Vonage launches USB internet phone

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Vonage has introduced the V-Phone, an internet telephone on a USB stick with its own ‘virtual’ telephone number.

V-Phone simply plugs into a USB port on a computer with a 300MHz processor or higher, and the software launches itself from the stick.

A virtual keyboard appears on the computer’s screen which the user dials either by clicking with a mouse, or typing in the number on a keypad.

A broadband internet connection is required. This can be either wired or wireless, but some hotspot providers will not allow the device to be used on their networks.

The device is compatible with computers running Windows 98 SE, 256MB RAM (Windows XP) or higher.

V-Phone comes with its own headset which plugs into the side of the USB stick and has an assigned virtual landline telephone number, which means that anyone can call you on the number, no matter where you are.

Voicemail is supplied so even if a laptop is switched off, or the USB stick is not plugged in, the user will not miss any calls.

It costs £7.99 a month for unlimited calls to landlines in the UK and Ireland. Calls to mobiles in the UK costs from 5p for offpeak calls to 15p for peak calls. International rates to major overseas countries cost just a few pence a minute, making V-Phone more cost-effective than a mobile phone, although not as convenient to use.