A Tale of Two Skypephones (4/16/2007)
When I first heard NETGEAR was introducing a Skype phone, I thought that was a pretty good idea. When the company launched a second one at CES this year, I assumed it was a “2.0” version, with some combination of faster/better/cheaper. When I realized that the company was leaving both products on the market, I was… confused. In fact, even after I had one of the SPH200D (the “2.0” one) units in my apartment I didn’t really know why this was the case until I talked to someone within NETGEAR. I figured if I’m this confused about it and this close to the source, it’s probably worth trying to clear up for a lot of people out there (especially since a Google search doesn’t do it much justice).
Let’s start with three fundamental questions:
-
What’s Skype? Skype is a Internet telephony service that lets you make phone calls using your computer & the Internet instead of using your landline or cell phone service. Skype users can call each other for free, and the company offers services to give you a “real” phone number, or to call non-Skype users as well.
-
What is a Skype Phone? A Skype Phone is, generically, a phone handset that can connect to your WiFi network, and allows you to use the Skype service without having to use your computer. Skype phones like NETGEAR’s SPH101 have LCD screens that you use to select which WiFi network to use, and browse your contacts list.
-
What is DECT? DECT is a wireless technology platform used for building cordless phones and services. There isn’t really an easy way to explain the technology (you can try reading this definition if you’d like), but basically it is a standard for building “smarter” phones with more services and features. This is one of those technology terms that should really be better “hidden” from end-users in my opinion.
All cleared up yet? Didn’t think so. As a quick refresher, the two products I’m talking about are the SPH101 (Skype Phone – “1.0”) and the SPH200D (DECT Skype Phone – “2.0”). Unfortunately, the only real comparison chart on the Web site is this PDF file, which isn’t enough to really explain the difference in my eyes. So here’s my chart:
|
Feature
|
SPH101
|
SPH200D
|
| Works with all Skype services |
Yes |
Yes |
| Has a color LCD screen |
Yes |
Yes |
| Connects to WiFi network |
Yes |
No |
| Connects to Ethernet/wired network |
No |
Yes |
| Charges over USB |
Yes |
No |
| Charges with a base station |
No |
Yes |
| Works in an Internet café |
Yes |
No |
| Works in your own home |
Yes |
Yes |
| Works at a friend’s house (with WiFi) |
Yes |
No |
| Connects to your home phone services |
No |
Yes |
| Brews a nice cup of tea |
No |
No |
| Price (according to Amazon) |
$229
|
$199
|
Let’s see if I can summarize the products based on the features above, and more importantly how you’d use them . . .
- If you want a Skype Phone that you can use at home or carry around with you and use on other WiFi networks, you want the SPH101.
- If you want a Skype Phone to use only when at home, and would enjoy the convenience of using only a single handset for both Skype and regular phone services, you want the SPH200D.
So there you have it. Two different phones for two different uses. Choose wisely.
Jeremy Toeman
Consumer Technology and New Media Expert
