I really wanted to like Skype but the desktop software had the habit of continually reassigning the loudspeaker and microphones to the PC’s defaults rather than the USB handset with the result that either I couldn’t hear my clients or they couldn’t hear me. Not ideal.
However, I like the principle: Skype is effectively a complete communication system when you combine the free facilities, SkypeIn, voicemail and redirect. So it was with reluctance that I parted with £80 or so for a Netgear SPH200D cordless Skype phone.
Just for once, a product meets its hype. You get two devices, a cordless handset with its own charging station and a basestation. Connect the basestation to your broadband router via an ethernet port (no configuration needed), charge up the phone and, when you first use it, go through the brief setup process. If you have a Skype account already, you can be up and running in literally five minutes. And it works like a charm: the experience is EXACTLY like using a normal cordless phone. All of a sudden, the clever technology that powers Skype is rendered completely usable and reliable. Well done Netgear: you’ve revolutionised the way I communicate.
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