We won't spend too much time explaining Skype's rates, but when you're calling a fellow Skype member, the call is free--anywhere in the world. To call other phone numbers, you can opt for an a la carte Skype Credit plan (you add money to your account and have it deducted as you make calls) or purchase an unlimited minutes Skype Pro plan for the region you're in. For example, the current rate for unlimited calls within the U.S. and Canada is $36 per year, which is a much better deal than other VoIP services out there. If you don't have a landline number from your phone company or VoIP provider, you can purchase a SkypeIn number that allows people to call you at a specific number from any phone.
In terms of call quality, we found call quality to be acceptable for a Skype phone, but we can't say this is the best-sounding Skype phone we've tested. It did fine on landline calls, but when we routed our calls through Skype, callers said the sound quality diminished--our voice sounded more "processed," which was simply the result of the audio signal being more compressed. Like your typical Skype call, you will get some clipping if your broadband connection--or the broadband connection of the person you're speaking to--is hit with any sort of congestion.
Was quality any better compared with using a basic USB headset connected to your computer? Not to our ears. But that's not really the point. The real key is that you can use the GE 28310EE1 just like you would a normal cordless phone. As you talk, you can walk from room to room and there's a built-in speakerphone on the handset if you want to go hands-free. That said, from a features standpoint, the GE 28310EE1 is geared more toward being a Skype phone, with most of its advanced features (call forwarding and voice mail, for example) designed for customers using Skype's optional services.
As a landline phone, the GE 28310EE1 is pretty basic. You do get support for caller ID (you can store caller ID numbers to your Skype contacts list) and a flash button for call waiting. As noted, the key difference between this model and other Skype phones is that you can toggle between Skype calls and standard calls--taking one does not disconnect the other. Better yet, you can join your Skype caller with your landline caller, creating a three-way conference call. We had no trouble making this happen.
GE says you can get up to 12 hours of talk time and up to 120 hours of standby time from a fully charged handset (a pair of AAA 900 mAh NiMH rechargeable batteries are included). We didn't run any rigorous battery tests, but in one stretch we spoke on the phone for well over an hour and it barely put a dent in the battery-life indicator. If you do end up leaving the handset off the dock for a few days, the battery will drain and doesn't seem to hold a charge like a cell phone can if you have it completely turned off. Of course, if you place the handset in the recharging cradle between calls, you'll be fine.
Like all cutting-edge technology, you can expect to experience a few quirks with the GE 28310EE1. Every once in a while, the phone will completely freeze up and you'll have to pull out one of the batteries to restart it (you have to hit the Page button on the base station to link the handset to it again). Also, when you add contacts to your Skype contact list on your PC, it doesn't immediately update on the phone, and you may have to restart the phone for the new contacts to appear.
We should mention that the phone is firmware-upgradeable, so there's a possibility GE will makes some tweaks as time passes. An option in the menu system allows you to see what your current firmware is and upgrade to the latest version--or downgrade to a previous version if you wish.
All in all, we were pretty pleased with the GE 28310EE1. There's a little bit of a budget quality to its design, but if you value function over form--and are particularly interested in the added feature of three-way conferencing of Skype and landline calls--this is the dual-mode Skype phone to get. That said, we expect new, improved Skype phones for 2008 and beyond--so the 28310EE1's extra functionality may not look so special a few months down the road.
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Where to buy
GE 28310EE1 (Skype):
$294.75
| store | price | in stock? | rating |
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Amazon.com Marketplace
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$294.75 | Yes |
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