Amazon.com Product Review
Amazon.com Product Description
 | The Philips VOIP841 Wireless IP Phone offers: - The ability to make Skype calls without a computer.
- It can be used as a landline telephone and an Internet phone.
- A full-color display for clear and easy navigation.
- Memory for up to 500 phonebook entries.
|  | |
The Philips VOIP841 is the first completely independent DECT cordless phone that lets you make Skype calls without a PC. And with the added flexibility of letting you connect your land line, this phone can take care of all your calling needs.
Use the VOIP841 to make free Skype calls to anywhere in the world without a computer. View larger. |
Quick Installation and Convenience The Philips VOIP841 is a self-contained unit that requires no installation of software or connection to a computer; simply plug the base into any power outlet in your house, connect it to your broadband connection, and you can start making free Skype telephone calls right away. (To make Skype calls, you must open a Skype account. A Skype account is not included with this phone.)
And by simply plugging your home telephone line into the VOIP841, this phone can double as your everyday landline, giving you the ultimate in convenience.
Easy to Use If you've used a cell phone or cordless phone, you'll quickly be able to take advantage of all the features the VOIP841 offers. For easy readability, the phone features a 128x128 full-color display, and a 4-way directional pad provides you with easy navigation through the intuitive interface. The handset has enough memory for up to 500 Skype phonebook entries, giving you quick access to your contact list.
You can choose from up to 15 ring tones (5 standard, 10 polyphonic), and the phone allows you to set your ring tone by call type, distinguishing between landline and Internet calls. A speakerphone mode allows for hands-free operation, so you can take notes during the call or share the call with others. There is also a jack connector on the handset for connecting a headset.
DECT Frequency for Security and Extended Battery Life By using the Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT) frequency at 1.8GHz, the VOIP841 offers you enhanced security features and a longer battery life than other frequencies. On battery power, the VOIP841 offers talk time of up to 12 hours and a standby time of up to 120 hours.
Each base station can accommodate up to four handsets, and up to four base stations can be used together for a total of 16 handsets. For office or home use, the intercom mode allows you to use one handset to call another handset located in a different room.
Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review
(339 customer reviews) 179 of 182 people found the following review helpful
Good, But Do A Little Homework Before Purchasing,
September 18, 2007 G. Hearn (Atlanta, Georgia) - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Philips VOIP841 PC-Free DECT 6.0 Wireless IP Phone (Personal Computers)
I purchased this phone a little over two months ago. Overall I'm quite happy with it, though I do wish I had waited until the price dropped and saved some $$! I've read many of the reviews and agree with many of the good ones, and can empathize with many of the not-so-good ones.
First of all, I think everyone assumes someone looking to purchase this phone already knows about Skype, which I'm sure is usually true, BUT if you're unfamiliar with Skype, be sure you visit www.skype.com first to find out exactly what it is, and what it is going to cost you (if anything) to join and use the system. Different plans are offered such as talking to only other people on Skype. . . . Making calls to people on "regular" phones (fee based, but really cheap). . . . and if you want to have your own phone number so that anyone can call you (fees involved). After reading a lot of reviews, I didn't see where anyone mentioned about what Skype actually is, so I wanted to get that out of the...Read more
114 of 118 people found the following review helpful
An Excellent Phone for Skype Users,
July 7, 2007 Susanna Hutcheson "Copywriting for the Discri... (Midwest U.S.A.) - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Philips VOIP841 PC-Free DECT 6.0 Wireless IP Phone (Personal Computers)
If you hate paying the phone company a ton of money for calls you probably aren't going to make, Skype is a great service. You can make unlimited phone calls within the U.S. and Canada for just under $30. Out of country calls are extremely cheap. For example, I can call the U.K. for a bit over 2 cents per minute.
So having a telephone you can count on to make reasonably good calls is critical. The Philips VOIP841 is not a perfect solution. The sound quality is somewhere between a cell phone and a land line. It's a bit better than the former and not nearly as good as the latter.
But for making and receiving calls from family and friends, it's great. And it will pay for itself quickly and save you a ton of money on your phone bill.
I even use mine for business calls overseas and many times within the U.S.
With Skype, you can make conference calls. So business users will find this of interest.
Although the phone allows you to make Skype or...Read more
63 of 65 people found the following review helpful
Well thought out and straightforward,
May 10, 2007 Caramalizer (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Philips VOIP841 PC-Free DECT 6.0 Wireless IP Phone (Personal Computers)
The phone is gorgeous in high gloss black ... puts Belkin and Linksys offerings to shame, but finger prints take a lot of effort to remove. Fit and finish are good and it's nice that Philips included all the necessary cables (ethernet and regular phone). Yes there is a mini jack that accepts a headset (my Panasonic works) and here is volume output that is finally loud enough for me. For some reason, the jack location is about 1/8" too low for the headset to remain plugged in when you return the phone to the charging cradle. I can't tell if this is deliberate or a design oversight. Handset batteries are a pair of standard AAA NiMH--good because replacements are cheap and easy to find, but I can't help but think the talk time would be more with a custom battery. We'll see.
Navigation is decent--no confusion if you know your way around a cell phone. The screen is easy to read but, like a cell phone, the contact list is only about 11 characters wide so long names are...Read more
