Skype announces WiFi and Internet phones at CES - more to come

Skype is announcing a number of new Internet-connected mobile phone devices at CES this week. They are aggresively moving into the telecommunications hardware market, proving that hardware is sometimes as important an element in Web 2.0 businesses as the software and Web platform. We see this same trend with Apple's product line and also Microsoft's products such as Xbox and Media Center.

Firstly, Skype and NETGEAR have announced a mobile WiFi internet calling phone, which they say is the first such product on the market. The press release states:

"The NETGEAR WiFi phone will make mobile Internet telephony a reality for Skype users. Unlike other devices that must connect with a PC, NETGEAR’s Skype WiFi phone will work wherever a consumer is connected to a wireless Internet access point — be that in a home, office, cafe, open public hotspot, or any open municipal wireless access point being deployed worldwide. The Skype experience remains the same, in that users can make free domestic and international calls, as well as host conference calls and chat, with other Skype users anywhere in the world, and to non-Skype users for a small fee. With this device, headphones or USB phones plugged into a laptop or PC are not required."

Skype has also partnered with Philips and developed the VoIP321, a new Internet cordless phone that allows users to make free Skype calls and ordinary landline calls from the same handheld device. According to the press release, the new phone allows users more freedom of movement and includes Skype’s features such as free worldwide calls, conferencing, video calls and chats with other Skype users.

I view this as a significant step for Skype; indeed the Internet telephony and mobile phone market in general. As Skype's press release noted, an October report from Jupiter Research forecasts that 20.4 million U.S. households will subscribe to some form of Internet-based broadband phone service by 2010. Also recalling Mary Meeker's presentation at the Web 2.0 Conference last October, she was extremely bullish on the mobile Internet market.

But wait, there's more! Skype will announce a whole slew of partners at CES, as the company focuses on more easily integrating Internet calling into the lives of consumers. The following announcements are expected to be made:

• Creative Skype Internet PhonePLUS – a standalone phone that enables anyone to make free Skype calls over the Internet without a PC connection
• D-Link Skype USB Phone Adapter (DPH-50U) – a Skype phone adapter that enables the use of Skype on a traditional phone
• IPEVO Fly-1 Cordless Handset and Xing Speakerphone – PC and Mac compatible IPEVO Fly-1 cordless Skype USB handset and an IPEVO Xing Skype USB speakerphone
• KODAK Photo Voice – a beta version of the first Skype certified online photo sharing service, available as a free download at Kodakgallery.com/photovoice
• Panasonic – a cordless telephone product that interfaces directly with Skype, allowing users to make and receive Skype calls and traditional calls using the same device
• VTech USB7100 Phone – availability of the previously announced VTech USB phone, expandable with up to four handsets and allows users to view their online contacts
  

I just hope that all these products will be able to used globally - and not just in the States.