Ready to Buy? Click here for a great deal on the GE28310EE1 Skype Phone.

Introduction

The GE Skype Dect phone 28310EE1 is the latest release in GE’s Skype phone product line. It has Skype – a peer to peer communication program -- embedded to provide users a true PC-Less Skype experience. It also employs DECT technology to insure no interference with other home cordless technology such as WiFi network and 2.4GHz digital phone.

 

According to market sources, this phone uses the same design blueprint as RTX’s Skype Dect Phone 3088. Therefore, for the RTX Dualphone fans in US, your wait to upgrade to the PC-Less Skype phone solution could be over.

 
The GE Skype Dect phone 28310EE1 Package Includes:

• Base unit
• Handset
• Handset cradle (with an universal AC adapter connected to the cradle)
• 2 Nimh Battery
• Cables (1 network, 1 PSTN)
• 1 universal AC adapter for the Base unit
• Belt clip
• Instruction
• Warranty card

 

Installation

“Straightforward” is the best word to describe the installation process of the GE Skype Dect Phone 28310EE1. Just follow the manual:

 

Make connections (network cable, telephone cable, and AC adapters for both the base unit and the handset cradle)
Insert batteries to the handset and leave the handset on the cradle to charge the batteries for 16 consecutive hours
Now you are ready to sign in your Skype ID and start using the GE Skype Dect phone 28310EE1.

 

The Skype account sign-in process on the GE Skype Dect phone 28310EE1 is also a breeze. It looks to me like Skype has provided its PC-Less phone solution hardware developers a unified procedure. We have seen the similar steps / display in Netgear SPH200D and the Skype WiFi phones from SMC and Netgear. If you are a frequent Skype user, you should feel at home with the sign-in process.

 

On the other hand, you don’t need to worry if you are the first time Skype user. The on-screen instruction for signing up a new Skype account is intuitional. As long as you know the method to switch between capital case / lower case / number input, which is very similar to it is in cell phone and regular digital phone, you will be fine.

 

The only thing I don’t like in the GE Skype Dect phone 28310EE1 setup is the long 16 Hours first time charging requirement for the handset battery. However, overall, it is not that bad since it is a one-time-only process. Besides, because the batteries used in the handset are two AAA Nimh batteries, a full 16 Hours charge is recommended to achieve the maximum long term battery life.  

 

Ready to Buy? Click here for a great deal on the GE28310EE1 Skype Phone.

 

Call Quality

Here is where the GE Skype Dect phone 28310EE1 really shines. The call quality is excellent. I have tried the GE Skype Dect phone 28310EE1 at three different locations: my office (T1 line), my home (AT&T ADSL service) and my co-worker’s house (Comcast cable service). It’s easy to hear callers with no problem and the voice quality is reported as being normal to excellent by those whom I queried. There are small number of times when the voice gets choppy and distorted when I talked to people oversea. However, I suspect it is due to the temporary clogging Internet connection issue, not because of the GE Skype Dect phone 28310EE1.

 

One of the major improvements from RTX’s previous version Dualphone to this GE Skype Dect phone 28310EE1 is the offering of the hands-free speaker phone. During the conversation, the speaker phone can be activated by hitting the left selection button on the handset. Although the speaker phone quality is decent, I am not so impressed on the results comparing to the call conduct by the handset.

 

Handset Design

 

The GE Skype Dect phone 28310EE1 handset looks like a regular 2.4GHz digital home phone. It has a color LCD screen to display both the Skype and PSTN call information. While conducting different tasks, users will regularly encounter functions that require one of two options. These functions will be shown on screen clearly and can be executed by the left and right on-screen selection buttons on the handset.

 

As a default, the handset will get into standby mode after being idle for 1 minute -- which is a great way to save battery power. Pressing any key or lifting the cradle will ‘awaken’ the sleeping LCD screen. However, pressing any key to awaken the handsets presents a minor issue. When the handset is not on the cradle and is in standby mode there is no null function key designed on keypad.  Any key a user hit to wake up the handset will perform a function. The user thus needs to hit several number of key (the number depends on which function is activated) to get back to the home screen.

 

Another thing I notice on the handset is that the keypads are designed with more resistance. Combining with the half sec built-in delay in the keypad confirmation sound (beeping sound after the keypads are hit), I get the feeling that GE engineers really want the users to key-in the phone numbers slowly with caution. It is not something good or bad. But, it’s something an inpatient user like me needs to get used to.

