Skype unveils home phone

Internet protocol (VOIP) giant Skype is building an adapter that transforms a wired or cordless landline phone into a broadband Internet connection, reports Fudzilla.

PC Mag explains the home phone adapter, called FreeTalk ConnectMe Home Phone Adapter, connects an ordinary telephone handset to a router that enables the user to make and receive Skype phone calls almost as if they were using a traditional landline phone.

The adapter release means Skype has crossed categories and is now also a fully residential VOIP service, says About.com.

This means that users can use Skype at home as a replacement for a PSTN phone service without being tied to a computer or mobile device to make VOIP calls.

“Our mission is to make Skype available everywhere so consumers can enjoy conversations whenever and wherever they are,” says Neil Stevens, Skype's VP and GM for product and marketing, in a Cnet report.

Skype notes that the home phone adapter is not a replacement for a landline and that emergency 911 calls are not available via Skype.