Net Calling, Untied From the PC

By David Colker

Feb. 19, 2006 12 AM PT

Times Staff Writer

The problem with free calls over the Internet is that you have to be at your computer to make them. You can’t be cooking, driving, operating heavy machinery or doing the thousands of other things we do while chatting on the phone.

But a new device called the VoSky Call Center allows you to make free Internet calls from any phone in your house -- even your cellphone.

It uses Skype, an online service based in Luxembourg that became an international phenomenon -- leading to its acquisition last year by EBay Inc. for $2.6 billion -- because it provides free computer-based calls around the world.

The VoSky Call Center is one of several away-from-the-computer Skype devices that have recently arrived on the market. Another one is the Linksys CIT200, which is a cordless Skype phone.

Using these phones doesn’t mean the end of your long-distance bills. The calls are free only if the person on the other end is using Skype too.

Also, the quality of Internet audio connections is highly variable. And there are inconveniences -- for example, you can’t use the VoSky or Linksys phone unless your computer is turned on.

But if you regularly use Skype, these devices can free you from the computer. That’s no small matter in this era of multi-tasking. And for international calls the cost savings can outweigh the hassles.

The innovative VoSky, from Actiontec Electronics Inc., is especially intriguing because of its ability to transform regular phones into Skypers.

The VoSky device, a little black box about the size of a detached answering machine, is easy to install. You wouldn’t know that from the instructions, however, which resemble a series of Zen koans. Here’s one: “Connect your phone to the phone port with the phone cable from your phone.”

I used my phone to call the company for help.

Basically, the VoSky is connected via a USB port to a computer that has broadband access to the Internet. Another set of lines goes from the box to a phone. I hooked mine up to a base unit for the cordless phones in the house.

Some Windows-only software (VoSky doesn’t work with Macs) is installed on the computer. And you assign a speed-dial code to everyone you regularly call on your Skype service.

For example, a friend in London can be “1,” your sister in Florida “2,” a client in Tokyo “3,” etc. You can assign codes to non-Skype phone numbers too. They can be reached as SkypeOut calls, for which a fee is charged.

Making a Skype call on the phone is pretty simple. When you get a dial tone, you push ##. (If you don’t do that, the phone makes a normal non-Internet call.) Almost immediately, a voice comes on the line directing you to enter a speed-dial code.

I first called Gennifer Weisenfeld, a Duke University art historian currently on a fellowship in London. She and her husband regularly use Skype to call home. Gennifer picked up the Internet call, as usual, at her computer. I, however, was able to walk around my house as we talked, using my cordless phone.

The voice quality on the line was serviceable, but a big step down from the customary high quality of a Skype computer-to-computer call to London. This was at least partly because computers generally have better audio equipment than phones.

To Gennifer, however, it was a worthwhile trade-off. “I’d give up some sound quality,” she said, “for the ability to move away from the computer.”

We hung up and she tried calling me using Skype. Usually, my computer would make a ringing noise at this point, notifying me I had a call coming in via the Internet.

But because I had set up VoSky to catch those calls, my phone rang in the usual way. VoSky even put her name, which it picked up from my Skype buddy list on the computer, on the phone’s caller ID screen.

Not all calls went so smoothly. A few out of the dozens I made simply disconnected suddenly, mid-call. One thing I found was that I could not pick up my office voice messages via the system -- the pass-codes I use disrupted the call every time.

Some calls suffered from mediocre Internet connections. And there were all those cumbersome procedures to remember, like which buttons to push and when.

Calls can be made from outside telephones, including cellphones, that are routed to the home system and then via VoSky onto the Internet. But that setup is even more cumbersome.

Still, as Gennifer noted, the ability to use the regular phones does have a value. And more importantly, the VoSky marks a significant step toward blurring the lines between traditional and online calling.

If you do a lot of Skype calling and want to jump in as an early adopter, the price is about $70.

Speaking of early adoption, I had a chance to briefly try out new software called Eqo (pronounced “echo”) that debuted last week at a telecommunications conference in Barcelona, Spain.

It aims to put Skype service, including the buddy list, directly on cellphones and it did just that. But voice quality was inconsistent at best -- Eqo is innovative but not ready for prime time.

The Linksys cordless phone, however, is a winner.

It even comes with easy-to-follow directions.

The CIT200 uses a small base station -- about the size of a computer mouse -- that plugs into a computer’s USB port. It also comes with a charger for the phone.

Software installed on the PC (again, no Mac compatibility) transfers the Skype buddy list information from the computer to the phone where it shows up on a nicely lighted screen.

The phone buddy list, like the one on the computer, shows which members happen to be online. Making a call to one of them is as simple as highlighting them on the list and pressing the talk button.

Also, a regular number can be entered using the touchpad, and it will be made as a SkypeOut call.

The simplicity of the CIT200, which sells for about $110, was certainly welcome.

The call quality was about as good as when using the VoSky device, although the stability of the connections seemed better -- none of the calls I made on the Linksys phone got cut off.

Linksys says its phone can be used as much as 160 feet from the base station indoors, and more than 900 feet if used outdoors.

I found it to be better than that. During one call, I left my laptop with the base station attached in the kitchen and walked out of the house. I got nearly a block away before the call started to break up.

Another nice feature: a built-in speakerphone.

Put it all together, and I figured I could talk to friends in far-flung parts of the world, for free, while doing my gardening.

I’m sure they’re dying to hear all about it.

David Colker can be reached via e-mail at technopolis@latimes.com. Previous columns can be found at latimes.com/technopolis.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

Cutting the Skype cord

New products allow Internet calls using Skype’s phone service to be made away from the computer. However, the computer still needs to be on and connected to the Internet.

VoSky Call Center

* Function: Enables ordinary phones to use Skype

* Price: $69.95

* Platform: Windows

* Info: www.vosky.com

* Pros: No need to buy special phones just for Skype

* Cons: Cumbersome operation, some calls cut off

Linksys CIT200

* Function: Cordless Skype phone

* Price: About $110

* Platform: Windows

* Info: www.linksys.com