US Robotics Dual-Purpose USB Skype Phone that lets you use Skype and your normal landline all from a single handset

You may have heard of the US Robotics Dual-Purpose USB Skype Phone that lets you use Skype and your normal landline all from a single handset. It's similar to the Linksys CIT300 Dual-Mode Cordless Phones Skype we reviewed a while back.

To get the feature list out of the way, it uses DECT 6.0, which operates on a wireless frequency that doesn't interfere with WiFi and Bluetooth. It also supports four handsets (I only had one), has a 150 foot indoor and 900 foot outdoor range, speakerphone, caller ID, Skype phonebook, and Windows 2000/XP support.

How do I like it? Only one way to find out.

The short answer is, I really enjoy it. The Cordless Phones Skype is very easy to use, and though some would dock points off the old-school LCD screen, I give it points for its large text that makes it easy for slightly older users to read. Which ties into the other think I like about it, that it's easy enough for your parents to use. Let me explain.

Setting up the USB Skype Phone just consists of installing the included software onto your PC to interface with your Skype install, plugging in the USB base unit, and charging up the handset. The handset and base unit detect each other automatically so there's no setup. Then, you can plug in a landline phone to your base unit to get analog calls as well. Once everything's set up (less than 10 minutes), you can make and receive calls on both Skype and your landline from one receiver—very useful.

So besides the call quality being great and the screen easy to read, we also liked the one-touch Skype contact list button. The buttons are large and give great feedback, and the handset is large enough to not feel uncomfortable in your hand, something we noticed with a few other phones. All in all, the $120 price tag and feature set on this phone makes it a great deal if you're looking for a Cordless Phones Skype that also does analog calling.