Philips VOIP841 PC-Free DECT 6.0 Wireless IP Phone by Philips Accessories
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List Price: Our Price: $499.99 Availability: Usually ships in 4-5 business days Buy Used: from $325.00 (click here) Category: CE See more digital camera details and other models |
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Digital camera reviews of Philips VOIP841 PC-Free DECT 6.0 Wireless IP Phone
Digital camera Review: love it!
Summary: 5 Stars
I got this after reading the amazon reviews and using Skype for over 4 years now to make international calls. I got the 1 yr US long distance calling plan for $36 (i really hope the price won't go up) and cut down on my landline bill. Calls are good quality, no complaints. I warned friends that my number won't show on caller id - other than that i have no complaints, works wonderful. The design is very nice, but some in the family complained about the small keys.
a few little problems after using it for 6 months:
-- i really wish the time would stay set (it changes all the time so i stopped trying to set it again -- although my time zone is set correctly)
-- i really wish the answering machine would work for the landline too - i don't think it does anything right now -- let me know if it does ))
-- "line is busy" signal is not audio, it shows up only on the screen and unless you look you might think your call was dropped
that's it, this thing paid for itself already, not it's just saving me money.
Digital camera Review: Must-have addition to Skype!
Summary: 5 Stars
I am currently living out of the country for medical school, so I use Skype on a daily basis to contact friends and family in the US. For the past year, I've been having attached to my computer anytime I wanted to use the phone, which also meant missing calls if I was in another room or had the computer turned off. However, this phone has made me love Skype again!
Setup:
Could not be easier! Plug in the base station, attach the included ethernet cable to your router, and let the handset charge for a little while. When you turn the handset on, enter your language, area code, skype name, and password. That's it! Within seconds, your voicemails and Skype contacts are downloaded to the phone. If you can figure out a basic cell phone, you can figure out this phone with no problem. There are a few basic options, one of which allows you to set whether it asks, every time you dial a number, if you would like to use SkypeOut or landline, or automatically default to one or the other.
Call Quality:
I have been very impressed with the quality. I'd say it ranges from decent cell phone quality, to slightly better. As I do not have a landline here, I can only judge the quality of SkypeOut calls. My apartment is not very large, but the range easily extends from front to back, with two doors closed in between rooms. The range is better than what I've experienced with other cordless phones in the past, and I haven't noticed any degradation in quality as I move away from the base. I have been told that it sounds much better than when I am speaking through the computer.
Phone:
I find the phone comfortable to hold, although it's too small to rest between your shoulder and ear. It is very attractive and feels durable, if a bit plasticy. The display is bright and easy to read. When idle, it displays your username, status, time/date, and remaining SkypeOut credit. Like I said, the menu system works very similar to a cell phone. The earpiece volume is not particularly loud, but definitely adequate. The speaker volume can be very loud, and remains clear at higher volumes. I haven't really tested the battery, but after having it off the cradle for a while and talking on the phone for about an hour or so, it still shows a full charge.
Problems:
Very few, and not bad enough to affect my rating. It came with a card for 120 SkypeOut minutes, but when I tried to enter the code online, it said that the code had already been used. I'm still waiting for a response from Skype about that. The ring tones leave something to be desired, although they are, fortunately, very loud (if you set them to be). Very rarely, it will drop a call for no apparent reason. However, this could be related to my less than ideal internet connection. Strangely, if I have Skype running on the computer but answer an incoming call on the handset, the computer continues to ring, despite the incoming call pop-up notification disappearing. I have to quit Skype to stop the ringing. I'm still trying to figure out how to remedy that problem.
Edit: After using this for a few months now, I'm just as happy as I was initially. Also, a few problems listed above have been corrected. The dropped calls were, in fact, due to a poor internet connection. Ever since that was fixed, I haven't lost any calls. Also, Skype put out a new mac version of their software since I wrote this review, and that update fixed the problem with the computer continuing to ring after I answer the handset.
Digital camera Review: very good
Summary: 5 Stars
Good: No PC needed. Dual phone. Supports multiple Skype features. Color screen. Stylish and efficient. Good call quality. Simple to use
Bad: Fairly expensive.
Bottomline: An attractive phone system that will fit in with your home decor and lets you make Skype and traditional landline calls without a computer.
I RECOMMENDED
Digital camera Review: 95% There
Summary: 4 Stars
This product is just awesome. Two phones in one. Truly wireless Skype! Only two complaints. It seems that the batteries are milked down very fast. We have normal 5.8Ghz phones that will last nearly a week before having to put them on the charger again. We're lucky to get 48hrs on standby with this phone. Maybe 3 days at the most. This is why I also purchased the extra handset. The second complaint is that when you're using the phone normally against your ear, vs. as a speakerphone, there is a good amount of feedback. When it's in speaker phone mode, it's great. But tons of feedback when in normal use. I should clarify what I mean by 'feedback.' You can hear yourself talking in the earpiece. It should not be that way. The sound is nice and clear, but very odd to be hearing yourself speak. Perhaps this is an option I can change in the menu, but I can't think of any reason it would be the way it is on purpose. Design flaw? Bug? Crossed wires?Digital camera Review: totally satisfied
Summary: 5 Stars
Easy set up, once the battery of the handset was charged I was making my first Skype call the next minute. (I had been using my wireless hi-speed access point already for a few years, with my notebook computer. And I already had been using Skype with my notebook, so skype-wise I was in good shape when the Philips machine arrived.) I don't believe in manuals (actually, I don't remember whether my purchase came with a manual) but the whole set-up and operation goes very intuitively.
By now I've been using the Philips machine for one month. No lock-ups, no re-starts. The only occasional problem is with Skype itself, nothing to do with Philips. (On international calls, Skype doesn't always recognize the offhook event on the other end of a SkypeOut call. With time, the Skype people should be able to fix this kind of teething problem.) Voice quality of the Philips system is excellent - my Skype calls sound better than with my landline, no noise no echo, although I should add that my voice landline is in bad shape, I should call out the phone company. Automatic downloading of contacts goes without a hitch. Altogether I'm pleasantly surprised how well the whole thing works, particularly if you consider the complexity of the arrangement. I had been afraid that my technophobic family would reject the new arrival, but nothing like it!