Motorola's CN620 WiFi phone most people can't use

We reported not too long ago about Motorola's WiFi cellphone, the CN620, which according to their FCC documents was supposed to support 802.11 a/b/g. To everyone's chagrin (especially the suits this phone was aimed at, no doubt), not only will it not support b and g (for all practical purposes just about the only WiFi networks out there anymore), but to set up a Voice over WiFi network in your office that'll work with these phones will essentially require additional proprietary hardware—which you pretty much have to buy from Motorola and their partners. Which means these phones will not work on your standard WiFi hotspot (one of the main attractions of Voice over WiFi), and you can bet your biscuits hotspots around the world aren't going to go out of their way to support this phone. Way to go, Motorola—sounds like you're borrowing from Sony's bag of tricks.

[Via TechDirt]

[Graham Kaplan @ Dec 19th 2005 1:01AM]

So it's basically just a cordless phone? What a great deal! Not.

[NeoMagic @ Dec 19th 2005 1:01AM]

Hello,

as far as I know the phone should support the SIP protocol and some Voice Codecs. So either you should be able to use a VOIP phone company or set up a SIP phone system at home (e.g. Asterisk).

For my part this phone is a great deal everywhere where WLAN is available the phone connects to my home PBX and so I'm available under my house number and I can call out with my normal rates.

Greetings Tim

[Doron @ Dec 19th 2005 1:01AM]

Hello,

This sound like a nice product, but I didn't see anywhere in the publications and the spec�s if it can be used as a pure and standard Wi-Fi VoIP Phone.

I would like to see a Wireless phone with two separate lines.
The first line for GSM, and the second line for Wi-Fi SIP VoIP.
I want to be able to choose how to make the phone call, and to switch between the Wi-Fi and the GSM whenever I want.
The automatic switch of a call between the GSM and Wi-Fi is nice feature, but seems to me as a limiting one.

Is the Motorola CN620 support SIP protocol?
Can it be used for VoIP SIP calls via the public Hot Spots?
If yes, this is what I'm looking for.

If not, there is nothing exciting about this phone.

Does anybody know where can I get a phone with GSM and Wi-Fi SIP VoIP?

Thanks,

Doron

[Jack Earl @ Dec 19th 2005 1:01AM]

This will give the cellular company's some thing to think about. VoIP phone with all the hot spots. I want one, and as for motorola and there special software, we have heard reports from over seas that the phone did not sound so good. I am going to have to guess that there is a codec problem and can be easily fix. g729 must be purchas, unless Motorola has come up with there own codec, then how much could it cost, g729 only cost 10.00 american money. I am going to hope that they put speaks codec in the phone.

[Tom Cole @ Dec 19th 2005 1:01AM]

The proprietary hardware is necessary for seamless tradeoff between WiFi and GSM. How else would they do it? They're obviously establishing some GSM connection that takes control when you wander out of WiFi range. How else would you do it, have the phone make two phone calls simultaneously. NOT.

However the phone should work as strictly a WiFi phone when in a hotspot, and if you walk outside range, you'd just loose the call. No big deal. BUT, when you're in the office on a call, you can start your drive home without loosing the call. That would save me about 1-1.2 hours per week!

[Jim @ Dec 19th 2005 1:01AM]

The fact that they decided not to use the b and g standards just boggles me, 99% of companies and hotspots do not support the a standard. Also the fact that the a standard is on the 5 GHz range with its range limit is just stubid(unless they thought to use the 802.11a because of less traffic on that freg

Hopefully another company jumps in and uses the standard b or g and kicks their butt in this new market.