Skype wants to win over the mainstream by luring them with bargains beyond their beliefs-or at least discounted routers and Internet phones. To kick off the opening of its new online store (skype.com/shop), the VoIP provider is offering a SMC WiFi phone, FON router, 500 SkypeOut minutes and a year's worth of free Skype voicemail for $159. That's about $50 off regular retail price. (To win a free bundle, scroll down and enter our contest.)

 

We got our hands on the specially-priced bundle and tried out its different components. To start we set up the La Fonera FON router. Easy to install, the exotic-sounding router is about the size of a deck of cards, and allows you to securely share your wireless signal with others that are part of FON's Wi-Fi community, and to access your own private encrypted connection anywhere you go.

 

FON is unique in that it lets you bring your Wi-Fi connection with you and has created a community for sharing connections with others in the FONosphere. If you own a FON and have an account you can log into any FON connection in the world. The router comes prepackaged with everything you need including an Ethernet cord and power plug. Once the router was plugged in we launched the Web browser and immediately was prompted to create a user name and password. This lets you login to your personal Wi-Fi connection anywhere and start wireless browsing the Web.

 

With the Wi-Fi configured, we unpacked the SMC Skype Wi-Fi phone, which lets users make Skype calls without using a computer. The light candy-bar shaped phone immediately provides a list of wireless networks in the area that you can connect to. We selected our public FON_AP network, which we just set up, and entered our FON username and password using the keys on the phone. Within three minutes we were connected and ready to log-in to our Skype account. Like other Wi-Fi phones, that are a lot more pricey, the SMC loads your Skype account and contact list. We had no problems making calls to other Skype users. We even used Skype's North America Unlimited Calling plan ($30 for the year for unlimited calls to anywhere in the US or Canada) to call landline or mobile phones. The quality on our end was as good as a Skype call through a PC, but not as good as a cell phone call; some people we called reported a bit of echo on the other end.

 

Win A FON/Skype Bundle! LAPTOP wants to spread a little Wi-Fi joy of its own. We're giving away ten FON/SMC Bundles. Just let us know the craziest place you want to set up Wi-Fi, and make Skype calls from. Enter now.