Panasonic Announces Arrival of Wi-Fi Phone for Use with Skype
By NEWS RELEASE |
March 5th, 2007
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The world leader in consumer cordless phones, Panasonic Communications Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. , announced today the availability of the Panasonic Wi-Fi phone for use with Skype™, the world’s fastest-growing Internet communications offering.
The KX-WP1050, an easy to install and use Wi-Fi Panasonic product, is one in a series of planned products that are Skype Certified™. This new device uses Wi-Fi access to allow Skype users to make and receive free Skype-to-Skype calls, make inexpensive SkypeOut™ calls to landlines and mobiles worldwide, and receive SkypeIn™ calls from landlines and mobiles. With the included Wi-Fi base unit, the solution is simple to plug in and use, without using a PC.
“With the growing popularity of Skype and the mass availability of broadband in homes, offices and hotels, the KX-WP1050 will be a powerful communications tool for anyone who wants to take advantage of easily accessible and either free or inexpensive Internet calling,” said Mike Timar, national marketing manager, Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company. “This exciting product will enable greater flexibility in communications for both home and business users.”
First and foremost, this product frees Skype users from their PCs, allowing the enjoyment of Internet calling in the home, office or other open Internet access points. Freedom from the PC helps to avoid missing calls from friends and family. The addition of the travel router makes it easy to take the Wi-Fi phone on the road. For example, business travelers can set up a Wi- Fi hotspot in their hotel room, as long as there is an available broadband Internet connection.
Skype-to-Skype calls will always be free. When combined with the new Skype Unlimited calling plan available in the United States and Canada, which allows unlimited calling to landline and mobile phone numbers in these two countries for just $29.95 for one year, the KX-WP1050 can significantly reduce everyday communication costs.
While the complexity of wireless network settings can make this type of product inaccessible to many users, Panasonic has improved the user experience by providing a complete kit, which can be set up and used by virtually anyone, even with little or no computer expertise. The included travel router takes the complexity out of setting up the Wi-Fi access point, and guarantees a secure wireless connection with automatic 256-bit AES encryption setup (WPA). The included leather travel case makes the entire kit easy to carry. The travel router can be plugged into a home, hotel or office network allowing the user to enjoy wireless access from a laptop and the Wi-Fi phone simultaneously with no complicated set up. The unit complies with safety and communications standards for the countries Americans visit most (Canada, England, France, Germany and Japan). The AC adapter is compatible with all voltages from 100V to 240V, so it can be used by simply attaching the AC plug (sold separately) for that country.
This new model offers the range and security of WPA encrypted Wi-Fi technology, as well as Quality of Service (QoS) to improve voice quality. It features easy menu-driven operation, and a loud handset speakerphone, as well as a built-in headset jack for those long international calls. At just 0.62″ thick and weighing less than 4 ounces, the phone is convenient and easy to carry. The 730mAh Lithium-ion battery can provide up to a 55 hours standby time, and 4.5 hours talk time, and can be charged with the included travel router, or from a USB connection on a PC.
Skype features accessible by this phone include:
- Free Skype-to-Skype calling - with Skype, you can talk to any of the more than 171 million registered Skype users over the Internet for free.
- Online Presence - see at a glance which of your Skype contacts is available for a chat, and allow others to see your status as well.
- SkypeOut - an inexpensive way to call from Skype to traditional landlines or mobiles.
- SkypeIn - a premium Skype product which provides a number people can call that users answer in Skype.
- Skype Voicemail - takes your calls when you are busy or offline.
- Skype Call Forwarding - can be set right from the Panasonic phone.
- Skype Conference Calls - the Panasonic KX-WP1050 can be added to Skype conference calls.
The KX-WP1050 Panasonic Wi-Fi Phone joins the growing family of Panasonic Voice over IP (VoIP) products, including the recently launched Panasonic KX- TGA575S. The KX-TGA575S USB adaptor is an optional accessory for Panasonic 5.8GHz Digital Expandable Cordless Systems KX-TG5761S, KX-TG5771S, and KX- TG5776S. Using the adaptor with these systems means the user doesn’t have to be in front of a computer. The user’s Skype contacts and call log are available on any of the cordless handsets in the system.
The KX-WP1050 is available at the Panasonic online store and other
internet retailers with a $399 MSRP. It will also be available in the Skype
U.S. Web store at skype.com/shop. Go to
http://panasonic.co.jp/pcc/products/en/wifiphone/.
Access to a broadband Internet connection is required for Skype and all Skype Certified devices and accessories. Similarly to Skype running on your PC, Skype in the Wi-Fi phone is not a replacement for your traditional telephone service and cannot be used for emergency calling.
About Panasonic Communications Co., Ltd. (PCC)
Panasonic Communications Co., Ltd. is a wholly owned subsidiary of
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. The company specializes in
development, manufacturing and sales in the fixed-line communications
equipment areas of operation, including document related equipment and the
provision of network and system services and solutions. For more
information, please visit the Panasonic Communications Web site at
http://panasonic.co.jp/pcc/en/.
About Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company
Based in Secaucus, N.J., Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company is a
division of Panasonic Corporation of North America, the principal North
American subsidiary of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd. (NYSE: MC)
and the hub of Panasonic’s U.S. marketing, sales, service and R&D
operations. Information about Panasonic and its products is available at
www.panasonic.com.
April 27th, 2007 at 4:02 pm
I have been looking for a Skype phone for my home. This one is great but Panasonic needs to fix a few things. First, they should sell the handset separately as an option (something like $99 or less). I have an Apple Airport Base Station and I do not need theirs. Even if I did, I still want to have multiple phones for my several Skype accounts and buying the whole package several times is too expensive. They would sell thousands of handsets if they sold them separately, because this is a great phone. Second, they need to offer a charging cradle/dock. The battery life is very short and it is a hassle to have to hook up the handset to the base station or some computer through USB every other day. Third, they should upgrade the software on the phone so that you can have a list of identities and easily flip between them to check/enable your various accounts. You should also be able to set each identity individually so that no password need be reentered every time you switch to that identity. Overall, a very nice phone but be mindful of the limitations described above, especially as pertains to the charging cradle. I will be waiting for the second iteration before I buy another one. Panasonic, are you listening (there is zero possibility of customer interaction on your black box site)?