VoIP has become something that pretty much everyone uses for its convenience and the fact that most of the time it’s free. Many companies have come out with handsets that are made just for Skype or VoIP systems, and many just aren’t that good. Today for review I have one that is relatively cheap in price but is actually a decent phone and it’s from our friends at USBGeek.. It’s a basic handset without all the frills of others but it does the job and does it well. Read on to check it out…
USB Combine Telephone for Skype from USBGeek
Reviewed by: Kristofer Brozio AkA Dracos
Sponsor: USBGeek
Tech Specs,Features or the Basic Info:
USB Combine Telephone for Skype from USBGeek
Features & Specifications:
Support Plug & Play and Hot-Plug features.
Compliant with USB 2.0 Full-Speed operation.
Compliant with USB Audio Class Specification V1.0
Powered by USB bus, no need for external power supply.
High-performance stereo audio playback and recording.
Control keys : Volume Up, Volume Down, and Microphone Mute.
Skype dedicated control keys : Up/Down arrows, Tab, Minimize, Dialing/Accept call and Hang up/Reject call.
Full numeric keypad for speed-dial and Skype Out calling.
LED indicator for POWER and MUTE.
Build-in audio speaker, microphone and ringing buzzer.
Build-in audio connectors for 3.5mm microphone and stereo headphone.
Free Skype Middleware.
USB audio device compatible with Windows 98SE/ME/2000/XP, Mac OS 9 & X.
Size : 114 x 44.8 x 16.5 mm
Weight : 67gm
Contents :
USB Skype Handset
Installation CD
User’s manual
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A Better Look at Things
:
Ah, here we have the dreaded hermetically sealed clamshell, a freak of nature, a mutant of sorts. The plastic clamshell likes to frustrate consumers by making it extremely hard if not impossible to open its shell by sealing itself together. Only by brute force might the prize inside the clamshell be attained.
Anyway, yep the Combine Telephone USB VoIP phone from USBGeek comes in our favorite plastic clamshell, the sealed variety that requires tin snips to open. Through the package we can plainly see the phone itself.
The back of the package features all the same specs and features I have listed above, but in two languages!
Finally after a long, hard fought struggle I got the clamshell open and I found inside two manuals, one in English the other in French, the software cd and the phone itself. The phone came with a piece of protective plastic over the display as well.
The phone is small, about the size of a standard bar type cellphone, and it resembles one as well.
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A Better Look at Things
Continued:
The front of the phone features a directional pad for accessing Skype and navigating the menus of Skype. There is also the standard, call, hang up, clear, and the numeric keys.
The right side features a mute button just in case you need it.
While the left side has the volume controls and audio jack so you can also use a standard headset with the phone.
The back of the phone is where the speaker is located, this speaker is for the ringer only, no speaker phone on this version.
The Combine Telephone USB VoIP phone from USBGeek seems well made, the cord is very long coming in at a little over 6 feet, so you have quite a bit of freedom of movement with this phone. The phone is fairly lightweight, made of plastic, but feels solid in your hand. Overall the phone seems like it can last a long time with normal usage.
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Installation, Testing and Comparison
Installation is very easy, just find a free USB port and plug the phone in. Of course to use the phone with Skype you will need to install the software from the CD. Also as a bonus on the disc is Xear 3d Sound Driver for use with USB 2-channel audio, and SAM, an answering machine for Skype. The Xear 3d software is ok, but the SAM is kind of cool actually, it’s nice to have an answering machine for Skype if need be.
When the phone is plugged in the Power LED will light up green.
Using the phone with Skype is very easy, I had no problems at all with it. It easily navigated the menus and allowed me to make calls by choosing the person or actually dialing a number to call someone else.
The sound from the Combine Telephone USB VoIP phone is really good actually, I was very surprised at the sound quality. It’s not crystal clear, but it isn’t that hollow sound you get from some cheap products out there. The people I spoke with while using this phone said that I sounded clear and they had no problems understanding me.
Overall using this phone was a great experience, the only thing that might make it perfect is if it was cordless, but the cord is long enough that you can move about quite a bit.
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Summary:
So if you need a nice basic, good quality phone for you VoIP needs then this is the one for you. The Combine Telephone USB VoIP phone from USBGeek is a nice low priced phone that works well, sounds good and is very easy to use.
DragonSteelMods gives the Combine Telephone USB VoIP phone from USBGeek a 5 out of 5 score.
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Pros:
-Long cord
-Good sound quality
-Easy to use
-Nice extra software included
-Well made
Cons:
-none
I would like to thank USBGeek for the chance to review their products and for their continued support of DSM.
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