VTech Communications Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of VTech Holdings Ltd., introduced the usb7100 VTech Skype cordless phone at CES in Las Vegas this week. The hardware lets users take advantage of the free Skype's Internet telephony without being tethered to their PCs.
Skype software offers a peer-to-peer network connection for making free voice calls to anyone in the world. Users connect to existing phone lines and Skype's Internet phone service from VTech's all-in-one handset.
“Until now, consumers in the U.S. could only take advantage of Skype's free Internet telephony software and features when connected directly to their computer," says Donna Silbert, vice president of product management at VTech Communications. "VTech is excited to partner with Skype to offer users unlimited, superior quality voice calls using their cordless VTech handset anywhere in the home.”
The 2.4GHz cordless usb7100 phone is expandable up to four handsets. Its features include caller ID, call waiting, intercom and conference calling. Users also can see which of their contacts is online, and determine a status such as “away” or “do-not-disturb.”
