The news (or is it history?)
Confusion reigns over USRobotics UK line up of VoIP and Skype phones. We're told today that the company has recently introduced two Skype USB models, the 9601 USB Internet Phone, priced at £29.99 (inc VAT), as well as the previously-reported 9602 USB Internet Mini Phone, which is £5 cheaper. But, there again, despite what today's company announcement says, we think that the 9601 has probably been available for at least a couple of months!
Note to USRobotic's Joined-Up-Thinking Department - do PLEASE try just a little harder to keep everyone within your company (and at your external PR agencies) in the loop!
The extra fiver for the 9601 buys a "bright, high-resolution" blue back-lit LCD said to provide "convenient access to contact and call status, and support Skype caller ID". There's no such display on the cheaper model but each newcomer has a keypad that's reckoned to let you use assigned speed-dial numbers to simplify free calls made to Skype contacts or low-cost chargeable calls made to landlines or mobiles.
In addition, both are said to feature "technology enhancements designed to prevent echoes and resolve the 'tunnel' sound that internet calls can generate with 'lower-quality' hardware".
Check out USRobotics' quoted specs for the two phones below but note that we've changed the dimensions of the Mini. That's because the figures given on the company's UK and US sites and in press hand-outs are wrong, despite our alerting the company to this error some weeks back. Our figures for the Mini itself are correct - we believe - though we suspect that the package dimensions and weight quoted below and on on the two sites are wrong.
USR 9601
- £30 Specification and standards – USR 9601
General
* Plug-and-Play for auto installation
* Echo cancellation and noise reduction technology
* Supports full-duplex communication
* Dialed and incoming number memory
* Supports USB 1.1 and 2.0 ports
* USB Powered (no external power supply needed)
* USB Port:
* Plug-and-Play for auto installation
* Echo cancellation and noise reduction technology
* Supports full-duplex communication
* Dialed and incoming number memory
* Supports USB 1.1 and 2.0 ports
* USB Powered (no external power supply needed)
* USB Port:
- A-type interface
- Universal Serial Bus Specification, Revision 1.1
- USB HID spec., Revision 1.1
- Universal Serial Bus Specification, Revision 1.1
- USB HID spec., Revision 1.1
* Graphical LCD Screen:
- Time and date
- Caller ID
- Call states and duration
- Caller ID
- Call states and duration
Handset functionality
* Blue back-lit display
* Echo cancellation, noise reduction
* Dial Skype contacts (Speed Dial)
* Dial SkypeOut numbers using phone keypad
* Place calls on hold and mute calls
* LCD Status Indications: Skype online, Skype offline & missed calls
* Selectable ring tones
Environmental
* Operating/Non-operating humidity: 20~80% / 5~95% (non-condensing)
* Operating/Non-operating temperature: 0~50o / -20~70oC
Physical
* Power:
* Blue back-lit display
* Echo cancellation, noise reduction
* Dial Skype contacts (Speed Dial)
* Dial SkypeOut numbers using phone keypad
* Place calls on hold and mute calls
* LCD Status Indications: Skype online, Skype offline & missed calls
* Selectable ring tones
Environmental
* Operating/Non-operating humidity: 20~80% / 5~95% (non-condensing)
* Operating/Non-operating temperature: 0~50o / -20~70oC
Physical
* Power:
- USB Input Voltage: 5VDC
± 5%
- Max Current: < 190mA
- Max Power: < 950mW
- Max Current: < 190mA
- Max Power: < 950mW
Dimensions/Weight
* USB Phone
* USB Phone
- 15 x 4.45 x 2.03 cm
- 0.2 kg
- 0.2 kg
* Package
- 19.05 x 17.48 x
4.78 cm
- 0.47 kg
- 0.47 kg
Languages
* Retail Box: English
* Installation Guide: English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Turkish
* CD ROM User Guide: Arabic, Czech, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Hungarian, Polish, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish
Package contents
* USRobotics USB Internet Phone
* Quick Installation Guide
* CD-ROM with User Manual & Skype software
Stated minimum system requirements
* 400MHz Pentium 2 IBM compatible PC with 128MB RAM and 5MB free hard disk space (or higher)
* Available USB port or a USB hub with external power supply
* Windows XP/2000
* CD-ROM drive
* Internet Connection (Broadband recommended)
* Skype software (on included CD ROM)
Warranty
* Two-year limited manufacturer warranty from date of purchase
USR
9602 - £25 but no LCDSpecification and standards - USR 9602
General
* HiFi Voice technology
* Plug-and-Play
* Echo cancellation and noise reduction technology
* Supports full-duplex communication
* Supports USB 1.1 and 2.0 ports
* USB Powered (no external power supply needed)
* USB Port:
* HiFi Voice technology
* Plug-and-Play
* Echo cancellation and noise reduction technology
* Supports full-duplex communication
* Supports USB 1.1 and 2.0 ports
* USB Powered (no external power supply needed)
* USB Port:
- Mini-USB type B female
on handset
- Mini-USB type A-to-USB type A cable, 2.5 m
- Universal Serial Bus Specification, Revision 1.1
- USB HID spec., Revision 1.1
- Mini-USB type A-to-USB type A cable, 2.5 m
- Universal Serial Bus Specification, Revision 1.1
- USB HID spec., Revision 1.1
Handset functionality
* Control Skype contact list, history scrolling, utility activations, and tabs switching
* LED Indicator: Off - handset idle, Blinking - Incoming Skype call, Slow Blinking - Handset microphone is muted
* Echo cancellation, noise reduction
* Dial Skype contacts (Speed Dial)
* Dial SkypeOut numbers using phone keypad
* One button call pick-up, hang-up, mute and hold
* Speaker volume adjustment
* Buzzer/Ring tone selection
Environmental
* Operating/Non-operating humidity: 20~80% / 5~95% (non-condensing)
* Operating/Non-operating temperature: 0~50o / -20~70oC
Power
* Voltage 4.5 ~ 5.5V
* Current rating
- Standby : <50mA
- Operation : < 300mA @ full scale 1KHz tone
- Ringing : < 450mA
- Operation : < 300mA @ full scale 1KHz tone
- Ringing : < 450mA
Dimensions/Weight
* USB Internet Mini Phone
- 11.1 x 4.4 x 2.2 cm
- 0.2 kg [or maybe not - Ed]
* Package - 0.2 kg [or maybe not - Ed]
- 19.05 x 17.48 x
4.78 cm [or maybe not -
Ed]
- 0.47 kg [or maybe not - Ed]
- 0.47 kg [or maybe not - Ed]
Package contents
* USRobotics USB Internet Mini Phone & USB Cable
* Quick Installation Guide
* CD-ROM with User Manual & Skype software
Languages
* Retail Box: English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Turkish, Dutch
* Installation Guide: English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Turkish, Dutch
* CD ROM User Guide: Arabic, Czech, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Hungarian, Polish, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish
Stated minimum system requirements
* 400MHz Pentium 2 IBM compatible PC with 128MB RAM and 5MB free hard disk space (or higher)
* Available USB port or a USB hub with external power supply
* Windows XP/2000
* CD-ROM drive
* Internet Connection (Broadband recommended)
* Skype software (on included CD ROM)
Warranty
* Two-year limited manufacturer warranty from date of purchase
USRobotics' press release is on page two and your thoughts are welcome in this thread in the HEXUS.lifestyle.news forum.
HEXUS.links
HEXUS.community :: discussion thread about this articleHEXUS.lifestyle.headlines :: USRobotics intros £25 USB Internet Mini Phone
External.links
USRobotics - UK VoIP phones pageUSRobotics - UK home page
