Belgian retailer Topcom.net pitched their Webt@lker 5000 desktop phone.

Embedded Skype. Plugs into your Ethernet connection. 3.4 inch color display. Handsfree speaker/microphone. Echo cancellation for the handset. Skype Certified (although there is no Skype

web page listing officially certified products for confirmation.) Coming to some markets in April 2007, followed by a wi-fi expansion kit in Q2.

Belgian retailer Topcom.net pitched their Webt@lker 5000 desktop phone.

Embedded Skype. Plugs into your Ethernet connection. 3.4 inch color display. Handsfree speaker/microphone. Echo cancellation for the handset. Skype Certified (although there is no Skype web page listing officially certified products for confirmation.) Coming to some markets in April 2007, followed by a wi-fi expansion kit in Q2.

Like most of these desktop units, the software is all Skype. So they compete on fashion, price, physical design, packaging, convenience, reliability, and distribution. I haven’t tested one yet, but it looks very easy to set up and use.

Can you compare Skype desktop phones to other desktop phones? Common, simple tasks are hard or impossible to do with the Skype phones:

Multiple lines Transferring a call One button redial Intercom On-The-Phone status shared within an office Speed dial buttons

Some common Skype tasks (like presence controls or directory search) aren’t showing up in hardware. And touch-screens might be a natural for a desktop phone.