Philips VOIP841 PC-Free DECT 6.0 Wireless IP Phone Electronics

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Average Buyer Rating: out of 5 stars

Sales Rank: 1939

Binding: Electronics
Product Brand: Philips
EAN: 0609585128354
Label: Philips Accessories
Legal Disclaimer: Warranty does not cover misuse of product.
Product Manufacturer: Philips Accessories
Model: VOIP8411B/37
Publisher: Philips Accessories
Ranking: 1939
Studio: Philips Accessories
Warranty: Manufacturer Warranty included

Piece facts:
Stand-alone cordless phone lets you make Skype phone calls without a computer
Can also be used as a traditional phone with a landline for extra convenience
Full-color display and 4-way directional pad makes navigation simple
Handset can store up to 500 Skype phonebook entries
Phone has up to 12 hours of talk time and 120 hours of standby on single charge

0ur opinion:

:
V0lP841 series is the first DECT cordless phone with Skype that works without a PC, offering consumers total flexibility and independence from the PC. A full-color graphic display and outstanding sound clarity bring the emotion back to calls. Use your V0lP phone to call via Skype wherever you are. With Skype you can enjoy making free calls all over the world to any other Skype users. Skype, Skype0ut are trademarks of Skype Limited. As your dual phone is connected to both the standard PSTN line AND to the lnternet line, you can establish or receive landline and lnternet calls on the same handset. Handsfree mode uses a built-in loud speaker to amplify the voice of the caller, allowing you to speak and listen during a call without holding the phone to your ear. This is especially useful if you want to share the call with others or take notes during a call.

:

The Philips V0lP841 Wireless lP Phone offers:

The ability to make Skype calls without a computer.
lt can be used as a landline telephone and an lnternet phone.
A full-color display for clear and easy navigation.
Memory for up to 500 phonebook entries.

The Philips V0lP841 is the first completely independent DECT cordless phone that lets you make Skype calls without a PC. And with the added flexibility of letting you connect your land line, this phone can take care of all your calling needs.

Use the V0lP841 to make free Skype calls to anywhere in the world without a computer. View larger.

Quick lnstallation and Convenience
The Philips V0lP841 is a self-contained unit that requires no installation of software or connection to a computer; simply plug the base into any power outlet in your house, connect it to your broadband connection, and you can start making free Skype telephone calls right away. (To make Skype calls, you must open a Skype account. A Skype account is not included with this phone.)

And by simply plugging your home telephone line into the V0lP841, this phone can double as your everyday landline, giving you the ultimate in convenience.

Easy to Use
lf you've used a cell phone or cordless phone, you'll quickly be able to take advantage of all the features the V0lP841 offers. For easy readability, the phone features a 128x128 full-color display, and a 4-way directional pad provides you with easy navigation through the intuitive interface. The handset has enough memory for up to 500 Skype phonebook entries, giving you quick access to your contact list.

You can choose from up to 15 ring tones (5 standard, 10 polyphonic), and the phone allows you to set your ring tone by call type, distinguishing between landline and lnternet calls. A speakerphone mode allows for hands-free operation, so you can take notes during the call or share the call with others. There is also a jack connector on the handset for connecting a headset.

DECT Frequency for Security and Extended Battery Life
By using the Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT) frequency at 1.8GHz, the V0lP841 offers you enhanced security features and a longer battery life than other frequencies. 0n battery power, the V0lP841 offers talk time of up to 12 hours and a standby time of up to 120 hours.

Each base station can accommodate up to four handsets, and up to four base stations can be used together for a total of 16 handsets. For office or home use, the intercom mode allows you to use one handset to call another handset located in a different room.

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Testimonials

Average Buyer Rating: out of 5 stars

Buyer's feedback: 5 out of 5 stars

- * Highly recommend it! ...
I've purchased this product since April 2008 and I love it, makes my life easier and cheaper.
Sometimes you have to reset (unplug the base from the outlet or take the batteries off from the phone) the telephone due to problems with the internet provider (system down) but In overall works great, I haven't had any problem. I highly recommend it!
Skype software is installed, you just have to plug it in, upgrades automatically.
I live outside the US and works perfectly for (Central, South America) and as I previously indicated my major problem has been my internet provider not the phone.

Buyer's feedback: 5 out of 5 stars

- Wonderchild of technology...
For those who are a little tech-crazy this product gives a real high.

