Netgear, Skype Begin Pre-Orders for Phone

Netgear and Skype earlier this week announced pricing and pre-order information for their upcoming VoIP WiFi phone. The new Netgear Skype WiFi Phone SPH101 is priced at $249.99 and should be available sometime in June or July.

The Netgear Skype WiFi Phone SPH101, said the two companies, is a “Skye Certified” device which lets users make unlimited free domestic and international calls to other Skype users worldwide when near a WiFi hotspot. The phone, which will work with any secured or open access wireless network which doesn’t require browser-based authentication, comes pre-loaded with Skype software. Other features include an on-screen color menu which shows saved Skype contacts and their online availability, the ability to receive calls from other Skype users and the ability to make non-Skype calls to standard phones for a per minute rate.

As an incentive for pre-orders, Skype and Netgear are offering users 30 free minutes of non-Skype calls and 30 free days of Skype voicemail.

“We are pleased to announce pre-order availability of Netgear’s Skype WiFi phone to those who have been anxiously awaiting the product launch since we unveiled a prototype at the Consumer Electronics Show,” said Patrick Lo, Netgear’s chairman and chief executive officer, in a statement. “Our phone combines Netgear’s innovative wireless networking technology with the simplicity of the Skype experience, while freeing users from the PC.”