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Home >> Computing >> Computing >> Asus Bows First Skype Videophone >> Asus Bows First Skype Videophone
IT manufacturer Asus is shipping the first Skype-certified videophone.
The AiGuru SV1 features a 7-inch color LCD display with an 800 by 480 resolution, built-in VGA resolution Web cam, speakerphone and microphone. The unit connects to the Internet via Wi-Fi or an Ethernet connection for placing Skype voice and videophone calls without a computer.
It supports all Skype calling features including presence, voice conferencing, landline and mobile voice calling and uses an icon-based user interface.
The SV1 also offers a microphone jack and a rechargeable battery for cord-free operation. The battery can run for 20 minutes of talktime or 30 minutes of standby and takes two hours to fully charge.
The AiGuru SV1 will retail for $299. It is selling intially through Skype's online store and through Asus resellers in the coming months.
According to Skype, more than 25 percent of Skype-to-Skype calls include video. The service added 32 million users in the third quarter of 2008 for a total of 370 million users worldwide.
More than 1 billion copies of the application have been downloaded, according to the company, with 16 billion Skype-to-Skype minutes completed in the third quarter.