Skype has teamed with a number of hardware partners to bring WiFi Skype phones to market. The handsets enable wireless, PC-less Skype calls using business, home or free public WLAN access points.

Photo: Belkin WiFi Phone for Skype Photo 1

With Skype software pre-loaded, the WiFi phones have a user interface similar to Skype on a computer. Consumers can make calls from open access points anywhere in the world at no cost or to traditional landlines and mobile phones at very low rates.

The devices come with everything built-in to connect to Skype via personal, business, or free public WiFi access point that does not require browser authentication, and automatically synchronization to a Skype account and contacts. The devices support common WiFi encryption protocols including WEP, WPA, and WPA2 with PSK support.

The four WiFi phones announced today are the Belkin WiFi Phone for Skype (F1PP000GN-SK), Edge-Core WiFi Phone for Skype (WM4201), NETGEAR WiFi Phone for Skype (SPH101), and SMC WiFi Phone for Skype (WSKP100). The new Skype Certified WiFi phones will all be available this quarter, and will be sold directly from Skype online. Prices range from $189 to $300.

Skype offers free calling to any user in the world who is connected to a computer or a Skype WiFi phone, with an additional fee required to talk to landline phones or mobile phones. In May, Skype announced that any calls within the U.S. and Canada, to any kind of phone, would be free.

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