Bluetooth Phone for Skype / VoIP Review

Today we introduce our first review of a VoIP phone that can be used with Skype, MSN, Yahoo and Google Talk. This phone (model WH100) is manufactured by the TGE Group out of Shenzhen, China. As more and more people start using VoIP services such as Skype for their day to day communication, the market for devices that feel like regular phones is sure to increase. Add in bluetooth and you’ve essentially duplicated the feeling of a cordless phone, but with the low cost afforded by VoIP.

The WH100 comes with professional retail packaging that is suitable for resale in western markets. The contents are visible through the front of the box allowing the phone and the included USB Bluetooth connector to be seen. The product is marked FC/CE compliant.

The phone itself is stylish, with grey plastic and a black bevel. The phone feels solidly built with regards to fit and finish but the quality of the plastic could better. The buttons are easy to access and the navigation control falls in a natural position.

Recharging as well as system connection is done using the standard mini-USB port on the bottom of the phone.

We were pleasantly surprised at how well the installation process went. After placing the CD into the drive on our Windows XP Professional laptop, we plugged in the included USB bluetooth adapter. We are told that if your system already has bluetooth, you don’t need this adapter but we did not verify all functionality. Once plugged in, Windows recognizes the device and the familiar ‘Found New Hardware’ balloon is displayed. Without even pointing to the driver, we received the message that our new hardware was ready to use.

Once the bluetooth is installed, we selected the “Pairing” button on the phone and the screen displayed “Bluetooth is connecting. Please wait.”

Within a few seconds Windows popped up a message informing us that a bluetooth device was trying to connect. Clicking on the balloon authorized this connection.

Once all this setup was complete, we were keen to try the phone with Skype! With Skype opened, I clicked the “call” button on the phone and received a message on the laptop screen from Skype, informing me that a device was trying to connect.

After authorization, all my contacts came up on the phone screen, indicating also whether they were on or offline.

The screen quality is good but there are a few issues to note:

1. The text comes very close to the edges of the phone screen, making it a bit hard to read.
2. The screen is black and white and so the only way to distinguish between an online person and an offline person is a little X or + mark.
3. There is no way to only view online contacts so if you have a long contact list, it’s a bit difficult to navigate.

We often use SkypeOut to call landline phones and I was pleasantly impressed that dialing +1 and then a number did in fact execute a SkypeOut call. Overall the phone quality was decent. There did appear to be a bit of a “hum” in the background, which the manufacturer says should not be there. I cannot confirm whether it was an issue with the phone itself or with our connection, but it’s something to test yourself further with a sample if you’re interested in selling these types of products, whether from this manufacturer or another. The advertised range is 30 feet, but I think about 15 feet is more reasonable based on our experience.

Overall this is a good entry into the Skype phone market. It isn’t the highest end one but if you’re looking to import phones, TGE Group is worth talking with. Our contact there is Kevin Zhang and he can be reached at Email image created with safemail.justlikeed.net . You’re welcome to also contact us for more information or assistance through our Contact Us link!