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The Vonage V-Phone - Small and instant VOIP calls
2006-11-29
In the box is the USB key itself, some white Ipod-looking earbuds with inline microphone and a keyring adapter.
The device is literally plug and play, after inserting the device into a USB port the Vonage software loads; it automatically logs in using the stored credentials (assigned and listed on the box) then presents you with the main dialer. Even the most un-technical of users should be able to use the software within minutes as there isn’t really anywhere you can go wrong during this process; within 20 seconds of the device being plugged in I performed a test call which worked as expected.
The software is fairly basic with clear menus at the top for contacts, the main keypad for dialing and call history. Just to to right of this are help and voicemail options. There is a settings option at the bottom where you can specify a few options:
- Automatically accept incoming calls
- Ignore all incoming calls (do not disturb mode)
- Block Caller ID delivery
We turned on auto accept incoming calls and dialled our assigned 0203 phone number externally, incoming calls again worked as expected out of the box with no extra configuration. The sound quality was clear enough with no background or hiss and minimal echo. The test was done on a reasonably satured 4meg line during peak hours and during some lengthy calls there were only small glitches, presumably where the odd packet was lost.
Storing contacts was also easy with a simple wizard prompting for name & number, these are stored on the device so come (and go) with you.
More configuration is available online at the Vonage site, where you can see recent received and dialled calls (duration / cost etc), listen to voicemail and configure diversion options.
Pros
Small & nice looking device
No installation - Self contained software autoloaded from USB
Zero configuration - Your gran could use it
Cons
Only for Windows, tough luck to the Linux & Apple fanboys out there (although Vonage do offer a softphone for Mac here)
Possible Issue
If you were thinking of using this in work or on tightly controlled networks this may not work. I locked down all outgoing ports except for DNS and HTTP, the software could resolve the proxy it registers with but couldnt actually register and connect. This isn’t specific to the V-phone and obviously effects similar VOIP/SIP type products, but I thought it was worth a mention since the product says ‘calls from any PC’.
Costs
£ 19.99 for the device itself (includes first month free)
£ 7.99 for Unlimited UK 01x & 02x landline numbers per month.
Summary
Overall I think the product is a good one, by the time you knock off the cost of the first free month the device doesn’t cost much more than a tenner. The sound quality was more than adequate; coupled with the ease of use and unmetered 01x calls it should appeal to both the novice user and those who require a little more functionality like voicemail with email notification etc.
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