Using
the Unit
As I mentioned
before the instructions included with the unit are very helpful to get you
up and running with Deltathree in no time. The first step is to setup your
free Deltathree account. Deltathree will e-mail you back a confirmation with
your username and password. Next time you run the Deltathree software simply
input your username and password and you are in business. With the Deltathree
software running you can now simply dial your long distance call, and Deltathree
will make al the necessary connections. At first this can be a little disconcerting
because there is a delay before you will hear normal "phone - call" sounds
like ringing. However, at that point it pretty much sounds and works like
a normal long distance phone call.
There
are three LED's on the front of the unit. A-Phone, I-Phone, and Ready. The
Ready light will always be blinking when connected to a USB connection. A-Phone
denotes that the unit is being used as a normal analog phone and you can place
phone calls normally. I-Phone denotes that the unit is being used as an internet
phone and when lit, the Deltathree software, Internet Explorer, or other third-party
internet telephony service is on. If you are in analog mode you can easily
switch to internet mode with the Internet Phone Wizard by pressing on the
pound key (#) twice. Couldn't be much simpler than that. A pretty neat feature
with all this analog and internet switching is that the Internet Phone Wizard
supports Actiontec's call waiting modems. If you happen to have one of these
modems you'll be notified of an incoming call while you are talking over the
internet.
Actiontec
sent a username and account for me to use with the Deltathree software. But
since the process is so easy and I was planning to make only long distance
calls in the U.S. I went ahead and setup my own free account. I made a couple
of calls to friends in different areas of the U.S. One was on the East Coast,
one on the West Coast, and the last one was all the way on the other side
of Texas. I make special mention of the Texas long distance calls because
I have to pay higher in state long distance than out of state long distance.
After some getting used to I was up and running with the unit. The sound quality
with these calls was quite good. One big note of warning here though: my main
system runs WindowsMe and has for a couple of months now. The Internet Phone
Wizard is the first USB device I've come across that is incompatible with
this operating system. Windows98 and 98SE worked just fine with the Internet
Phone Wizard, but Me is a definite no go at this point. Consider that if you
will be planning an upgrade to WindowsMe after its September debut.
|
Pros
|
Cons
|
|
No
more long distance phone bills!
Easy to use
|
Does
not work with WindowsMe at this time
|
Conclusions
I like this product quite
a bit. If there is one thing I can always use its more money in my pocket
saved from long distance bills. If you don't find yourself in love with the
Deltathree software Actiontec has a few more programs they recommend listed
at their website. When internet telephony software first hit the market there
was one major flaw: sound quality. You'd have to spend quite a bit of time
tweaking your MIC and headphone settings to get the best possible sound. All
that is easily taken care of with the Internet Phone Wizard. What's more,
if you need more gain or volume simply adjust them from the on screen area
of the Deltathree software. Couldn't be easier than that. If you find yourself
in a position where you are spending a lot of money on long distance calls
I recommend you look into the Actiontec Internet Phone Wizard. The money spent
initially on the unit will more than be offset by the savings you'll have
from not seeing any more long distance bills.
Victor
Oshiro August 23,2000
