PhoneGnome bridges PSTN and VoIP, simply

PhoneGnome promises to marry your existing PSTN landline phone service with SIP enabled networks, allowing you to plug in your traditional phone to the device and place calls to your contacts who use SIP-based VoIP clients like the Gizmo Project and FWD. Created by former CTO and co-founder of Earthlink, David Beckemeyer, PhoneGnome is a small box with two input ports: one that connects to your LAN, the other to your PSTN network — and an output port for a traditional phone handset. Enter your SIP contacts into a web-based interface and place one-click calls to them via your phone. Unlike a VoIP service like Vonage, you pay $120 for the device and that's it — no monthly fees, no subscription, no activation. Unlike Skype, you're not tied to your computer to place and receive calls. While the PhoneGnome isn't the only solution that weds a traditional landline phone to VoIP networks, Beckemeyer hopes that the touted extreme ease of use will make this device a sensible option for the rather large market of telephony customers who want cheaper calling without having to have or acquire a lot of technical skill just to set up a new communications device.