Skype, NETGEAR to announce wireless mobile telephone
This afternoon, Skype and networking hardware manufacturer NETGEAR (not shouting, that's how they spell their name) are set to announce what's being billed as the world's first wireless mobile telephone, along with a NETGEAR router configured to optimize Skype.
Unlike other devices that must connect with a PC, NETGEAR’s Skype WiFi phone will work wherever a user is connected to a wireless Internet access point. Locations can be in a home, office, cafe, open public hotspot, or any open municipal wireless access point. With this device, headphones or USB phones plugged into a laptop or PC will not be required.
The NETGEAR phone will come pre-loaded with Skype’s software, already configured to use with a wireless network. When a user logs on to their Skype account, the Skype software will display the user’s full contact list as well as the connection status on the phone screen. The configuration will also be SkypeOut compatible.
No pricing and ship date info yet, but we should know more within weeks.