Ipevo USB Speakerphone for Skype

The Ipevo USB speakerphone is a solid piece of hardware that does what it promises, so anyone looking for a USB speakerphone should definitely consider this one. It works well right out of the box, without having to install the software or doing any configuring, so it should appeal to tech types who don’t like to bother reading manuals and installing drivers.

The quick and dirty

Where you can get it:
Amazon – currently for $77.79
Ipevo – currently for $79.99

The longer version

As more people and companies use Skype and other VOIP services for their communications, a good USB speakerphone that works with these systems should be a popular tool. The Ipevo USB speakerphone that we put to the test does exactly what it’s supposed to, with very little hassle in setting it up, which also scores points with the crowd that feels that reading manuals is beneath them.

We tried it around the office and at home, in a mix of environments. The sound quality compared well to a quality speakerphone using a normal landline phone. There was a bit of a digital compression sound at times, but that is almost certainly due more to the internet connection being less than solid once in a while rather than something inherent in the device’s architecture. It’s even got buttons specifically to start and end a Skype call, which may also work on other similar systems.

The mute and volume controls work smoothly, and the whole thing has a quality feel to it that you’d hope for in something in this price range. If some company puts out a $20 USB speakerphone soon it’s unlikely to be nearly this well made. It also has a switch that turns the thing into a handheld phone, and in that mode it also performed nicely, although the shape of the thing isn’t too well suited to longer calls.

With a list price of $80 the thing seems to be a fair value, and we’d imagine prices will drop in the future, just as they do with nearly everything tech-related. The Ipevo handset we also tested recently was equally solid and only $15 list price, so it’s pretty obvious that this company is conscious of not trying to overcharge for their new devices.