Editorial Review:

Product Description:
Break away from your PC and make free or low-cost calls to your friends using Yahoo! Messenger with Voice! The Linksys Dual-Mode Cordless Phone for Yahoo! Messenger comes with the handset, charger, and a USB Base Station that plugs into your PC. Dual-Mode capability lets you choose whether to make free or low-cost calls with the Yahoo! Messenger with Voice service on your PC, or over a regular telephone line. Just select who you want to talk to from your Yahoo! Messenger contact list on your handset and when your contact answers, talk away!The phone supports Yahoo! Phone Out so you can talk with friends on their regular phones and will ring, displaying the Caller ID on the handset's screen when you have an incoming call with the Yahoo! Phone In service.The Linksys Dual-Mode Cordless Phone for Yahoo! Messenger with Voice allows you to choose to make free calls to other friends using Yahoo! Messenger with Voice or over your existing standard telephone line. You'll get the convenience of a cordless phone and all itsfeatures, plus the high-quality voice reception, without being tied to your computer.What is Yahoo! Messenger with Voice? Yahoo! Messenger with Voice is free software that lets you communicate in real-time with friends and family. Make free PC-to-PC calls to other friends on Yahoo! Messenger, or use the Phone Out service to call friends on their regular or mobile phones worldwide at low rates. The Linksys Dual-Mode Cordless Phone for Yahoo! Messenger gives you the freedom to make calls from your PC - without being tied down with wires or a headset. Get dialed-in with the Linksys Dual-Mode cordless Phone with Yahoo! Messenger with Voice and start saving on phone calls today!

Amazon.com Review:
The Linksys CIT 310 Dual-Mode phone for Yahoo Messenger frees your internet phone from all cords and computers. With its convenient and ergonomic handset, you can make free voice-over-internet-phone (VOIP) calls to all your friends who have Yahoo Messenger accounts, or very inexpensive calls to cell and land-line phones anywhere in the world--from any room in your house.

The CIT 310 dual-mode phone allows you to make free VOIP calls to all your friends on Yahoo Messenger and very inexpensive calls to everyone else.

How it Works
Using the Linksys CIT 310 is much like using any cordless land-line phone. 'Dual Mode' means that you can either use the device to make regular calls through your phone service, as you would with any cordless phone, or, you can allow the phone to connect through your computer's high-speed internet service and--using your Yahoo Messenger with Voice account--make internet calls

Users who are already Yahoo Messenger customers...will find the Linksys CIT 310 a snap to set up.

anywhere in the world. A base station connects both to your regular phone jack and to a USB port on your PC. Once you've set up a Yahoo Messenger account, your computer will send your Yahoo contact list to the phone. All you then have to do is scroll through the list and push a button to call the computer of any of your contacts. A separate button connects you to your regular phone service.

To make calls to cell and land-line phones you'll need to purchase 'Phone Out' time. Prices vary depending on the country you want to call, but most international calls run 1 to 2 cents a minute. Of course the Linksys handset also makes it easier for friends to call you through free internet services. You won't pay for computer-to-computer calls, but rather than rushing to your computer and pushing various keys to answer an internet call, the handset will ring at an incoming internet call, allowing you to answer just like a traditional phone. The final option is to allow friends to call your internet phone from their cell or land-line phones. For a modest fee (currently around $30 a year) you can purchase a 'Phone In' number others can use to call you.

Design
The handset has a nice modern design that feels comfortable and natural in either hand. At 5.5 inches high by 1.08 inches wide, it more resembles a contemporary cordless phone in size and shape than it does a cell phone. While the small color screen has only moderate resolution, it does offer manual adjustment of brightness and contrast. Of course, this phone is meant for calling only--not for viewing email or videos--so it's more than adequate for the job.

Scroll through your list of Yahoo contacts and push a button to call your friend's computer.

You can even use the CIT 310 to check local weather or look up an address. View all screens.

Setup and Operation
Users who are already Yahoo Messenger customers, or who are already practiced in the arts of internet telephony, will find the Linksys CIT 310 a snap to set up. If you're new to VOIP, though, setup may be a little tougher, although the accompanying software relieves most of the stress. Pop in the disk and you will be guided through the process of connecting the phone and setting up a Yahoo Messenger account. From there you can follow links to purchase Phone Out time or to obtain a Phone In number. Managing your list of contacts is done on your PC, which then sends the information to the phone when it is in the base station. Once setup is complete the device functions very much like a modern cordless phone--choose from your list of contacts or dial a number and push the call button. We found that within a few minutes of familiarzation with the handset we were able to make both national and international calls with ease.

