A new cordless VOIP (voice over IP) handset using a PC running Skype as its base station will reach stores next week.
According to Linksys, the CIT200 allows users to make VOIP phone calls as easily as todays cordless handsets make conventional landline calls.
The device uses DECT wireless, which Linksys says eliminates interference with 2.4GHz cordless phones and other networking devices.
The CIT200 Internet Telephony Kit includes a handset, a charger and a USB base station that plugs into a computers USB port.
The handset can read and display callers Skype contact list on its built-in illuminated display, letting callers know which of their Skype contacts are online and ready to be called, Linksys says.
The handset also supports SkypeOut, SkypeIn and Skype Voicemail—Skypes premium services that let callers make and receive calls to conventional landline phones and cell phones—and can send and receive messages up to 10 minutes long, according to Linksys.