Philips Dual Phone VOIP 321 review

Using Skype as an alternative to your traditional landline is easier if you buy a dedicated cordless handset such Linksys's iPhone CIT300 or Philips Dual Phone VOIP 321.

Both kits come with a base station that plugs into your PC via USB and your landline. A separate handset and charging station can be put anywhere else in your house, allowing you to make both Skype and landline calls.

Both handsets have the same interface as US Robotics Cordless Skype Dual Phone, reviewed in What's New: Networks, Shopper March 2007. We assume they are all made by the same manufacturer; we found that any handset could be registered with any other base station and the Skype functions would still work. Both phones have a Skype button that gives you access to your online contacts, or you can dial a standard phone number and hit this button to use SkypeOut credits instead of a landline.

The iPhone CIT300 is the smaller handset, but it's not quite as comfortable to hold; the Dual Phone has larger keys and sits better in the hand. Linksys has the slightly better menu system, using a colour screen and bright graphics; Philips uses a standard monochrome screen, which is easy to read but not as pretty.

Call quality is the most important thing, though, and it's here that Philips Dual Phone outshines Linksys's iPhone. Calls over our landline using the Dual Phone were every bit as good as a standard DECT phone. Using Skype, call quality was almost as good. The Dual Phone produced clean sounds while reducing background noise and reception was amazingly clear. The iPhone wasn't quite as good, and it was hard to hear because callers sounded muffled. Transmission quality wasn't as good either, and voices sounded more distorted than with the Dual Phone.

Linksys's iPhone, Philips' Dual Phone and US Robotics' Cordless Skype Dual Phone are all roughly the same product, so choosing one over the others is difficult. Ultimately, while Linksys's and US Robotics' phones are both good value and sound acceptable, Philips' Dual Phone is the better choice. It's a bit more expensive, but the extra sound quality is worth it. If you fancy getting two handsets, the dual-handset pack, which costs £92, is even better value.