|
IPEVO FREE.2 USB Handset for SKYPE with LCD Screen (Black) |  | Brand: Ipevo
Category: CE
List Price: $59.99
Buy New: $34.49
as of 9/5/2010 16:05 EDT details
You Save: $25.50 (43%)
New (5) from $34.49
Seller: CE Compass
Rating:  10 reviews
Color: Black
Media: Accessory
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 6.5 x 1 x 1.5
MPN: FREE.2
Model: IV-USBHAND-LCD-BK
EAN: 4712098411328
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
| |
| Features:
| • | Great sound quality and user-friendly controls | | • | Minimum System Requirements - | | • | 40MB free hard disk space | | • | With USB port | | • | CD-ROM drive |
|
| Similar Items:
| |
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
FREE.2 provides the same exceptional sound quality and user-friendly controls, with the addition of a back-lit LCD display that brings Skype caller id and contact list right to the palm of your hand. Built-in recording capabilities let users record Skype conversations at a touch of a button.The functions and buttons on the FREE.2 are tailor-made for the Skype experience. A back-lit LCD display brings your Skype contact list, caller ID, and call history in the palm of your hand. A toggle let you effortlessly scroll through your contact list. Or simply press the "+" key to initiate a SkypeOut call, and use the number pad to dial out just like a regular telephone.Engineered and optimized for Skype, FREE.2 delivers exceptional call quality with 16K sampling rate for Skype-to-Skype calls, and 8K sampling rate for calls to landlines. The unique "hollow" mouthpiece design minimizes the annoying echo effect. Package Contents - Fr-33.2 Skype usb handset with lCD,cradle, Quick Start Guide, Installation CD with API driver, Recording software freeREC, Link to Skype software, User Manual,Link to IPEVO website
|
| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 10
 IPEVO has created the Standard for Skype USB phones July 25, 2010
Marco Garcia (San Carlos, Mexico)
This has definitely been one of the smarter purchases I have made in the last few years. After 1 1/2 years, it works like a charm and is highly durable. You'll love it so much, I'm sure you'll want to give some away for gifts.
Great product for the money September 6, 2009
Rachelle M. Mcgrew (Maine)
My Husband works overseas, so I purchased a phone for both of us to use with Skype. I was amazed for the price, how good the sound quality is. We are both very satisfied with the product and highly recommend it to someone who is looking for a good USB phone, but is not wanting to spend a lot of money.
Not perfect, but great call quality & unbeatable for the price January 3, 2009
Navin R. Mahabir (Ashland, OR)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
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.
Does the job November 24, 2008
D. Ly
I've had the Fr33.2 for about a month. I use it for calling my family in Canada. The call qualities great and it looks like a phone so it just feels natural. The shortcut keys are great for bringing up the Skype program. No more searching and clicking for me. A+++ product.
 Small, stylish, and does what a normal phone does and more October 2, 2008
George Rausch (Los Angeles, CA USA)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I've been using the IPEVO FREE.2 on a PC now for two days straight. I use it with the SkypeOut unlimited plan to make phone calls.
Reactions from callers have been:
Did you get a new phone, because this one sounds so clear...
Wait, you have a handset to make calls from your computer...
The phone is much smaller than you expect. Think of it as about just a little longer than a king-size Snickers bar. It is very light, but it really gets the job done and looks good too. It comes with a nifty weighted stand so the phone can sit upright at your desk.
I want to clear up some of the biggest questions about this phone that I did not understand before I bought it:
1) You need to be at computer that has Skype running at the same time you're using the phone. The phone channels Skype through it. There is no way to use this at any random computer without installing Skype.
2) You need to install special drivers for the phone before you can use it. Necessary, yes. But sadly, those drivers are on a CD and NOT embedded on the phone. Maybe in the next generation.
3) You cannot delete voicemail from the phone. You cannot add contacts from the phone. All of this must be done from the Skype software. Not a real deal breaker because you ARE sitting at your computer.
So why even bother getting this phone? Well, it functions as a very clear headset, feels like an olde school phone, lets you answer calls, look through your contacts and retrieve voicemail without having to open the Skype window, and finally, it rings independently of the software, so when you answer it, it is like answering a real phone.
Downsides: as I mentioned before, the drivers aren't embedded on this phone which is lame if you have to quickly install it on a new computer. Second, you can't increase the ringer volume on the phone. Seriously, it needs a boost.
Honestly, it gets the job done and it is more functional that headsets that don't even have the ability to function independently from Skype. It is worth its price and you'll be very pleased with your purchase. I will be using this on my Mac very soon and am sure that it will work just as well.
UPDATE:
So, I've been using the phone for three weeks solid. It works really great. There are only minor--I don't know how to put it--differences in how the software on a PC works versus the Mac. I'll say that I prefer the experience with this product on the PC better, but it works very well on the Mac. The two downsides that I've found so far are that when you dial numbers, you don't get the classic "tone" sound for each digit. See... it's not that serious. Second, if you're Mac goes to sleep, when it comes back the IPEVO will not be recognized. You'll need to unplug and re-plug the USB cable. Easy! You see, I didn't test the sleep mode on my PC because... well, Windows doesn't like Sleep mode very much.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 10
|
|
|
|
CERTAIN CONTENT THAT APPEARS ON THIS SITE COMES FROM AMAZON SERVICES LLC. THIS CONTENT IS PROVIDED ‘AS IS’ AND IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE OR REMOVAL AT ANY TIME. Powered by VOIPDays.com
In Association with Amazon.com | |
