This Voice over IP (VoIP) phone looks much like most of the other Skype phones on the market. However, its unadorned interior hides a secret – it’s equipped with something called Hi-Fi Voice technology.

The phone’s maker, US Robotics, says this makes for better call quality over the internet.
It certainly sounds good – call quality was generally very high, particularly when both parties are using the US Robotics Internet Mini Phone.

Even with just one phone, call quality was noticeably better than with a normal Skype handset.

Installation was a breeze – just a matter of installing the software from the supplied CD, which includes Skype and a call credit voucher, then plugging the phone into a spare USB port using the supplied cable.

The phone’s buttons can be used to control the Skype software, and while it’s a little disconcerting to use a device that looks so much like a mobile phone but doesn’t have a screen, the similarity makes it handily familiar and easy to use.

Also consider
Philips VoIP321
Overall The Philips VoIP321 is a good cordless home telephone but still needs the PC switched on to make Skype calls
Rating: 4/5
Price: £70

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