Skype continues to expand its grip on the Internet voice telephony marketplace by providing technical specs that describe how to build a phone with Skype software built in. MSNBC has an article that describes a whole slew of new Skype phones. The new handsets untether Skype calls from a computer handset.
The new gadgets include a phone that works like a conventional cordless phone (so you can receive calls in other parts of the home or office, away from the computer), a phone that lets you switch between conventional POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) calls and Skype calls, and a completely self-contained Skype phone that works wherever WiFi service is available (no computer needed at all).
As our options expand, the complexity of our communications systems expands as well. But these phones are a step in the right direction.