I bought this 2 days ago and really like it. There is a review by rayboy that details the pros and cons pretty well. (This Skype Gear review is good but not very critical…)
The phone has some *issues*:
If you move to a different router, it doesn’t very gracefully update its Dynamic DHCP settings. I actually had to force it by setting it as static to my new router and then switching it back to Dynamic. (DUMB BELKIN. VERY DUMB.)
And also, at one point it just died. Not while I was using it but I noticed it was black and didn’t light up when I touched a button. I moved the power to a different strip and it has been fine now for a day. Maybe they should figure out how to draw power from the Ethernet cable…
This device is, however, exactly what I need. I work from home, don’t like paying monthly fees for fixed lines, and need a general “voicemail” line as well as a system for international calling. This is the thing!
It should be priced at more in the $50 range (you know, like a Belkin, not a Cisco). It has about $5 worth of phone parts, and maybe $10 worth of networking parts.
I bought this phone because sometimes I just need that old fashioned, phone feeling (speakerphone, big keypad). The networking is a big selling point (it better be as the plastic is cheap). If this had been yet another USB thing, it would have gotten tossed in a drawer (like the cheap Philips skype phone laying around here somewhere).
