Siemens Sells Skype Adapters For Wireless Phones

prostoalex writes "In a recent Slashdot story on Skype CEO interview some comments expressed displeasure with the fact that you have to be tied up to your computer to make those VOIP calls via Skype. Not anymore - this adapter from Siemens plugs into the USB port of the computer and allows Siemens Gigaset S645, Gigaset S440/445 or Gigaset C340/345 phone models to use the Skype connection instead of landline. News.com has the story."

Comments

What's the problem?

[Dancin_Santa]

So here's my dilemma. I look across the ocean and see that Eastern countries like Japan and Korea have VoIP integrated directly into the phone network. None of this "plug the doodad into the USB port and talk through the cheap Soundblaster microphone" crap. You actually just use the phone like your normal phone and it automatically uses VoIP for all calls.

The charges for long distance are apparently very low, though not eliminated, altogether. This is the only benefit I can see to strapping a headset on and sitting in front of your computer rather than walking around with a normal 2.4GHz cordless phone.

But what's the hold up? Why can't the Western countries get their technologies up to speed with Eastern countries? You can't tell me that it's a problem of "vast spaces" because this is a problem at the central switching network level, not something esoteric like bandwidth falloff.

You may think that the Asians are supreme copycats, but when it comes to technology, sometimes I wish that the West would copycat right back.

Re:What's the problem?

[Anonymous Coward]

Ask and I shall answer, from Japan. (Or, post a comment, and I shall karma whore. Well, maybe not, posting AC.)

I look across the ocean and see that Eastern countries like Japan and Korea have VoIP integrated directly into the phone network.

A bit of an over simplification, but for the most part, true. Gramma can use it without second thoughts, and it doesn't require a computer.

The charges for long distance are apparently very low, though not eliminated, altogether. This is the only benefit I can see to strapping a headset on and sitting in front of your computer rather than walking around with a normal 2.4GHz cordless phone.

A bit wrong. VoIP calls from a standard phone ARE FREE, any where in Japan, as long as the recipient is also using VoIP from the same company. If they're not, such as using a different VoIP provider, or a traditional land line, then you are charged a small (much smaller than traditional land-line to land-line calls) surcharge for the call. However, different VoIP providers (who are actually over glorified ISPs) in Japan are slowly but certainly forming alliances with each other to honor each other's "free call" offers. Either way, the great thing is that I can use my VoIP phone to call anyone else with a VoIP phone for free, or if they have a standard land line, for next to free. I can also make very cheap phone calls to my Mom in Colorado, but don't tell her that. She'll start complaining that I don't call often enough.

But what's the hold up? Why can't the Western countries get their technologies up to speed with Eastern countries?

In Japan, this has actually been a rare case. Beauracracy in Japan is the same, if not worse, than it is in the U.S., with extreme corporate favoritism. I think what happened here is that NTT, the Japante telecom semi-monopoly learned from the past. Local phone calls are not free in Japan. They still aren't. So when the internet first came around, people wouldn't use it too much, in fear of the phone bill. The users, and the gov't saw this as a really bad thing though, because the internet was seen as a way to boost the suffering Japanese economy. Good idea. So they got NTT to create a method where you sign up for a single number (your ISP, or your best friend, whatever your purpose was) and from 10:00PM to 7:00AM or something like that, you could call all you want for free. A nudge became a push, and soon we had the same system, but this time 24/7 to that specific phone number. Then came ADSL, which made this entire idea obsolete.

NTT probably saw the direction of VoIP, used a bit of hind-sight, and figured there wasn't a point in battling with it. Especially with other telecom players coming into town and slowly knawing away on the monopoly. So instead of a slow, agonizing death, NTT has decided to jump straight into the VoIP business. All phones will be VoIP in Japan, in a few years. And this includes NTT's own. They currently have a different area code just for VoIP, that starts with 050, which is used by various VoIP providers. This is really cool, because I can call a friend using VoIP, from my 3G cell phone, and vice versa, even if his computer is turned off.

You may think that the Asians are supreme copycats, but when it comes to technology, sometimes I wish that the West would copycat right back.

You have a point. The US still innovates, but not as much as they used to. Asia isn't innovating as much, but they are much more than they used to. Common brand beers in Tokyo actually taste better than anything in the U.S. such as Budweiser and Miller. (I know, there are great microbrews in the U.S., but there are in Japan too.) There is one thing, however, just one thing that I crave so bad for that I can't get over here: QUALITY TURKEY GRAVY!!!!!!!

really missed the point

[frovingslosh]

I think they really missed the point. What the educated user wants is a box that you plug your phone into one end, and that you plug the other end into your Ethernet router. Not something that you have to plug into a USB port on a computer.

