DIY portable Skype phone utilizes cordless junker
We've know the Skype tinkerers are out there, and while we caught wind of a DIY cordless Skype phone project about two years ago, we think it's about time for some fresh efforts to surface. Thankfully, we're apparently not alone in those sentiments, as the crafty gurus at Instructables have devised an (admittedly iffy) way to morph a nearly-useless cordless landline telephone into one of the "portable Skype" variety. Essentially, all you need is a traditional cordless phone that you don't mind destroying, a soldering iron (and subsequently, a steady hand), a few 3.5-millimeter cables, and a dash of luck. Although there seems to be a bit too much risk involved in this hack-job for us, we certainly wouldn't mind any of you engineering folks to give it a go and see what turns out, but be sure to read through the fine print -- we're pretty sure "electrical shock" and "going up an smoke" are both byproducts of bad karma mixed in with this concoction.[Thanks, Joe]
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Ryan @ Mar 14th 2007 12:46PM
Or..... you can spend less than $50 on a usb pod that turns ANY phone into a skype phone complete with support for dialing both skype contacts and any skypeout number without touching the computer.
Michael2603 @ Mar 14th 2007 2:07PM
or perhaps even work a little on your intro grammar there.
Aaron @ Mar 14th 2007 2:27PM
Skype sucks like DRM sucks. Please stop promoting it, Engadget. It's not in anyone's best interest to be using a proprietary VoIP protocol with a centralized directory when open alternatives exist. I'm sick of seeing people who should know better give air time to such a pernicious product. Let's talk about Jabber with Jingle or SIP services instead.
nagu @ Mar 14th 2007 3:00PM
FYI: Instructables is all user-generated content. Credit where due, I say. In this case, the poor grammar is also can also be pinned to a Instructables user.
For the real gold, check out the comment threads below the Instructable. Circuit diagrams, places to get the USB dongle, links to similar projects, etc.