I never have had any problem with this phone since i bought it 6 months before. I am using this phone as my home (landline) phone. My parents from India call through Skype internet client to this phone. This itself justifies the little higher investment.

It is unfortunate that the product is no more in the market. I was thinking of buying one for our parents at India.
But, at present price of more than $200, it is not worth... instead i could go for ASUS Eee PC which will give me a full functional laptop which i can keep always on, with a little more i'll get a ASUS AiGuru SV1 (skype video phone)

Buyer's feedback: 4 out of 5 stars

- * Great phone if you're not physically disabled ...
Nice phone with great sound quality but I do not recommend it to anyone with a physical disability. When a call comes in, you have just over 10 seconds to answer or it goes to voice mail. This cannot be changed. I haven't successfully answered a single call in the month I've had it. I am really surprised that Philips did not have the disabled in mind on a modern product.

Buyer's feedback: 3 out of 5 stars

- Best Available Option
After all the research I did on Skype options, the Philips 841 was the best I found. I'm very grateful for the product, and it fills a valuable need in order to bring Skype to the mainstream.

However, there are some definite issues with this phone that you should know about if you are considering purchase. (I would only give the product a 5 star rating if it were flawless, and 4 stars if it only had minor annoyances. But, I've given it three stars because the overall rating - from so many users - seems high and it has some "features" which inhibit it's usefulness.)

Let me first state I'm on the most recent available firmware at this time (v.1.0.4.80). AND, I SOLELY use Skype for my telephone service, so I use this product a LOT (probably far more than most reviewers).

1. The phone (the base, not the handset) needs to be rebooted. If you plug in the unit and expect it to operate smoothly, you'll find that it starts behaving quite badly over time. You need to reboot the home unit occassionally (every couple weeks) and definitely after a power outage in order for the unit to continue to work in any sane manner.

If you don't do the above, you'll find it will not ring on incoming calls at times - sometimes it just starts saying you have voicemail, when it has been on for hours and never rang. If you don't do the reboot, it can hang up on you when you go to answer a call (then when you reboot the unit to fix this, you lose the number of the person who called). I've had it cut out (like a cell phone) then get fixed by rebooting. I've had the handset "connect" to the base, but never ring the caller - fixed by rebooting. Behavior gets stranger the longer you let the device go without rebooting.

2. If you are on a call, and another comes in, you get the option to answer (and will place the current call on hold) or reject. (I've never successfully had the answer/hold and then return to the call work.) If you reject, then the second call goes to voicemail. Every time I've done this, then the phone starts beeping at me - and it keeps beeping through the entire conversation I am on (until I actually reboot the unit - I've tried hanging up the call, then calling back, the phone starts beeping in my ear again when the call connects). The beep is disruptive (longer than just while the sound is there), and really messes up your ability to carry on the conversation, not to mention how annoying it is.

3. The menu system is really deep, lots of button pushes to get where you are going. No default settings are available (like always check Skype VM) so you have to choose every time. (Would be nice if the settings were available on the web interface for config options. It would also be nice if some features were programmable as hot keys.) BE SURE, to review all settings when you are configuring the system - for instance Auto Updates are turned on by default (you may want to know when your updates happen).

4. The web interface on the unit is simplistic, and doesn't provide a lot in the way of customization beyond the basics. This could be greatly expanded.

5. If you assign an administrative password to the unit (beyond the default) it will forget it every once in a while. Haven't determined what causes this, but it's not tied to reboots or power outages (have mine on a UPS).

6. There is no Skype "status" for phone only, so this confuses people running the Skype application. I have submitted a request to Skype for this, because I think it would be useful information to post. (Someone Skyping you without voice...who knows what happens when you try to answer that call.)

7. The unit will handle (theoretically) both Skype and a traditional phone line at the same time. Well, at least the menu options are there. I've never tested this, since I use Skype exclusively - so wouldn't count on it. But, if it does work, certainly a nice feature for the regular POTS line user/occassional Skype caller.

Overall I think it's better than having to have your PC on all the time (in order to receive calls), and since I got it at serious discount ($100) on Amazon (a couple years ago) I feel okay with the purchase. But, the current price showing ($450) seems way too high for a not-ready-for-prime-time product. At that price it eliminates the cost savings of being on Skype (and using SkypeIn/SkypeOut).

