US Robotics Cordless Skype Dual Phone review

US Robotics' Cordless Skype Dual Phone plugs into your PC and phone line so you can make regular landline and cheap internet calls from one DECT handset.

The kit comes with a base station that plugs into your PC and your standard landline, and a docking station that charges your handset.

We suspect this kit is made by Philips, as Philips' VoIP3211S dual Skype phone makes exactly the same sound as the Cordless Skype Dual Phone when it's plugged into the dock. Both phones have an identical key layout, too, although US Robotics has gone for a boxier look. Installation is easy, and a setup wizard tells you how to connect the necessary cables and installs the driver software on your PC. It also configures Skype to make and receive calls using the Skype Dual Phone.

Making a call is easy. The dedicated Skype button pulls your contact list from your PC and displays an icon next to each entry to show your contacts' status. The screen has a very low resolution, so the icons don't look great, but they're easy enough to read. If you want to dial a normal telephone number using SkypeOut, simply enter the telephone number and hit the Skype button. The phone's menu also lets you access your Skype Voicemail and view, but not top up, SkypeOut credits.

Landline calls are made the same way as on a normal DECT phone. Each handset can store 50 telephone numbers, plus you can store 10 shared numbers on the base station. These numbers can be accessed by additional Skype Dual Phone handsets associated with the same base station. Over a landline, call quality was excellent; using Skype, there was the usual distortion we'd expect, but it was still clear.

The Dual Phone is very well made with large responsive keys. It's great value, too, and an excellent choice if you want to be able to switch easily between your landline and Skype.

Author: David Ludlow