USRobotics announces new Skype base station, handset

Today, USRobotics announced its newest Skypified pair of products, the USR9630 Cordless Dual Phone and the USR9631 Accessory Handset. The dual phone, as the name implies, plugs into a USB port and a landline and can make and receive both Skype and traditional phone calls. The base station, which comes with one handset, goes for $120, and an additional handset will set you back $70, assuming of course you're a Windows user (sorry, Mac support is forthcoming).

Update: USRobotics just told us that Mac support would be coming in Q1 2007.

[Teddy-O @ Aug 30th 2006 9:51PM]

I guess I could conceivably fall into that group of 10. Something like this would be useful for me at work, where WiFi is banned and the phone system is not PBX. The styling isn't fancy, nor is the display, but that's why it more than 1/3 less than the fancy WiFi enabled phones. There is no sense paying for a bunch of features that I don't need.

[Scott Rocher @ Aug 30th 2006 10:35PM]

This looks like the hot new gadget...of 1996. What's with the uninspired design, the old-school LED screen, and the bulk? They'll probably sell about 10 of these.

[Chris Houston @ Aug 31st 2006 7:33AM]

When is someone going to produce a wireless hardware skype phone that just plugs straight into your LAN? Or.. how about Linux support for a device like this, so that I can install it on my OpenFSG box :)

[DS @ Aug 31st 2006 8:06AM]

This is a shoddy reclad of the Philips VoIP321 Skype Phone. USR must feel they can do a better marketing job, although the ugly appearance will be the first problem with that.

CH, a number of manufacturers have announced WLAN Skype phones, including Netgear, Belkin, and Logitec (not Logitech).

[Tomas @ Aug 31st 2006 10:34AM]

"This looks like the hot new gadget...of 1996"

Well, the last thing I bought from USR was a 28.8k modem...

[Gizmo @ Aug 31st 2006 8:23PM]

Hey Scott,

You must be looking at a different unit than the rest of us, cuse it sure looks like an LCD screen and not an LED.

The rest of your comment I totally agree with though!