Heck, at almost no extra cost it could even include a small router(that could be disabled), so if the customer doesn't already have a router they just plug their computer into the box rather than the other way around. This just makes sense on so many levels, where as using a USB connection through a computer (and the required software that must go along with it) is really ugly.

Re:really missed the point

[DarthBart]

Already built. Grandstream makes the HT486. Plug a phone in one port, one port goes to your cable modem, other port is NATed to your local lan.

Has anyone here ever played...

[Biomechanical]

...Shadowrun, the pencil and paper role play game (ignoring the whole mysticism aspect), or read William Gibson's books?

VoIP communications proliferating around the western world, phones with 3D-accelerated chipsets, desktops with 3D environments, UI's that operate via trodes on the skin, WAN's LAN's and PAN's integrating hardware, software, and wetware...

The technology is getting very cool. Now if only we can keep the politics out.

I can see a day when your ISP will link to another ISP via Wi-Max (or an equivelant tech), and another ISP, and another... creating an independant Internet not reliant on a wired and "restrained by Big Brother" infrastructure.

Your phone calls will be over VoIP through either your PC, PDA, or mobile phone. Your email will be routed through independant nodes remaining detached from governmental or multinational corporate infrastructure.

The space program will progress to the degree where many more privately owned satellites will be launched into space and create a global network that overcomes the latency and dataflow problems of satellite sheerly through it's if not anything else.

People, technically minded ones, will drive for more "personally empowering" software - mainly communications software that increases the speed, scope, and deliverable nature of all manner of data.

We will encounter a "wall" where the government tries to grasp control of this exponentially growing network, and the wall will be broken through.

These are strange days for tech. Big companies are embracing technology for the soul purpose of squeezing every dollar, pound, and euro out of it, while the public and the publically minded private enterprises are pushing for person-orientated tech.

We are looking at the beginning of a technological cold-war.

It's between you who would use the technology available to you to better your life, and those who would have you remain ignorant - eating happy sound-bites and tasting media tidbits.

Good for Siemens. I like it when companies put out useful tech. Hopefully they will produce more of this kind of technology in the future.

Linux drivers ?

[dago]

In fact, this is more generally a DECT interface for computers, with the SDK, you can basically make software to run on your (siemens) portable phone and only be limited by your imagination.

If only there was linux drivers ...

Newbie Skype questions?

[iceteep]

I've been reading about Skype recently but have not got around to installing it. I believe it was written by the same people who wrote Kazaa. That set off a few alarm bells for me. Anyone know of any security/spyware issues? What are your experiences of running it on Linux?

Re:Newbie Skype questions?

[ortcutt]

There aren't any spyware concerns. The business model for Skype is based on charging for Skype-to-POTS calls not on spyware like Kazaa. There are always security concerns when you run any network software, but I haven't heard of any exploits.

Re:What is Skype, anyway? (Credit Card Mystery)

[SamMichaels]

This may not technically be on topic, but I'm hoping someone might be able to shed light on what might have caused this, apart from credit card theft/fraud. Anyone? (Help!) Thanks!

What does the name of the charge matter? It could have been from SkippyDoodle. If you didn't make the charge, then your card was compromised.

If you're asking for help on the topic, then I'm not surprised your card number was stolen. Cancel the card, get your money back, and get a pamphlet on credit cards before attempting to use another.

And yes, that email you got from CitiBank and Paypal to enter your information were fake.

The parent post is a troll

[Compact Dick]

- No encryption support now, none planned.

Skype uses 256-bit AES encryption, which, if implemented properly, should be secure enough for just about anyone.

- No compression on the audio, bandwidth hog.

The speech codec used by Skype outputs a compressed stream which cannot be compressed further; try zipping an MP3 and you will see what I mean.

- Skype rhymes with hype.

How is this relevant?

The other points can be debunked by those who actually use Skype.

Re:This is a story?

[Zorilla]

- Inflexible: only supports 8khz 8-bit audio.

This one is debatable - when I call my parents over Skype and they use their Pentium 3 machine, the calls are lower quality, probably around 8 kHz, but when they use their much faster laptop, the calls are a much nicer 44 kHz. Since Skype handles most configuration itself (validating their "it just works" attitude), I can only assume it's dropping the sample rate because the slower computer can encode fast enough.