Actiontec launches Skype-based VoIP phone adapter
Actiontec Internet Phone Wizard
The product: Actiontec's new Internet Phone Wizard lets you use your home phone to make local and long-distance domestic and international calls free. The unit connects your phone to your broadband connection and is about the size of a paperback book. Once it's connected, you can use your phone to make both regular calls and VoIP calls over the Skype network. There are no monthly subscription fees, and the Skype service allows you to call anyone who has installed Skype's free software, regardless of whether they are in Toledo or Timbuktu. Actiontec's Internet Phone Wizard essentially gives you a second phone line free; if one person in your household is making a call through your regular phone service, a second person can make a Skype call at the same time.

Thre price: Actiontec is pricing the Internet Phone Wizard at $69.99.

The prospects: VoIP is gaining momentum, and Skype has proven to be a robust service. With Actiontec's new Internet Phone Wizard, you get free long-distance calls from your cordless (or corded) phone. Who could ask for more?

By Allen Fear, senior editor, CNET Reviews