Ipevo Free 2 Black (with LCD Display) - Skype Certified USB VOIP Internet IP Phone
by Ipevo
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Customers in the UK,
buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Photo Product Details
Manufacturer: IpevoModel: FREE.2
Color: Black
Product features:
- Make Skype calls easier and more intuitive
- Excellent sound quality with echo cancellation
- Numeric keypad with Skype-specific hotkeys
- LCD display with white backlight
- Recording button for one-touch recording (only for Windows)
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Ipevo Free 2 Black (with LCD Display) - Skype Certified USB VOIP Internet IP Phone
Customer Review: Not perfect, but great call quality & unbeatable for the price
Summary: 5 Stars
A few months ago, as my business and personal contacts shifted abroad, I became -- and have remained -- a heavy Skype user. I use Skype as my primary phone in many ways, but I don't really use it for video. I have an Apple laptop and have been really satisfied with the call quality provided by the built in microphone. But it has become a bit of a drag to angle myself at just the right position so that the mic pics everything up clearly -- thus I started to look for Mac-compatible USB phones. Why USB? Well, mainly because USB audio transmission is cleaner (i.e., less noise, hiss or buzz) than audio ports. It's a difference I've seen repeatedly while making audio recordings. Some of you may be considering audio headsets that plug into the microphone and headphone port. Really the question you should be asking is whether you want the IPEVO with the screen or without. At this price, nothing else is going to give you this call quality.
I chose the model with the screen for one main reason: it allows two-way recording. Having used it now for a bit, I'm glad that I got the screen model because it allows me to navigate voicemail faster than doing it on the computer. I still find, however, that navigating contacts is faster on the computer -- I'll say more about that later.
The phone is lightweight but well built. The keys feel solid and have a definite click. The phone is long enough that if you need to hold it between your head and shoulder, you can do so without obstructing the microphone (the cheek fat issue) and either cutting off sound or creating a lot of extra noise. The LCD screen is backlight but the keys are not. I really wish the keys were backlit. The LCD will turn itself off after a little bit, just like a cell phone, but you cannot adjust how long it stays on.
One of the great things about the phone is that you can access your contact list from the device. The downside is that if you have a few hundred contacts like I do, it's not so quick to navigate through them. I find it easier to use the computer to do that, and here is the main reason why: The number of characters of a contact name that is displayed on the screen seems almost arbitrary. For example, if you have contacts John Smith and Patty Smith, you might see "Patty Smit" (the readout only shows 10 non-scrolling characters) but only "John". This becomes an issue if your SkypeOut contact list has, e.g., "John Smith (cell)", "John Smith (work)", and "John Smith (home)". There's no way to know which is which unless you've memorized the order in your contact list. Even if you have memorized the order, the screen doesn't "blip" to let you know that you're moving from one John to another, but there is a key beep.
I gave the phone five stars because of the quality of the sound. For the above contact list issue I would have taken off half a star, but the truth is it's not that big a deal when what really matters is how you sound to others -- and in my experience that is clear as the best cell phone or land line. If you're looking to save money, get the model without the screen, use the computer to navigate, and just enjoy the clarity of your calls.
In order to use the phone you have to install the "IPEVO Control Center". Actually, it's possible that you might not need to install the software to just use the phone as a microphone or speaker, but you will need to install it in order for Skype to recognize it as a control device and exchange contact info, etc. I don't know how it is on PCs, but on a Mac there is a little finickiness. The bottom line is this: Skype doesn't like it if you unplug and replug the phone several times. It'll probably crash after two three unplugs. The secret to preventing that seems to be to quit Skype then unplug the phone. If you then relaunch Skype and then replug the phone, you have to make sure that the IPEVO Control Center is running, otherwise the phone will just show a blank screen and you won't have any of the advanced functionality (it will, however, still work as a speaker/mic).
One great thing about the Control Center is that it allows you to turn the gain up on the mic during a conversation. That way, if you're ever talking to someone who says they can't hear you, you can just turn up the audio input level on the fly instead of talking more loudly -- I find that the default level right in the middle works really well. If you go too high, there is a bit of a buzz/hiss that's generated.
The phone has a built in ringer with ten rings. None of them are particularly great and they are all too quiet. Chances are if you leave the room the phone is in, you won't hear it ring.
Description of Ipevo Free 2 Black (with LCD Display) - Skype Certified USB VOIP Internet IP Phone
IPEVO free.2 is a USB handset for Skype with the operational familiarity of the telephone. Free.2 translates the Skype interface into simple keypad and toggle operations. Derived from the less-gives-more concept of Skype, the opening on the mouthpiece is an anti-echo design, a unique form experience that also invites play through hooking, hanging or rocking. Backlit LCD display allows total integration of the Skype application in the palm of your hand. Benefits * Make Skype calls easier and more intuitive * Excellent sound quality with echo cancellation * Numeric keypad with Skype-specific hotkeys * Toggle-scroll for easy contact list searches * LCD display with white backlight * Easy dialing without watching the computer screen * Easy dialing of Skype-Out numbers * Recording button for one-touch recording (only for Windows) * Free recording software * Slim and compact for comfortable grip and portability * Available in black or white * PC and Mac compatibleDigital Cameras and Photo Categories