at start-up.
Software moans aside, the hardware works reliably, does the trick and doesn’t cost a bomb. A decent enough webcam can set you back £20, and a cheap plastic USB phone handset can retail for £20 on its own – with the Skype Video Phone you get both in a single package, taking up only one of your PC’s USB connections and everything just feels integrated.
You can pick up your very own Skype Video phone from Gizoo.co.uk in the UK for £39.95. Maybe buy two (and save £5) – one for a Christmas present. Perfect for teenagers going away to university, or grandparents who don’t live nearby to their grandkids.
Source: Gizoo.co.uk
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How is the call quality of Skype? I was thinking of converting over. Thoughts?
thanks
“the interesting bit is the supplied 320×240 VGA web cam. Claims of up to 30fps support, the picture quality on the local network is superb. After the compression via Skype over the Internet has done its job it’s not worth worrying about the details in the camera image output in my opinion”
“Interesting thing about video phone”
very high level of quality standart for video, Like so many of the quality VoIP phones on sale at the moment, the biggest compliment you can pay them is the fact that the look and quality of services are indistinguishable from more traditional phone systems. Finally video phone calls are available to the masses – and the quality is of a very very high standard.
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The handset of the phone is suitably sized for holding to your face, or against your shoulder whilst doing something.
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