Belkin Wi-Fi Skype Phone

Skype is still the most highlighted messenger, voice, VOIP and video chat service. From being a comprehensive, to say the least, PC software, Skype made its way to the mobile phone industry and has managed to stake its claim there too. However, if you happen to be a regular Skype user for whatever purpose be it personal or professional and don’t have a mobile handset capable of supporting Skype, Belkin is offering a solution through their Skype Wi-Fi phone. But is it all you’ll need in lieu of a PC version? Here’s what I think.

Form Factor
If you’re thinking this is anything like a normal mobile handset though it looks exactly like one, think again. Belkin’s Wi-Fi Skype phone is quite bulky in design and you’ll feel this with its weight factor taken into account. The screen is just 1.8-inch with a decent resolution that’s clear enough to read chat, IMs etc. The keypad is small but easy to use just like a budget mobile handset. What I didn’t like was the pointy joystick that could easily have been better designed. A set of volume keys are located on one side with a standard mini USB port at the bottom for charging right beside a 2.5mm handsfree socket.

Its rubberized coat makes it an easy to grip device but also makes it a little cheap. That and its plump design. Considering there are mobile handsets with cameras, Bluetooth and GPS adapters that are slimmer and definitely sleeker and Belkin isn’t know for rough bulky designs, I’m not sure why this is what they’ve gone with in this case.

Features and Performance
Interface
The entire UI seems like it’s a single application on a mobile handset with all of Skype’s... let me rephrase that... with most of Skype’s features and settings included. In reality it’s just that as the entire device is designed for just a single application anyways. Skype users will find the interface very familiar thus making it easy to use.

Functionality
The Wi-Fi Skype phone is designed to support WEP, WPA and WPA2 with PSK support so you’re assured you can connect to pretty much any Wi-Fi network anywhere anytime. Like I said before, the UI is easy to navigate and Belkin has tried to offer all that the PC version has to offer except for video calling which is rather crucial these days for most Skype users. I know I’m one of them. The lack of this rather integral component is a bit of a let-down to start with. Although it has quite a lot of the regular features to offer users, I believe the presence of the camera, even VGA quality, would have made this device much more appealing. Another feature the handset seriously lacks is the ability to chat with contacts.

If you have a paid Skype account you can also forward calls to mobile numbers and even receive voicemails. Both are paid services for those who don’t know. Other features include a Search option for locating other Skype users to add to your contact list, access to various Skype Services like Skype Credit, Skypeln and Voicemail. You also have the option of changing your status and editing your profile as well as viewing others of course.

Voice Clarity
On the whole, the performance of the device was really not up to the mark. Voice clarity was average at best. Although the speakerphone is quite loud, through the earpiece it sounded quite muffled most of the time. On the plus side I was told by multiple contacts that they could hear me quite well through the speakerphone with the handset kept at least 2 feet away. A rather large issue I faced in almost all places I tested this including at my own home is that for some strange reason I kept losing reception. There were too many call drops due to the handset completely losing network and then finding it again in a few seconds. This got quite annoying.

Battery
In a nutshell, the battery life is poor. It doesn’t take too long to charge but believe me it seemed like it took even less time to get drained. While understanding that Wi-Fi does consume a fair amount of battery life, it’s not like there’s a whole lot more going on with this device. Talk time averaged in at just about one hour and 20 minutes give or take a couple of minutes which is ridiculously low.

The Bottom Line
The price tag on the Belkin Wi-Fi Skype phone is a whopping Rs. 7,921 which is quite pricey. Without features like chatting or video calling what’s the point. It’s strictly a Wi-Fi handset designed for the one and only reason and that’s too much money for it. The range on this device isn’t too good either so that’s just one more tally mark in its ‘Cons’ column. I’d give it a pass if I were you and stick to the PC mode for now or wait till a better model is launched.