Product Description

Dualphone 3088 Finally a cordless Skype phone that does not require a PC. Just connect the DUALphone base station to your broadband connection, and then you can talk free of charge with your Skype friends or call other landline numbers worldwide or as usual via your regular landline operator. The phone has superior Skype optimised sound quality and uses DECT cordless technology to achieve a (claimed) range of up to 300 metres outside or up to 50m indoors. It is easy to install, easy to use and can even be a mini conference phone. The popular Skype user interface and the attractive large colour lcd display gives you tomorrow's telephone today and for the future, because it is easy and simple to download new software directly from the phone.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #15950 in Consumer Electronics

Customer Reviews

Works well, very well for a first generation phone
Normally the first generation of a product is a disappointment, but the 3088 is not.

The phone is a nice enough phone if you are used to DECT cordless handsets, installation is a doddle, just plug the ethernet cable into your broadband connection (you will need some sort of router if you don't already have one, and want to use your computer at the same time).

It logs onto Skype, you see your contacts and away you go. There's even a voucher for 30 minutes of Skype out calls so you can call landlines as well.

Skype are running a promotion at the moment that gives you six months of free calls to UK landlines if you buy £10 of Skype credit, so that's pretty good.

I have a SkypeIn number, so this phone now is my central London office! - voicemail works just fine as well when I can't get to the phone (or don't want to).

All in all, a great little handset, no major quirks, nice colour LCD display, and it will work on your landline like a normal cordless telephone as well.

Can't fault it
This review is based on over 6 months use.

Was a bit unsure about these first generation Skype phones but for me this product has, and continues to be, exactly what we are looking for. I can't fault it. That said, one would always like to pay less but I did expect to pay a bit more for a first generation device.

My girlfriend and I are seasoned Skype users (SkypeIn and SkypeOut). We regularly ring UK to NZ, Australia and Ireland (PC, landlines and mobiles) - on a daily basis. The Skype calls seldom have any problems (the echoing and lag can be call dependent but is now generally very good to exceptional). This device only makes the process simpler and easier for us (no booting the laptop and putting on the headset first thing in the morning - we can call from any room, bed, etc).

The sound quality of this device is also great (I was concerned about the volume mentioned in some other reviews). As an example I can ring and talk clearly to my 86 year old grandmother in NZ on this phone using SkypeOut and the sound volume and clarity is great/excellent. The errors are ours.

In our flat (not huge) the wireless range is good (no problems in any room). It's a simple plug-n-play into your router and away you go (< 5 mins setup). Login and away you go. More complicated Skype functions I perform on the PC (just easier), that said the UI on the phone is simply and easy to get used to - though I do always forget which button does what (left v right). Once of the buttons flashes blue when you miss a call - great and easy to see from a distance. The screen is pretty good too - it's is cute to see the users graphic when they ring, etc.

A side effect of having a dedicated Skype phone (with decent broadband bw) is that we have freed up our laptop and can make simultaneous Skype calls. My girlfriend on the Skype phone, me on my Nokia n800 or laptop, etc. If required we can still video conference on the laptop.

The charge time on the phone is good - no hindrance. Every now and again we have to leave it on the cradle overnight. We try and leave it off the cradle to properly power cycle the batter. The battery indicator is clear to see when charge is low.

Great product... just the one thing missing though!!
I was suprised at how simple this was to install and use... it practically demanded to be set-up as soon as it was plugged in. Both the landline and skype functionality were set-up in seconds and the call clarity is good (although I haven't used it that much yet, so it could be too early to tell). The only disappointing thing... and something that DualPhone do not mention... is whilst there is an answerphone service (through Skype), there isn't any answerphone functionality within the DualPhone itself. Therefore any landline calls will not be given the option of leaving a message.