RSSLinksys Launches Wireless-G Phones
By Ed Oswald | Published May 17, 2006, 12:58 PM
Linksys on Wednesday announced the first of its wireless VoIP phones to work over an 802.11g network. The company says that it plans to introduce more phones in the coming months with the capability that would help spur the burgeoning VoIP industry.
"Voice over IP has clearly emerged as the future of telephone communication and Linksys is leading the way," said Tarun Loomba, director, product management, Linksys. "With the launch of our family of WiFi phones, we can take the technology to a whole new level."
Users would have the freedom to choose which VoIP provider they would like to use with the phone, the company said. Each handset could be configured using the built-in setup or Web browser features of the phones.
The entry-level WIP300 includes SIP v2 support, 802.11b/g compatibility, 1.8-inch color LCD display, backlit keypad, signal strength and battery level indication, and a USB charger interface among other features. The higher-end WIP330 offers a 2.2-inch display, and adds a web browser, Quality of Service support, and support for auto provisioning.
Both models will be available immediately from Linksys' distribution partners, the company said, and would retail for $219.99 and $369.99 USD. Linksys said it expected to launch additional Wi-Fi phone models in the second half of the year.
Nothing really new here, just a product announcement.
Here are some others:
http://www.voipsupply.com/index.php?cPath=270_279
and yes it is cheaper to use an ATA with an analog wireless phone but if you are using this as a SIP endpoint, especially with a pbx (like asterisk) you get better feature integration than just using a basic cordless.
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Now that Skype has free calls to any US #'s, makes more sense for me to use my ultra-portable laptop and a bluetooth earpiece. Or possibly PocketPC.
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Sheesh! A good idea, but isn't it still cheaper to use an ATA with a standard cordless phone?
I suppose for those living in US cities with WiFi, it could be handy as a cheap mobile.
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This is a great idea but the price is crazy!
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Sounds like a home-based cordless phone for most of us, at least for the next five years. I don't see WMAN/WiMax coming to anywhere outside the major metros for 10 years at least. Hey, if these things come with a string attached, will those be Wireless G-Strings???? Ha ha ha, ok, nevermind.
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What would really get me interested would be if city-wide wireless would become more popular so we could use these phones just about anywhere.
VoIP reminds me of when car manufactures could make a car that could do 50 mpg, but the oil companies paid them NOT to do it.
my 2 cents...
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Having seen Metro wifi in all its glory I would not even consider using it for voip. The technology is just not ready. I don't think it is any conspiracy, it is just that the demands of doing voip with any type of quality standards is simply beyond what can be had using wi-fi on that scale right now. Not so say it won't work in places, it just is not the ready for mass consumption.
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