SMC WiFi Skype Phone - From Prototype to Product Release

A Story of a One Year Journey

The Journey Begins...

1. August 1, 2005: Information leaked for the first time regarding Skype WiFi Phones: Jaanus, marketing guru at Skype, shared the on-going project to build a Skype PC-less WiFi Phone on Skype.com. There was no picture of the prototype, just some simple descriptions. However, this leak still aroused a lot of interests in the Skype community. Link

2. August 1, 2005: Bill Campbell talks about the Skype WiFi Phone prototype at Skype Journal. His prediction about the price was under $150. Good prediction, Bill, not on the price, but on the “have a bit of a wait” part. It turned out that “a bit of a wait” = “a whole year of waiting.” Link

Partnerships are formed...

3. November 5, 2005: Accton and Skype announced to team up to make Internet free calling even more accessible. Link

4. November 7, 2005: Accton debuted the first PC-less standalone Skype WiFi phone (model name: VM1185-T) at the “Skype Day in Japan” event: Hmm… the baby was born two days after the marriage. Skype and Accton must have done some secret dating for quite some time. News in Chinese: Link

Product is unveiled...

5. January 4, 2006: Networking product maker Netgear and Skype unveiled the first WiFi phone designed to work on Skype’s internationally popular voice over IP service, at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2006 @ Las Vegas): "We will be able to (multiply by 10) the number of Skype users around the world," said Netgear CEO Patrick Lo. Link

6. March 9, 2006: Accton wins IF product design award in the Consumer Electronics / Telecommunications category: “…contrast to the mass of ‘over-styled’ cell phones currently on the market. The phone’s slim appearance stems from its sleek white cover and the slightly angled, silver-colored rear bezel.” Accton then showcased the award-winning phone at the CeBIT 2006 in Hannover, German. Link

Vendors line up...

7. April 11, 2006: Amazon.com announced the availability of the pre-order of the Netgear Skype WiFi phone SPH101. The Netgear Skype WiFi phone is ranked as #1151 in electronics as to the date we write this article (9/16/2006). Link

8. May 1, 2006: Netgear announced Skype WiFi phone pricing and pre-order availability: The MSRP is $249.99. The pre-order can be placed through Skype store and other e-commerce partners. Link

9. July 18, 2006: Amazon.com announced the availability of the the pre-order of the Belkin Skype WiFi phone F1PP000GN-SK. The Belkin Skype WiFi phone is ranked as #15612 in electronics as to the date we write this article (9/16/2006). The pre-order is not currently available. Link

10. July 20, 2006: Introducing the world’s first WiFi phones for Skype @ Skype.com: Skype unveils the four vendors that will sell WiFi phone by Accton’s design: SMC, Edge-Core, Netgear, and Belkin. Link

Estimated ship times given...

11. July 20, 2006: SMC to ship certified Skype WiFi Phone: SMC Networks is the first to deliver certified and tested WiFi Phones for Skype. SMC offers full quantity shipments to its partners across Asia with an initial English Language version. Link

12. September 12, 2006: Netgear ships Skype WiFi phone in volume. Link

13. September 14, 2006: Skype WiFi Phone received certification from the Skype UK test lab. News in Chinese: Link