Linksys
has launched a new phone that uses
Yahoo
Messenger software as a VoIP system.
The
Linksys
CIT310 dual-mode cordless phone uses either a traditional land-line or Yahoo
Messenger to place and receive calls via a USB base station that connects to a
PC.
"The CIT310 is our first product to couple
Yahoo
Messenger with Voice and access to internet services like Yahoo Local
Search," said Tarun Loomba, a senior director of product marketing at Linksys.
Yahoo Messenger for Voice lets users place calls between PCs and traditional
phones.
While PC to PC calls are free, Yahoo charges for calls placed to traditional
phone lines. Yahoo's fees are similar to those charged by VoIP providers such as
Skype and
Vonage.
In addition to the VoIP service, users will also be able to use Yahoo Local
Search to look up numbers and receive weather reports through the handset. Users
can access their Yahoo Messenger contact lists on the handset.
According to Linksys, the phone will allow the option of switching from the
Yahoo service to a regular phone line by pushing a button on the handset.
The CIT310 is available on
Amazon.com
and is slated for availability from other online retailers later this month.
Linksys has already introduced a similar phone that works with Skype.
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