Bound to my Computer
It’s funny, I was just thinking about how the one thing I don’t like about softphones of any sort is that they “bind” me to my computer. It’s not like I don’t spend too much time in front of one anyway (I do), but the thought of being “bound” to a screen just to talk is just not appealing to me. Maybe this is why I don’t like Skype and the like, at least until some completely standalone hardware comes out that supports it. The only connection is should have to another computer is by Ethernet, no USB cables or others allowed! If it’s not like a SPA-1001 or a HT-486, I’m not interested.
Meanwhile, I run across a recent blog entry from Andy Abramson that says Skype is striking a deal with Logitech to give away vouchers for Skype-out minutes. Good for Skype, I guess, but my thought is: who cares?
One semi-legit softphone usage case seems to be the travelling person with a laptop. Less stuff to carry, okay, I can see that usage case. Quite frankly, most of the people I want to talk to when travelling are reachable via the PSTN. I carry two mobile phones when I travel (and even for International calls, the international plan that AT&T Wireless has gives very good rates, even in terms of conventional PSTN providers) so I don’t see the need to be bound to my computer when I travel, either.
