The attraction of Skype in making free or cheap Internet phone calls has turned it into a mini industry of its own. There are now plenty of dedicated handsets you can use with Skype, changing it from a fairly nerdy telecom system into one approaching the usability of a traditional 'landline' phone. US Robotics has taken this further by making a handset that can be used with both Skype and landlines, and has made it cordless too.

For a cordless phone, there are a good number of cables included with the Skype Dual Phone. Both the wireless base station and the phone charger/cradle need power cables, running from their own mains plugs. Then there are connections from the base station to the BT phone socket and to a PC via USB 2. The only bit that's actually without wires is the handset itself.

Once it's all charged up, the phone is commendably easy to use. If it's not already on your system you can install Skype from the accompanying CD, and when the phone's installed, Skype recognises it as an authorised device. Pick the phone out of its charger/cradle and an orange backlight illuminates the screen and the keys. All your Skype contacts are available on the handset and a large toggle button above the number pad scrolls through them. Hit the Skype button and the call is made.

Landline calls are just as easy to make; pick up the phone and key in the number, as you would with a regular cordless phone or mobile. Skype sound quality is quite passable and both incoming and outgoing voice is very intelligible. You can test voice quality by calling Skype's freely-available test facility, which has the Skype name 'echo123'.

The only big snag we can see with the Cordless Skype Dual Phone is that it has to be connected to a PC to use its Skype facility. There are several standalone phones available now that don't require this. If the PC has to be on to make or receive a Skype call, the phone is going to be most attractive to people in home or small offices who work close to their computers.

If they're doing that, there's an argument that they don't need the freedom of a cordless phone. You might as well buy a corded USB Skype phone and save all the extra cabling, rechargeable batteries and cost. Having said that, this wireless product is commendably inexpensive.

If you definitely need the ease of use of a cordless phone and also have your PC on most of the time, this is a well designed and easy-to-use device. However, a corded, USB Skype phone could be a cheaper alternative. On the other hand, a standalone Skype phone, which doesn't require a PC, will be more energy efficient.