RTX DUALphone 3088 makes Skype feel right at home.

Another interesting device I received this week was the RTX DUALphone 3088 from the good folks at InStoreSolutions. The DUALphone is currently on sale on Skype.com for US$149.99.

What it does well

It sets up very easily.

• I plugged in the included basestation to my router – all cables included by the way
• I plugged in the handset charging stand where I wanted the phone to be most the time.
• Then I inserted the included rechargeable AAA batteries into the DUALphone handset and turned it on. I docked it to the charging stand and waited a while for it to charge.
• Then I simply went through a very quick and self explanatory login sequence. It consisted of me selecting between entering my current user info, or setting up a new account. Well, since I am a hardcore Skype user, I began entering my username and password using the number pad, with a good old-fashioned multi-tap text input method. Then I waited about 10 seconds, and bang, I was logged in. It took another minute or so before all my contacts had been synchronized.

No annoying network configurating, no device pairing needed… nothing. I was good to go.

I made my first call to a phone number, my cell phone and SkypeOut worked like a charm. Seamless. Then I had my friend call me using Skype. Again, worked like a charm. Then I called my SkypeIn number. Again, perfect.

Let me say this, I will probably leave this product set up, and use it. If only to let family and friends make calls from a “landline” when they visit. It’s bullet-proof so far.

A few other notes.

• The audio quality was great, definitely wide-band voice quality.
• The 1.9 GHz frequency employed by DECT 6.0 is WiFi friendly, and doesn’t mind being the same room as two AvneraAudio devices, and WiFi access point and two Macs.
• I didn’t bother hooking up a landline into the base-station, so the DUAL part of the DUALphone I really won’t comment on.

What I am not crazy about

• The buttons aren’t backlit.  (headbang)
• The color display is low resolution (i.e. cheap looking) and small.  (N)
• The button inputs from the keypad have a sluggish response time on screen. Beefier microprocessor please!  (flex)

The standard of performance for telephony handsets is moving so fast and is very advanced, that it would be hard to keep up.  I do understand that this is a much simpler device… but let’s face it, when someone pays US$150 for a product, in 2009/2010, that has a color display, a keypad, and works with a cutting edge web-service, they are going to – rightfully – expect something more refined.

Conclusion

For folks who think Skype could be a service that can replace their home phone, buy a DUALphone and go for it. It will basically give you the usage model you and old-school guests to your home desire. It looks like a home phone and acts likes one too. Even when only Skype-driven (and not DUAL-ing), with Skype in and Skype out, no one will know the difference between tomorrow and yesterday.

For me personally, I would not pay US$150 for this product.  But, let’s put this in perspective. I don’t use a home phone. I use my mobile phone to receive calls from people who call me when I am home, and I use Skype Out from my MacBook Pro when I make calls from home. When I use Skype in general, I either “speakerphone” with the speaker and mic built into my MacBook Pro, or I plug in an Avnera headset like the Plantronics .Audio 995 or the FREETALK Wireless to let me take a call in private and/or move around my house. So for someone like me, I say get a headset for less than half the cost of the DUALphone. The headset is more useful as a general purpose audio device, to boot.