 

Detailed Functions:

In this section I’ll get into more detailed explaining about the provided functions which I think is interesting.

 

• Call Diverting

The GE Skype Dect phone 28310EE1 offers a very useful function called call diverting. When a call is not picked up, it can be forwarded to a pre-set local number. Surprisingly, the diverting action is not performed by the GE Skype Dect phone 28310EE1 internally: the 28310EE1 is not able to transfer a call from Skype channel to PSTN channel. It is done by Skype through SkypeOut for free. Therefore, the country and the local code need to be entered correctly in the phone setup process in order to complete the SkypeOut call.

 

• Skype Voicemail

The GE Skype Dect phone 28310EE1 supports Skype Voicemail, as well. The LCD screen will display a remainder to the logged in user to get the voice message. The voicemail symbol will also be displayed on the home page after the remainder is disabled. One thing to remember is that the user needs to manually pick which function: Call Diverting or Skype Voicemail can be activated. The phone would not make the decision automatically. If both functions are activated at the same time, it will confuse the system. The call diverting is set to have the higher priority to pick up the call. However, after the call has been forwarded to a pre-set local number, the only voice that is heard is Skype’s Voicemail System.

 

• Ring Tone

The GE Skype Dect phone 28310EE1 has12 different built-in ring tones available to users. A user can assign different ring-tone to different type of calls. (For example: one ring tone to Skype incoming calls, one for PSTN and one for intercom calls)

 

• Easy to call Landline

It is easy to perform a landline call on the GE Skype Dect phone 28310EE1. After entering the phone number, the phone will prompt the user with the question of using SkypeOut or the PSTN line to conduct the call. Users can also set a channel (PSTN or SkypeOut) as the default and let the out bound call goes through default channel automatically.

 

• Caller ID

The caller ID function is not only available on the Skype incoming calls, but also on the landline incoming calls (if the caller ID function is turn-on at the PSTN provider). If a landline phone number is entered correctly into a contact’s profile, the caller ID will show the Skype name, not the phone number. I found this function very helpful because I can always make the connection between a person with his Skype ID faster than a person with a phone number.

 

• Skype Chat

When a user is on the GE Skype Dect phone 28310EE1, he cannot be reached through Skype Chat. However, the person trying to send chat to a GE Skype Dect phone 28310EE1 user will get a message saying the chat destination is not available. It can avoid the possible misunderstanding.

 

Conclusions

The GE Skype Dect phone 28310EE1 is a wonderful PC-Less solution for Skype users. The super easy installation process can ease the fear of the first time Skype user to switch to this low-cost and high quality VOIP service. The abundant built-in features and the crystal clear voice quality can help enhance the experience even for a veteran Skype user. The GE Skype Dect phone 28310EE1 is a good pick for people who want to make Skype calls without a PC.

 

Wish List

In the following you can see my wish list for the next generation PC-Less Skype solution.

 

• Conference Skype and Landline Calls

I would like to see the next generation PC-Less Skype solution including the conference function. There are still lots of people who are not familiar with Skype technology and are not on the Skype network. The conference function has the benefit of bring the two worlds together.

 

• Multi-handset

At the time this review is written, GE has not provided the ability to use multiple handsets for the GE Skype Dect phone 28310EE1. In order to find an alternative solution, I’ve tried to register the Netgear SPH150D handset to the GE Skype Dect phone 28310EE1 base unit. The result is: the handset can see the base unit but cannot start the communication. I believe the manufacturers might have included key or other authentication process to protect their own product. There is rumor that GE is working on delivering the extra handset solution – model 28311EE1. I hope it is available soon so that it can be easier to access to the phone system from different room in the house.

 

• Implement Improved DMTF Tone (Skype)

Based on other reviews with this and other phones, Skypef needs to do something to improve/provide a stable DMTF tone system. The PC-Less Skype phone solution vendor may not be able to much more on this subject. However, it would be nice if they can work together to provide this function soon.

 

• Have a null LCD ‘wake-up’ key first… and not have the user have to click more keys to make a simple call out.

 

Ready to Buy? Click here for a great deal on the GE28310EE1 Skype Phone.

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