telephone
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It's the PSP phone! No, it's not
People have been clamoring for a PSP phone for a while, but this is certainly not the way to do it. An aptly-named blog, "I'm bored," appears to have concocted a way to have a telephone headset operate on the PSP. Certainly, far less sexy than the official PSP headset, but it may be the only option for those of you unwilling to shell out the $20.[Via Kotaku]
ASUS' new motherboards convert PSTN to VoIP
If you still haven't pulled the trigger on setting up a VoIP system in your domicile, and you're looking to build a new rig from the ground up anyway, ASUS is handing over the perfect excuse to do both. While the firm has already teamed with Gigabyte for a bit of motherboard collaboration, the M2N/TeleSky and P5B/TeleSky boards will now include a "telecom adapter" to convert your standard PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) lines to VoIP. Moreover, the adapter touts the ability to "to switch the house phone connection between PSTN and VoIP networks" depending on call-to-call preferences. While we aren't certain on how much ASUS plans on charging for the limited edition units, we do know that 60 SkypeOut minutes will be included "while supplies last," so you may want to make haste on picking one up if this combo suits your fancy.
RTX Cordless DualPhone 3088 offers landline / Skype calling
We can all get a bit sensational at times, but RTX Telecom apparently thinks its DualPhone 3088 is a marvel of modern science. Touting its "standalone nature" and "landline / Skype functionality" as quite the awe-inspiring duo, the admittedly average dual-function phone doesn't deviate too far from the path already blazed by other computer-free solutions. The device can make and receive both traditional landline and Skype In / Out calls without the need for your PC to be near or even powered on. Per usual, the phone includes a separate base station that sports inputs for your landline and router connection, and then broadcasts the signals wirelessly "up to 300 meters" to the cordless phone station set up elsewhere. It also features the latest DECT technology, an LCD to skim through your contact list, and claims to play nice with both Macs and PCs -- which makes perfect sense considering no computer is required at all. Nevertheless, British users looking for a matte black option to juggle your landline and VoIP calling duties can pick up the DualPhone 3088 now for £109.99 ($209).
Philips VOIP433 and VOIP321 phones reviewed
It seems that Philips' delightful duo of VoIP phones have made their rounds in the US, and have finally landed in the reviewers lounge at GeekZone New Zealand. After spotting these units awhile back, the VOIP433 and VOIP321 both hit the testing block, and choosing between the two seems to boil down to whichever internet telephony platform best suits you. The 433 provided "true plug-and-play" functionality with Windows Live Messenger, and the unit's automatic contact updating was highly regarded. The biggest dig, however, came from the substandard LCD screen, which was dubbed "one of the worst" the crew had ever seen. On the 321 side, all of the advertised Skype functionality was performed adequately, the two-line display was "comfortable to read," and the larger button layout made dialing less of a chore. Both units touted a satisfactory 10-hour battery life (while talking), separate power supplies to locate the base station away from the PC, and all the dedicated landline features we've come to know and love. Overall, both devices were hailed as worthwhile purchases if you spend a good bit of time chatting it up with VoIP, but deciding between Windows Live Messenger and Skype is entirely in your court.
Hampton Articulation adds SIP-compliant VoIP to Palm devices
What's better than a Skype client for Palm? A VoIP client compatible with any SIP provider, that's what. Hampton Software has released Articulation, which appears to be the first true provider-independent client for any Palm 5.x device with a mic and speaker (though rumor has it the 700p doesn't quite make the grade yet due to sound issues). The app may not have superstar looks, but the feature list is nothing to sneeze at with support for the GSM codec on low-bandwidth connections, echo cancellation for speakerphone use, touch tones for automated menus, and pretty much anything you could expect from a lightweight VoIP setup. If anyone gives this a whirl on their 650, be sure to hit us all up with the rundown in comments![Via VoIP & Gadgets Blog]
Audex's Bluetooth Headset for landlines
It's okay, we didn't know people were still using landlines either. For the last few holdouts, though, Audex (not to be confused with the Burton jacket of the same name) presents its Desk-Free Bluetooth Headset for telephones, which attaches to your fixed line phone and gives you that same great 10-feet of wireless freedom that you've come to love from your current cellphone-headset combo. We've no idea where you can pick one of these up nor how much it'll set you back, but if you're really in need of such a product, we're confident that you'll do what it takes to track one down.[Via Slashphone]
Stuck on hold? Zork is the new soft jazz
Forget Michael Bolton, Zork is the best hold music ever! From Zasterisk:"I was tinkering with Asterisk and the Festival text-to-speech engine, and wrote some short Asterisk::AGI scripts to read back live weather reports. After that, I thought I needed something more interactive to work with..."Now Zork is back! Listen as the eerie voice of Festival takes you into the Underground Empire, and marvel as you explore this world with your dial pad, unlocking the secrets within!"You'll need to install the Asterisk open source phone-switcher (*NIX only, that includes you Mac users), the Festival text-to-speech application, and then let Zasterisk work its special brand of magic, turning that boring phone tree into a maze of twisty little passages, all alike. Too much work, you say? Good news! On March 13th the project's creator, simon, announced "over the next few weeks I'll be putting a public beta online for you to call in to." A few weeks is, like, right now! We're officially on the lookout.[Via Boing Boing]