Connection Quality and Convenience
Let's be honest: VOIP is simply not yet as reliable as a land-line (or good cell connection), nor is the sound quality as high. That said, we tested the phone by making a series of calls locally, nationally, and internationally and found we were able to achieve pretty good, but not great, reception. Calling a friend in London we experienced a lag for a few seconds, but once the connection was established we noticed only a slight reduction in sound quality compared to a land-line conversation. Those familiar with internet phoning are aware that only one voice in the conversation can be heard at a time, making it impossible for you and your conversation partner to talk over the top of each other. To some this can be a bit disconcerting at first, but we found that only a brief warm-up period is required to adjust.

The Linksys CIT 310 advertizes a connection range of about 50 meters between handset and base station during indoor use. Our experience was that the connection is about what you would expect from any modern cordless phone. We had no trouble moving from room to room or to a different floor in the house from the base station, but could not stray too far outdoors. While the phone frees internet phoning from a direct connection to your PC, it can only be used within range of the base station connected to your PC. This is in contrast to a Wi-Fi based internet phone, such as the Netgear Skype Phone, which allows you to connect to the Skype VOIP network whenever you're in range of any accessible Wi-Fi hotspot.

Speaking of Skype, we compared the connection quality of the CIT 310 and Yahoo Messenger with Skype calls. We found voice quality to be very similar, and the Yahoo Messenger service offers much the same functionality as the venerable Skype service. Overall, if you don't require a Wi-Fi based phone, and you can live with having the base station connected to your computer, the CIT 310 provides a dandy alternative to Skype.

Pros

• Convenient internet telephoning for fans of Yahoo Messenger with Voice
• Dual-Mode allows it to function as regular cordless phone
• Great solution to international calling, supporting connections to all cell and land lines

Cons

• Works only with Yahoo Messenger, a less common VOIP standard
• Voice quality dependent on the quality of your Internet connection
• Base station must be connected your computer for VOIP operation

What's in the Box
Dual-Mode cordless phone, AC power supply, telephone cable, USB cable, and CD with setup wizard.



Accessories:
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Accessories:

• Voip Internet Accelerator Intelligent Packet Priority Engine
• Linksys Network Optimizer for Gaming and VoIP
• Linksys Internet Phone Adapter with 2 Ports for Voice-over-IP PAP2T - VoIP phone adapter
• 3-Year Extended Service Plan - Covers Electronic Items $0-$200 - Repair
• DayRunner Berlin Telephone Address Book

Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours

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Rating: - Troubles at First But...Now All Good.
Had annoying troubles at first, as I would not be heard on incoming calls. Fixed the problem, and now have no problems. Don't really know why it works now, did the same thing to fix it many times and eventually just started working. Nervous troubles will arise again, but so far seems home free.

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Rating: - Linksys CIT310 great product
Before I bought the Links CIT310 phone I read several of the reviews and I must say customers had mixed emotions about how good this phone is. I think their reviews were based on their knowledge of how to set up the phone. I have a girlfriend that lives in south east Asia and I tell you, the quality of the phone is excellent, not to mention how much money I saved. It is much better then paying what I did before which was near $300 a month for a phone bill. Believe me when I say, I don't know what the rest of the customers are saying, but trust me you can not go wrong on buying this phone I HIGHLY recommend it, you will be happy no doubt.

NAT California

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Rating: - awesome phone yahoo CS is terrible
good sound quality, great price for product and service. For whatever reason I couldn't get my voice credit to apply to my yahoo account. had to setup a new yahoo account just to get it to work. Then had to call Yahoo's stupid consumer service and yell and shout to get credited back for my first attempt at getting my voice service.
my only grip with the phone is the sound either goes to the phone or the computer speakers. You have to go to audio settings in control panel and set the default device anytime you want to change it between the speakers or phone. Skype has the same phone but their service cost a few more bucks. might be a good alternative just so you don't have to deal with yahoo.

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Rating: - If you Yahoo Voice, this phone kicks a$$
Great little phone. rugged too. I've dropped it 1 1/2 times, (second time wasn't very far and onto carpet), and it still works fine, nothing broken. I like the fact that it hooks up to regular land line also, if you need one. Would be nice if it gave you more than a couple background pictures to choose from, 2 yahoo and 1 linksys, oh think there was another but it was awful.

Other than that.... 5 thumbs up!

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Rating: - Linksys CIT310 Cordless Phone for Yahoo
Great phone. Only one problem is that the volume is extremely low and cannot be adjusted. Based on other reviews I have read this is a common problem. Tech support and detailed installation instructions for problems is lacking. Installation problem I had I was able to resolve by doing a search on the internet. I could not get the phone to work without turning off my computer speakers. However, making a setting change in Yahoo Messenger solved the problem. If you can live with a low non adjustable volume I would recommend the phone. Many places were selling the phone for $70 and up. Found it on Amazon for $21.