The fun we used to poke at ourselves when the terms 'broadband' and 'India' 'used in the same sentence is no longer valid. Broadband has actually become a reality in the country with most providers offering at least a respectable 256k and 512k connections.
As a result, another technology that’s become 'commonplace is VoIP. There are lots of users for Skype and other internet telephony applications in the country. They also have a lot of services to choose from when looking at calling out of India for cheaper rates.
But the biggest problem that average non-computer users face is the absence of an easy-to-use conventional telephone. People are used to just picking up a phone and dialing a number or choosing a contact from the phonebook. Compare that to using a PC – starting the software, putting on a headset, using the mouse or keyboard to find a contact or key in a number and then placing the call.
This can be a bit intimidating, and that’s why there have been tons of new products that are looking to bridge this divide. These devices resemble conventional phones, but connect to your PC instead of the telephone lines in the wall. They are basically a speaker and a microphone rolled into one device, but then, so is a real telephone.
Genius' latest device is one such USB phone for the PC, but it goes one step further and plays the convergence game, combining a speaker and mic combo with a mouse. Sounds odd? From a normal perspective, yeah, holding up your mouse to your ear does seem quite odd. But then, it's great from a space saving point of view, as this reduces one device from your desk. It's even more convenient for laptop users, because they won't have to carry around an extra device while traveling.
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