You have probably heard about Skype – the program that allows you to make low-cost telephone calls over the internet. The latest version of Skype now supports video as well as audio calls. This means that it’s possible to see the people that you’re talking to.

To make full use of these new video features Gizoo has launched the USB Videophone, which is designed specifically for use with Skype.

The Videophone looks just like an ordinary telephone, but it also has two USB connectors tucked away on its back panel. You use one connector to link the Videophone to a USB port on your PC, while the second connector is used to plug in the webcam that is supplied.

Plugging in the Videophone and webcam is straightforward enough, although we hit a snag when trying to install the Videophone software. The manual is poorly written and simply tells you to install the driver software without clearly explaining how to do this. As a result, we had to look around on the software CD to find the driver ourselves. Less experienced users might stumble at this point, so the manual really needs to be improved here.

Once past that little hurdle the Videophone worked well. As soon as you pick up the handset it automatically launches Skype on your PC, and there’s a button on the phone that opens your contacts list that so you can make calls to other Skype users straight away.

The webcam attached to the Videophone will transmit your image to the person that you’re talking to and – if they’ve got a webcam as well – you will see their video image in the Skype window on your computer monitor. Image quality was acceptable but the lo-res webcam means a maximum of 320 x 240 pixels. Of course, the speed of your internet connection will also have an impact on image quality.

If you’ve already got a webcam and microphone for your PC then you don’t really need the Videophone. For those that don't, it a good way to try out Skype’s full range of internet chat features.

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SMC WSKP100
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Netgear SPH101
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Linksys Cordless Internet Telephony Kit
An ergonomic VoIP handset with excellent call clarity, but it's expensive

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