VoIP has become extremely popular and many companies out there are trying to take advantage of the increasing need by the consumer for VoIP related products. USBGeek sent me over a very cool and stylish VoIP phone from Apiotek for review. I’ve got a couple other Skype, VoIP phones that I found were pretty good overall, but the one I have for review today is just excellent overall. It sounds great, is very functional and stylish. The Apiotek USB Skype/VoIP phone is very thin, only 7.5mm thick and actually made of metal. The sound quality is excellent, and overall it’s the best VoIP phone I’ve had in my hands to date…
APIOTEK USB SkyPhone Stylish Metal VoIP from USBGeek
Reviewed by: Kristofer Brozio AkA Dracos
Sponsor: USBGeek
Tech Specs,Features or the Basic Info:
APIOTEK USB SkyPhone Stylish Metal VoIP from USBGeek
Ultra Slim Design VoIP Phone for Skype / MSN / Yahoo Messenger …
Features:
STYLISH Metal Mobile Phone Design
Ultra Slim Design – Only 7.5mm
Compatible with Skype
Supports MSN/Yahoo Messenger…
Compatible with USB 2.0/1.1
Display LED function
Supports Record Function(PC/Windows Only)
Supports Windows 98, 2000, ME, XP and VISTA ready
Supports Mac 8.6, 9.x, 10.1.2, and above
Dimension: 7.5 x 36.5 x 123(mm)
Weight: 69gm
Package includes:
APIOTEK USB SkyPhone
USB cable
User guide
USB phone utility CD
Price: US$ 39.00
Find Skype Phones at ShopZilla!
A Better Look at Things
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The packaging for the Apiotek SkyPhone is bright and very professionally done. On the front we have a nice picture of the phone itself, while the sides and back have specs and more pictures of the phone.
Unpacking everything we find the phone itself inside of protective plastic bag, user manual, software/driver disc and a USB cable.
The Apiotek SkyPhone can control most functions of Skype or other VoIP service using the various buttons on the phone. There are two LEDs at the top of the phone, one green on the left to indicate power which blinks to indicate recording, and a red one on the right to indicate mute. Of course on the top is where the speaker is and the bottom is where the microphone is located.
The keypad is your standard numeric keypad, the buttons themselves are the soft touch type, or bubble type of button.
On the top portion of the phone are the main VoIP controls. On the top is the Skype symbol to launch Skype or maximize it if it is minimized, across from that is the mute button. Below those buttons are the standard phone pictures, to make a call, pick up an incoming call or hang up, between those are up and down buttons for navigating contacts or menus. Underneath are the phone icons are the volume control buttons, left side is volume up, right side is volume down. Beneath the volume controls, on the left side is a plus ‘+’ symbol with the word ‘out’ under it, this is for Skypeout calling. To the left of that is the record button, press once to start recording your conservation and again to stop, conversations are recorded in .WAV files, and lastly is the back or clear button.
The base shell of the Apiotek SkyPhone is metal, a very shiny metal that can double as a mirror. On the bottom edge of the phone is where the mini-USB port is located to connect the SkyPhone to your computer.
Here’s a picture I took for comparison purposes, you can see the SkyPhone is a hair thinner than a standard USB connection, the plastic part not the metal part…
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Installation, Testing and Comparison
For installation you’ll have to use the driver/software disc in Windows XP, for Windows Vista you have to go and download the drivers from the Apiotek site. Yes it works great with Vista as well, had to change the sound settings a bit but it worked fine, with Windows XP it was automatically set in Skype to enable usage of the Apiotek SkyPhone.
Once installed the software adds a small icon in your task bar next to the Skype icon, you can right click on it to pull up a very small menu, with options to change the volume of the speaker, microphone and a check box for mute. There are is also a menu option called ‘about’ which tells you about the software/driver version you are using, and of course an exit button to close the utility.
Here’s a picture to show you the LEDs both on, the green is to indicate power and the red one means the microphone is muted.
And here’s another picture to show you the bottom a bit better, I used my little skull thumbscrew to show you the reflection. Hey it could double as a mirror!
As far as the phone itself it is very easy to install and configure, actually Skype with Windows XP was configured when it started, but Skype with Vista needed to be tweaked in the sound settings to change everything over to using a USB audio device, very easy not really any problems.
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The sound quality was excellent overall from the Apiotek SkyPhone, it is actually very loud and clear, it is so loud on its highest volume setting it could be used as a speaker phone. Amazingly even with the volume turned all the way up there was really no sound distortions like you would get with other phone of this type. I can say that there was a tiny bit a ‘tinny’ quality to the sound but not so much to take away from the overall quality. From the people I spoke with the microphone worked great, they heard everything I said clearly even with the phone a bit away from me.
The first drawback I can mention about this phone is the short cord, it’s a bit to small to be very useful actually, a longer one would be very nice to have. It’s fine if you have your computer on your desk as I do, but if it’s under the desk don’t expect to use this phone without some sort of USB extension cable.
The second problem was the lack of a case, more of a personal thing, but being shiny metal that it is, it easily picks up fingerprints and dust, and I really wouldn’t want to just toss it in my bag for traveling without some sort of protection.
That’s really it for the problems I found, the pros outweigh the cons, overall it’s a great phone and I will be using it often.
Find Skype Phones at ShopZilla!
Summary:
I have to say that this is the best VoIP Phone I’ve ever had the chance to review, the sound is excellent, as is the craftsmanship and overall design. If you’re looking for a stylish, quality phone for all your VoIP needs then look no further because this is it!
DIGG IT!DragonSteelMods gives the APIOTEK USB SkyPhone Stylish Metal VoIP from USBGeek a 4.5 out of 5 score and our Editor’s Choice Award as well.
Pros:
-Coolness factor is way high
-Sound great
-Nice and loud
-Very easy to use and configure
-Small and elegant
Cons:
-Cord is a bit too short
-No carrying case, picks up smudges and fingerprints easily
I would like to thank USBGeek for the chance to review the APIOTEK USB SkyPhone and for their continued support of DSM.