For all of you who cannot do without the efficiency and speed of modern technology but are still nostalgic about the old electronic equipments, Skype has introduced a way in which you can have the best of both worlds.
The Internet voice and video chat service has used the simple but not exactly the latest in technology – analog telephone adapters – to convert landline phones into contemporary gadgets.
In a press release, earlier this week, Skype announced the The FREETALK® Connect•Me Home Phone Adapter for Skype. The adapter involves technology that acts as a conduit between a broadband Internet connection and an ordinary wired or cordless telephone. An Ethernet port as well as two ports for phone lines on the bottom of the device will enable users to switch between services on the traditional landline.
To initiate the service users will have to connect their PC to set things up but after that they just need to make sure that their broadband connection and phone are hooked into the adapter. Commenting on the new service, Niel Stevens, Skype’s vice president and general manager for product and marketing, stated, “Our mission is to make Skype available everywhere so consumers can enjoy conversations whenever and wherever they are. Now, using Skype at home is as simple as picking up a handset and dialing.”
True to the Skype tradition, Skype-to-Skype calls are free, while users will have to purchase one of the several plans in order to call landlines from the Skype handset. The basic adapter, priced at $ 39.99 which can store up to 100 numbers for speed dialing, comes with 60 minutes of free landline calling. A more expensive model priced at $ 59.99 comes with 12 months of landline calls and 200 minutes of international calls. Users who are in need of an international call-centric plan can opt for a package which allows 3 months of unlimited international calling for $ 59.99. 
Skype also announced a new Skype-enabled cordless phone from GE with all the functions provided by the adapter. Priced at $ 69.99, customers can use it in conjunction with calling packages upto $ 89.99 for unlimited countrywide calls for 12 months or unlimited international calls for three months. Other Skype-enabled handsets like the CIT 400 (iPhone) and Linksys iPhone do exist, but the GE ones are the latest ones on the block.
A point to be noted is that the home phone adapter is not a substitution for the landline and, more importantly, emergency 911 calls are not available via Skype.
Both products are now available in the Skype Store for US and Canada. Users can also purchase them directly through the eBuyNow online retail store and other authorized global retailers. The products will be available in the other countries later this year.
You Can check out the Skype adapter promo video below:
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With a view to providing low cost Wi-Fi access to business travelers, recently, Skype rolled out a rebranded version of Skype Access. The Skype Wi-Fi application allows users to fund the Skype credit account and purchase Wi-Fi access at public places like airports and hotels. Prices vary based on the location, but start at as low as 6 cents per minute and users only pay for time rather than for bandwidth used.
A transcript of the Skype Press Release on the URL below will provide you with all the details regarding the packages and the GE handsets. http://blogs.skype.com/en/2011/08/using_skype_from_your_home_phone.html