Vonage Releases Long-Discussed Wi-Fi Phone

Voice-over-IP vendor Vonage Tuesday officially started shipping its F1000 Wi-Fi phone for voice-over-IP after having first shown the device almost a year ago.

The phone, which the company says will enable users to make calls from public wireless hotspots, retails for $129.99 with a $50 instant rebate bringing the price down to $79.99. The phone was developed by UTStarcom.

While the F1000 was shown at last January's Consumer Electronics Show (CES), it is being released just prior to the next CES. Perhaps showing its age, the phone supports 802.11b networks but has no direct support for faster 802.11g networks.

"With the rapid increase of open access points around the world, this is a great opportunity for anyone who wants to take advantage of the affordability of VoIP service and also enjoy the convenience of mobility," Louis Holder, Vonage's executive vice president of product development, said in a statement.

The device has many standard phone features such as three-way calling, call waiting and forwarding and voicemail, the company said. Its batter supports five hours of talk time and between 50 and 100 hours of standby, according to the company.