New Skype Phone Is PC Free

Skype has announced the first cordless phone that doesn’t need a PC to run the popular VoIP service. The Philips VOIP841’s base station can be plugged into a landline or ethernet connection, letting you make Skype calls as well as calls from your home phone number. It’s not travel friendly like other Skype phones — because it uses DECT rather than WiFi, you can’t use it with wireless hot spots, but that’s a small quibble given that this is the first standalone Skype handset. The phone will be released around Christmas this year.