I would expect a PERFECT product if I was paying that much.

With eBay having purchased Skype, perhaps better products are on the way.

Buyer's feedback: 4 out of 5 stars

- * Good phone, but broke after six months! ...
I purchased this phone in April. It is now November, and the handset won't communicate with the base unit. It keeps saying that it is unregistered, and it won't let me register the phone. I contacted Phillips, and they are supposed to send a replacement. The phone is discontinued, so I am hoping the replacement is the same phone or similar! It sucks, because I really liked the phone. The only things I didn't like about the phone was each time it was unplugged it would reset to defaults and the battery life would go really low when unplugged. Hopefully, they will come out with something better!!!

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The Wi-Fi Year in Review for 2007, and What to Expect in 2008

The rise and fall of muni-Fi (and rise again): Clearly, the largest story involving Wi-Fi in 2007 was the at-first continued growth in cities awarding contracts with no money involved on their part to have service providers build Wi-Fi networks--and the subsequent failure of these networks to be built. Starting quietly in late 2006, the market shifted for metro-scale Wi-Fi. During 2007, providers decided that bearing the full cost of a city-wide network without city contracts wasn't financially sensible.

The full scope of the low uptake rates in cities that had large portions of the network built out also became clear: rather than 15 to 35 percent of residents subscribing, just a few percentage points would put a network in the top tier. Revenue is apparently also pretty minimal even in cities like Taipei, Taiwan, the network provider for which was predicting 250,000 subscribers by the end of 2006, and had just 30,000 regular users each month at last public report in early 2007.

MetroFi started to tell cities that without an advance service commitment at a minimum level -- an anchor tenancy -- the company couldn't proceed on networks. In 2007, MetroFi lost half a dozen bids or saw contracts canceled due to this change. Its work in Portland, Ore., the biggest network it was building, won't be extended beyond current limited dimensions until additional capital or a city commitment is obtained; the city has said it won't commit to service fees, however.

Meanwhile, EarthLink lost its CEO Garry Betty in January due to cancer. A strong backer of new initiatives to change EarthLink's core business, his death was certainly one of the causes in a quick re-evaluation of the municipal wireless division. New CEO Rolla Huff pulled EarthLink out of new deals, suspended existing ones, laid off hundreds of employees while gutting the metro Wi-Fi division, and appears poised to leave currently built or underway networks, including their flagship Philadelphia effort. They may sell the division, but it's hard to see much worth in it given the current state.

In a smaller bit of news, Kite Networks, formerly known by various names, was sold by parent MobilePro to Gobility with conditions that according to SEC filings by MobilePro weren't met. Kite was once high flying, in the company of EarthLink and MetroFi as one of the major U.S. Wi-Fi network builders. Now it's still in that company, with work on its Arizona networks apparently halted. A suitor has emerged in the form of a regional telecom that specializes in the Hispanophone market (double entendre intended), and which thinks it could boost Tempe subscriptions from the current several hundred to about 300 times that number. Hope springs eternal.

And while AT&T was able to launch a Riverside, Calif., network with MetroFi handling the installation and operation, it backed out of St. Louis, Mo., due to a utility pole problem, and the bidding in Chicago, too. The Metro Connect consortiums in Sacramento and Silcion Valley were unable to raise financing despite the apparent blue-chip participation by Cisco, IBM, and Intel.

County-wide Wi-Fi was also hit again and again by providers who pulled out--CenturyTel in Pierce County, Wash., for instance--or problems with technology or utility poles. In a few scattered areas, Wi-Fi across counties has been built out, but it's not an idea whose time has yet come.

Muni-Fi isn't down for the count. While these high-profile networks in large cities and county-wide networks have mostly hit the skids, more modest networks with well-defined goals continue to be built with a focus on public safety and municipal uses in hundreds of small and medium-sized towns. Brookline, Mass., may be a good example, in which a public safety/public access network was built relatively quickly and with no reported problems.

And there's one big city success story: Minneapolis, Minn. While local provider US Internet wound up spending more than they'd intended, reports from the ground indicate that service works quite well, and subscriptions and interest are quite high. The company was able to respond almost instantly to the bridge collapse a few months ago by deploying additional mesh infrastructure to add network capacity in the area. And it says that it could reach positive cash flow in early 2008. One of their advantages? They secured a substantial commitment from the city for the services they built.

