The gun-metal grey or blue Polycom Communicator allows you to hold hands-free phone conversations over the internet using Skype.

Another in the growing army of Skype-certified products, the Communicator also doubles as a set of basic speakers, with good enough sound quality for listening to music in a hotel room or the office, but not for everyday use.

The Communicator is only 13cm long, about as thick as a pack of cards, and is lighter than it looks, making it good for travel. It feels solid and sturdy, despite its weight.

Setup is pretty easy, although it took us two attempts. The first time, it had appeared to load correctly, but none of the device’s buttons would work. A second installation attempt solved that.

You need to have Skype and, although easy enough to download from the internet, it also comes on the installation disc.

It connects via USB, and the Skype button on the device will fire up the software, and you can use the call button to initiate a phone call, be it a free one to another Skype contact, or via Skype-Out.

The button also answers and ends calls, but sadly you can’t scroll down your contacts list using the Communicator, so would need to use your mouse instead.

Also within its centre circle of buttons is volume and mute.

Call clarity was excellent at both ends of the conversation. There was slight delay, but it was not long enough to be annoying.

And, should you want the call to be private, headphones can be plugged in.