eBay-owned Skype, which has well over 100 million users, is essentially a software application that turns broadband connections into phone lines. Users have traditionally downloaded the Skype software onto laptops and PCs, then used headsets and microphones to make calls from their computers over the Internet.

The new Phillips VoIP841 and Netgear cordless phones plug into a broadband connection and come preloaded with Skype software, allowing users to make and receive phone calls without requiring them to have a computer turned on.

"Skype has already introduced Wi-Fi phones and Skype for PocketPC wireless," Stefan Oberg, general manager, said in a statement. "Now Skype is taking the next step to introduce PC-free cordless phones. The cordless phones for Skype launched today give Skype users the flexibility to enjoy free Skype-to-Skype calls and inexpensive calls to ordinary and mobile phones anywhere in the house, at any time without a running computer."

The new generation of phones could help Skype reach a larger group of consumers who are not tech-savvy and tend to shy away from phone gadgets that require computer knowledge.

The VOIP841 will be available in December, Rudy Provoost, chief executive officer of the Philips Consumer Electronics division said. He gave no pricing information.Enditem

(Agencies)