Other trends of the year gone by: Music and Wi-Fi are clearly more aligned, with the new Zune models and firmware from Microsoft allowing wireless sync (but not yet Wi-Fi purchases), and the introduction of both the Apple iPhone and iTunes touch, which allow music purchases over Wi-Fi but not synchronization. (While the MusicGremlin preceded both the Zune and iPhone/iPod options, it didn't seem to gain any market traction in 2007.)

Security continues to be a concern in 2007, although less of one as home users have clearly accepted WPA Personal, at long last, and networks are increasingly encrypted through better software from major hardware manufacturers. Wizards make encryption a no-brainer, when they work. Corporations stung by reports and by requirements from credit card issuers are also clearly protecting their networks better, although I'm sure we'll still see breaches at those firms that didn't cross every "t."

The 802.11n standard's emergence into an interim certified Wi-Fi state was also a significant milestone for faster wireless networking. Shipments of Draft 802.11n products in 2007 increased significantly, while prices dropped so much that it makes perfect sense to purchase a $50 to $80 Draft N router than a comparable G unit. Manufacturers made it clear as the year progressed that hardware sold today should generally be firmware upgradable to whatever the final, not much changed 802.11n standard is when approved in 2008.

Gadget-Fi continued on the rise, as an increasing array of devices included Wi-Fi as a connectivity option. Most notably, T-Mobile launched its HotSpot@Home service, the largest scale offering of converged cell/Wi-Fi calling. By year's end, they had four handsets for sale--two plain, a BlackBerry, and a clamshell--but subscriber numbers are unknown.

What's coming in 2008?

In-flight Internet (over Wi-Fi): 2008 is finally the year. It was supposed to be 2005. Or maybe 2002. But we should see a number of planes, mostly flying over the U.S., equipped with either in-flight Internet access or in-flight text messaging and text email. Connexion by Boeing's failure fortunately didn't discourage a half a dozen competitors who were in the R&D phase when Boeing wrote off its satellite-based Internet access venture.

AirCell, Row 44, OnAir, Aeromobile, Panasonic Avionics, and a T-Mobile consortium are among the announced or nearly announced firms with commitments or trials underway. AirCell and Row 44, focused on the U.S. market, plan to deliver Internet not voice to fuselages; OnAir and Aeromobile are working on mobile-based services, including voice, via existing cell phones and devices.

In 2008, American, Alaska, and Virgin America will launch trials over the U.S., and potentially move into production. OnAir should be expanding in Europe beyond the single French aircraft that's equipped in a trial now to RyanAir's fleet. And Aeromobile's Qantas trial could turn into real usage. There's likely action that will happen in Asia and the Middle East, too, that's not yet disclosed.

Other trends to watch

Wi-Fi in every smartphone with better integration. The iPhone was the leading edge, pun intended, offering 2.5G EDGE cell networking as part of the subscription price, along with seamless roaming to Wi-Fi networks. With RIM finally offering BlackBerry models with Wi-Fi, it's unlikely that any future smartphone model intended for serious users would lack the option.

Wi-Fi everywhere. Despite the setbacks in municipal Wi-Fi, wireless networks continue to expand, with better and better coverage found across larger areas and more locations. 2008 might be the year of hotspot saturation.

WiMax arrives. In 2008, we'll finally see production mobile WiMax in action in the U.S., and the questions about whether it works well enough and fast enough at the right price to beat current generation cell data networks, and make money for the disorganized Sprint Nextel will be answered. More certainly, Clearwire, with WiMax as its only option, will push aggressively to steal customers away from fixed, wired broadband, especially in markets with little competition.

Gadget-Fi a go-go. Wi-Fi will become an expected part of gaming consoles (already found in a few), cameras (found in crippled form in just a handful), regular cell phones (in dozens and dozens now), and music players (with more full functionality).

via Wi-Fi Networking News

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Electronics : Philips VOIP841 PC-Free DECT 6.0 Wireless IP Phone

Electronics : Philips VOIP841 PC-Free DECT 6.0 Wireless IP Phone

Philips VOIP841 PC-Free DECT 6.0 Wireless IP Phone

from: Philips Accessories

Phone IP Wireless 6.0 DECT PC-Free VOIP841 Philips

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The Wi-Fi Year in Review for 2007, and What to Expect in 2008

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