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  #1  
Old 05-11-2011, 07:06 PM
Jason Dunn
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Default Microsoft & Skype: Fantasy History

Microsoft's purchase yesterday of Skype (barring any barriers that is) reminded me of a piece of Microsoft technology that I was keeping in storage - so I thought I'd do a quick photo-hack job and play a little "what if" game. Are there any readers of this site that owned this particular product? It was quite amazing for its time - I remember being upset when no drivers were created for Windows 2000, thus ending my use of the product (before Windows XP came out, Windows 2000 was *it* baby!). It had insanely cool functionality for the time - including voice command dialling, caller ID announcement, and it would link up with your contacts program on the desktop computer. Frankly, when I look at how "dumb" my landline phone is, I'd love to see something like this, updated with newest technology - like, say, Skype!

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Old 05-11-2011, 10:39 PM
Fritzly
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Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 740

I had that phone and, as you correctly stated, the most amazing part was the software: besides all the already mentioned functiionalities what put it aside any other software available at the time was the ability to handle both voice and fax using a single phone line. I never missed an incoming fax or answered the phone and heard the tone of the modem trying to establish a link to the fax.

Why MS discontinued it is one of the many misteries I never understood;it was way better than at the time king of the voice/fax software package: Delrina WinFax
 
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Old 05-11-2011, 11:36 PM
asims
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Great photo-hack! At first, I thought the article was going to be about what MS could put out on the market now that they've purchased Skype.
 
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Old 05-13-2011, 07:25 PM
Richard76
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Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 170
Default Almost As Good

Although not having all of the options of your version, I have one of the vtech-skype units and you can use it as both a skype phone or a normal cordless phone. Much better than having to wear a headset to Skype (theres that verb again)!

http://www.vtechcanada.com/manuals/7100ciben.pdf

For anyone that has this phone and are having problems with it since upgrading to Windows 7, go here:

http://forum.skype.com/index.php?showtopic=478291
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Old 05-13-2011, 10:23 PM
Lee Yuan Sheng
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Wow, being able to link to your desktop contacts is cool. I've been looking for a cordless phone that can do that but there aren't many. Such a neat product, too bad MS didn't continue with it.
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