Netgear is not the first company that comes to mind when you think of cutting-edge mobile phone technology. Yet Netgear, a networking company, is in the perfect position to kick off a revolution in mobile telephony.

Many of us have been enjoying the fruits of free international phone calls care of Skype, the VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) software that has taken the Internet by storm. Well now you can make your Skype calls without even needing a PC with the Netgear Skype phone. All you need is a wireless network, like a home WiFiset-up that is hooked up to the Internet, and the phone will do the rest. A version of Skype embedded in the phone allows you to make VoIP calls and you can wander about anywhere in range of the wireless network.

You can also subscribe to the SkypeOut and SkypeIn services for an additional fee and make and receive Skype calls to and from any conventional phones, even if the other end doesn't have a Net connection or a PC. It should be released here some time later this year.