Buffalo releases a new Skype phone

Remember Skype? In these days of carrier supported UMA calling, it’s easy to forget the software that started craze and brought VoIP to the masses. Sure, it had been done before, and it has since been done better, but Skype will always hold a special place in our docks and Start menus. Buffalo has been one of Skype’s biggest hardware partners, recently releasing a Wi-Fi phone that pairs seamlessly with Skype’s software. It’s a decent looking handset, leaps and bounds ahead of the fugly Skype phones of yore, though it’s no beauty by any stretch of the imagination. Looks aside, however, there are a couple of problems for anyone looking to swoop one of these suckers. First off, this thing is Japan only. Not tight. Second, if you do manage to import a handset or two into our fine country, you might have some trouble configuring to work with domestic hotspots. It’s paired out of the box with Japan’s network of 5,400 FREESPOT public Wi-Fi hot spots. Such a shame. Perhaps we’ll see an American variant at some point, though we certainly wouldn’t hold out breath.

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