This was sent by one of the lads at work....

Early adopter

Actiontec Internet Phone Wizard
Dominic Timms
Monday January 24, 2005

Guardian
It does what? With a name straight out of classified
advertising heaven, the Actiontec Internet Phone
Wizard promises to bring cheap, even free, voice over
the internet - or VOIP phone calls - to the masses.

What is the point? Geek up will you. Brain rendered
opaque by winter hibernation? Kick start those two
remaining cells and you should remember the countless
stories last year about voice over internet telephone
calls taking over the world, letting you chat to your
cousin in Australia for two weeks at a stretch for the
cost of a banana and generally buggering BT? Well,
here is a nifty cheap device that will let you do it.

What is so special? Early VOIP fans chatted using
headphones connected to their PCs - hardly the medium
or position of choice for that long romantic call. Or
they installed secondary, internet-only phones. Phone
Wizard does away with both. The little box simply
connects to your phone and PC, enabling you to make
calls as Alexander Graham Bell intended. Using Skype
technology, the Wizard is also the first phone that
will let you make regular and VOIP calls on the same
line.

All this in a perky early spring package? Definitely.
Hardly bigger than an old-school answering machine,
the Wizard simply connects to your PC and phone. Once
you have logged on to Skype, you can pick up the phone
and dial away. Even if your analogue mates lack
internet access, you can still make an international
SkypeOut call, which will be charged at local rates.

Wow or ugh? Wuw. VOIP fans will appreciate not being
nailed to their PCs every time they want to avail
themselves of cheap phone calls, but Luddites will no
doubt find the whole idea too much and stick to their
Bakelites and the operator. Those with pre-Windows
2000/XP machines will have to upgrade.

When can I get one? They went on sale earlier this
month. US prices of $69.99 might not equate exactly to
exchange rates for the good old British pounds, but it
is hard to see the Wizard breaking the £50 mark
anywhere.

http://www.actiontec.com/products/communications/ipw_usb/index.php

Sounds interesting Mango,the box must put out 50v to drive a standard phone.

I was going to have a play around with a Phone hybrid chip to do the same thing looks like they've beaten me to it.
Where it would be interesting would be to connect it to a line port of a Phone system and hey presto cheapo calls over IP beats the shite out of the £1500 + prices for voice over IP cards as quoted by most system manufacturers.
Cheers,
Bob

[Edited on 25/1/05 by splitrivet]