Panasonic, joip team up for VoIP hybrid phone
updated 10:00 am EDT, Tue March 13, 2007
Panasonic GLOBARANGE Phone
Panasonic and joip together announced on Monday the GLOBARANGE, a combination of a dual-mode phone and a special VoIP service. The phone itself is a 5.8GHz cordless model with DECT support that can handle both landline calls as well as Internet voice without the need for a host PC. Instead of Skype, however, Panasonic has opted to use joip, a newer VoIP service which both companies claim has an edge over other services. Callers can set up forwarding to multiple phone numbers, custom ringtones, and e-mail notices for incoming voice mail.
The phone should be available this summer for an unspecified price. Its accompanying joip service is currently in a joinable beta test on PCs and should be free for calls between fellow GLOBARANGE and joip users when completed later this year. Outbound calls to real-world numbers are expected to have a low fee.
