On our desk this week - 7

Linksys CIT200 Cordless Skype Handset

Cost:£58

Skype is a wonderful, wonderful thing. Not only does it provide PC-to-PC conversation for you and all your technologically advanced mates, it also enables incredibly cheap calling to normal phones - wherever they are in the world. SkypeOut has some ridiculously low per-minute rates, which can make it a very attractive alternate to 'real' phone services.

The one disadvantage, however, is that you have to be tied to your PC to make a call. What if you want to get up and walk around, or check something somewhere else in the house whilst on the phone? Well, this little widget from Linksys allows you to do just that.

The device is basically a cordless phone that plugs into your computer over USB. It connects to Skype and grabs your address book, and you can dial numbers and make calls through the handset without having to be at your computer - although you obviously need your computer on and Skype logged in to get it to work.

It works exactly as you'd expect. The microphone quality in the handset is very good, although not comparable to dedicated headsets in the £60+ range. There doesn't appear to be any kind of interference with the signal from it being wireless, and we also encountered no problems using it in an office with standard WiFi and DECT phones all kicking around.

You can scroll through the phone book easily, and the illuminated display makes the phone easy to read and use.

If you're a heavy user of Skype, and you get fed up of sitting in front of your computer, you will find this a really useful product. Definitely recommended.