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Asus Video Phone for Skype – a Hit for Holiday Gift Giving

Asus SVIT Video Phone for Skype

The Asus SV1T is a standalone Skype video phone which allows you to make free video calls to other Skype users and inexpensive video and voice calls to landlines and mobile phones.  Unlike using your webcam and microphone, the Asus SV1T can be used anywhere in your home or business independent of your PC.  The SV1T simply needs a broadband internet connection. You can connect it via a cable if there is a router nearby, or connect it wirelessly if you have WiFi in your home or business.

Features That Make the SV1T a Sure Hit

The Asus SV1T features a 7inch color TFT LCD touch screen that allows for easy navigation at your fingertips.  It’s integrated speaker and microphone mean it is truly portable and doesn’t have many pieces to move or arrange on a countertop.  The SV1T features a 2.5mm headset jack in the event that you would like the topic of your calls to be private or amplified over speakers and a 2.5mm microphone jack if you need to hear a  bigger audience (think 30 family members in your living room on Christmas day calling over to your brother in Iraq….)

Besides the awesome functionality of the Asus SV1T in general, there are 2 features that make it a great item for the home.  First of all it looks cool.  The SV1T comes in black (SV1TS) or white (SV1T) and looks like a small CRT TV but slightly thinner.  White would compliment most kitchens, where black would look cool in the living room or a bedroom.  The 2nd cool feature is that you CAN put it in your kitchen, living room, or bedroom. If your home has a WIFI network, the Asus SV1T can connect wirelessly from anywhere within range while maintaining stunning video quality and clear voice calls.  If you choose to make your video call from your couch, you can do that! The Asus SV1T features an included lithium ion battery which allows it to be unplugged and used wherever you choose, as long as it is in range of the WiFi network.

In addition to the capability to make free video calls to other Skype members, you can make inexpensive voice and video calls to non-Skype members via Skype-In/Skype-Out.  If you choose to follow recent trends and be rid of your home landline, you can utilize Skype for all your home calling needs via Skype-In (inbound calls to your Skype account from landlines or mobile phones) or Skype-Out (inexpensive voice/video calls to landlines and mobile lines).   The Asus SV1T offers normal Skype features such as call forwarding, Skype Voicemail, and conference calling (as a guest only).

Are you not really sure about this Skype thing and how it works?  That’s ok thanks to Asus’s intuitive and easy to use set-up.  When you open your Skype videophone and take it out of the box, first you need to plug it into the wall (the battery does not come charged).  Follow so far? Good.  Press the POWER button.   Then, you need to plug it into your modem or connect to your wireless internet connection. A handy wizard will come on screen to tell you how to do that. Make sure you know your network’s security password.  Once you are connected, you will be prompted to sign into Skype. If you don’t have an account, you will be prompted to sign up for one now. Don’t worry, it’s FREE!!!!  All signed in? Cool, now make your video call.   Even my grandmother could make it through these steps… I assure you, just about anyone can use this cool new toy!

Who To Buy the Asus SV1T for

We here at VoIP Supply use the SV1T for business purposes, to hold free video conference calls with our manufacturer partners and our off-site employees.  With all the business rage focusing around presence and video collaboration, here is a piece of equipment that allows you that awesome ability without the expensive and complex infrastructure!  You may be thinking “Yeah, but it’s Skype… that’s for college kids and the military”.  Skype’s presence in business enterprise is growing tenfold every day.  Many businesses are using Skype gateways such as the VoSKY Products  to make free VoIP calls to other Skype users instead of their normal PBX trunking service or the PSTN.  We use the Asus Skype videophone because calls to other Skype users are completely free. In addition, compared to other business-class videoconference solutions, the Asus SV1T is extremely inexpensive.  We put it at the head of our conference table and hold our meetings so the person on the other end feels like they are sitting at the end of the table.

Asus SV1T in White

In addition to the Asus SV1T being a no brainer for small business video communication, it is also a great product for most consumers to have in their home.  I would ask you to raise your hand if this applies to you, but people around you might look at you funny….. do you have relatives from out of town that you wish you got to see more often?  Do you have family out of town that tells you they want to talk to and see your kids more often?  Do you have grandchildren out of state?  Do you have a child or friend who is away at college? Do you have a loved one who is serving over seas?  If you raised your hand to any of these situations, the Asus SV1T would be a great addition to your home!  Imagine being able to talk to and SEE your significant other overseas every night before you go to bed FOR FREE! Imagine your children calling Grandma to wish her a happy birthday and showing her the pictures they made for her FOR FREE.  Imagine introducing your new baby to your family in another state and showing them how she looks like you in real time, FOR FREE.  Imagine no more…. you can have this!

So, in summary, if you find yourself wanting to be in contact with someone more than you currently are able, you need to buy the Asus SV1T.  As the holidays approach, the Asus SV1T is a great gift idea for family and friends who are out of town. Buy one SV1T for yourself and ship one to them as a gift. (With VoIP Supply’s $4.95 ground shipping anywhere in the US promotion, you can ship in confidence as well).  Skip the Fruit of the Month Club or the magazine subscription for a gift this season.  Give your loved ones something they will really use and something that will bring you closer to each other. After all, isn’t that what you really want anyway?

Christina Smith

Christina is a former VoIP Supply Product Manager.

I have been working in a product standards position since 1999 when I began my days at Ingram Micro. In the past 10 years I have worked closely with hundreds of tier one manufacturer partners including Samsung, Citrix, Panasonic, PowerDsine, HP, and NEC.

View Comments

  • OK, maybe a bit biased here, but I had to chime in on this post. These phones are very cool and I use them myself. I've got one in the kitchen at home and one in my office. When my kids get home from school they touch the screen, touch my contact and can instantly see me and talk to me anytime. It's pretty awesome!
    - Ben Sayers, CEO - VoIP Supply

  • This article is less than one year old at the time of my post. Anyone know how to contact the supplier? (Asus) perhaps a product manager for this product? Their phone numbers are pointless and I get no where. I'll be ordering in bulk >500 pieces and the pricing one these online is all over from $132 to over $300.

  • The Asus video camera for Skype is no longer being made. At the end of Q1 2011 Asus got out of the Skype market. I am looking around for a similar product. I thought Vosky made one. I will post if I find it.

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