On our desk this week - 6

VoSky Call Center

We previously looked at VoSky's Chatterbox back in January. The company appears to be setting itself up to by a Skype-centric accessories provider, and today we're looking at the latest in its line of comms products: the VoSky Call Center.

Ever wanted to use Skype on the move? Then this could be the product for you. There are several ways you can currently use Skype on the move: namely, using a PocketPC phone and using the PPC version of Skype (either over GPRS or WiFi) or by using your laptop and a headset at a WiFi hotspot.

With the Call Center, you now have a third way. The box attaches to your PC via USB, and also to your phone line via a standard RJ-11 jack. Install the software and you're away...

The idea is that you can dial into the box from wherever you are on a standard mobile phone. Simply dial your home number, enter a code that connects you to the box, then you can navigate your Skype buddy list using automated prompts and shortcut keys that you've already set up. You can also simply dial a number through Skype, using Skype out.

The benefits are obvious: cheap calls. Rather than dialing an international number from your mobile phone (mucho expensivo) you can simply dial locally into your home Call Center then use that to SkypeOut (very cheapo).

We tested it to see how well it worked. After getting our shortcuts and software set up, it really worked as you'd expect. The quality was not fantastic - you're going from mobile phone to landline to PC to landline to mobile phone in some cases, and that's a fair amount of latency and signal degradation. However, it was just as passable as Skype is in many instances.

It costs £55, so you'd need to make a fair few calls that would otherwise be expensive to recoup those costs. However, if you want the flexibility to be able to get Skype from anywhere you can get mobile coverage, this could be a really good investment for you.

Name: VoSky CallCenter
Buy it from: Dabs
Cost: £55
Verdict: A useful bit of kit if you find yourself needing VoIP on the go.