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Product Description

Break away from your PC and make free or low-cost calls to your friends using Yahoo! Messenger with Voice! The Linksys Dual-Mode Cordless Phone for Yahoo! Messenger comes with the handset, charger, and a USB Base Station that plugs into your PC. Dual-Mode capability lets you choose whether to make free or low-cost calls with the Yahoo! Messenger with Voice service on your PC, or over a regular telephone line. Just select who you want to talk to from your Yahoo! Messenger contact list on your handset and when your contact answers, talk away!The phone supports Yahoo! Phone Out so you can talk with friends on their regular phones and will ring, displaying the Caller ID on the handset's screen when you have an incoming call with the Yahoo! Phone In service.The Linksys Dual-Mode Cordless Phone for Yahoo! Messenger with Voice allows you to choose to make free calls to other friends using Yahoo! Messenger with Voice or over your existing standard telephone line. You'll get the convenience of a cordless phone and all its features, plus the high-quality voice reception, without being tied to your computer.What is Yahoo! Messenger with Voice? Yahoo! Messenger with Voice is free software that lets you communicate in real-time with friends and family. Make free PC-to-PC calls to other friends on Yahoo! Messenger, or use the Phone Out service to call friends on their regular or mobile phones worldwide at low rates. The Linksys Dual-Mode Cordless Phone for Yahoo! Messenger gives you the freedom to make calls from your PC - without being tied down with wires or a headset. Get dialed-in with the Linksys Dual-Mode cordless Phone with Yahoo! Messenger with Voice and start saving on phone calls today!

The Linksys CIT 310 Dual-Mode phone for Yahoo Messenger frees your internet phone from all cords and computers. With its convenient and ergonomic handset, you can make free voice-over-internet-phone (VOIP) calls to all your friends who have Yahoo Messenger accounts, or very inexpensive calls to cell and land-line phones anywhere in the world--from any room in your house.

The CIT 310 dual-mode phone allows you to make free VOIP calls to all your friends on Yahoo Messenger and very inexpensive calls to everyone else.

How it Works
Using the Linksys CIT 310 is much like using any cordless land-line phone. "Dual Mode" means that you can either use the device to make regular calls through your phone service, as you would with any cordless phone, or, you can allow the phone to connect through your computer's high-speed internet service and--using your Yahoo Messenger with Voice account--make internet calls

Users who are already Yahoo Messenger customers...will find the Linksys CIT 310 a snap to set up.

anywhere in the world. A base station connects both to your regular phone jack and to a USB port on your PC. Once you've set up a Yahoo Messenger account, your computer will send your Yahoo contact list to the phone. All you then have to do is scroll through the list and push a button to call the computer of any of your contacts. A separate button connects you to your regular phone service.

To make calls to cell and land-line phones you'll need to purchase "Phone Out" time. Prices vary depending on the country you want to call, but most international calls run 1 to 2 cents a minute. Of course the Linksys handset also makes it easier for friends to call you through free internet services. You won't pay for computer-to-computer calls, but rather than rushing to your computer and pushing various keys to answer an internet call, the handset will ring at an incoming internet call, allowing you to answer just like a traditional phone. The final option is to allow friends to call your internet phone from their cell or land-line phones. For a modest fee (currently around $30 a year) you can purchase a "Phone In" number others can use to call you.

Design
The handset has a nice modern design that feels comfortable and natural in either hand. At 5.5 inches high by 1.08 inches wide, it more resembles a contemporary cordless phone in size and shape than it does a cell phone. While the small color screen has only moderate resolution, it does offer manual adjustment of brightness and contrast. Of course, this phone is meant for calling only--not for viewing email or videos--so it's more than adequate for the job.

Scroll through your list of Yahoo contacts and push a button to call your friend's computer.

You can even use the CIT 310 to check local weather or look up an address. View all screens.

Setup and Operation
Users who are already Yahoo Messenger customers, or who are already practiced in the arts of internet telephony, will find the Linksys CIT 310 a snap to set up. If you're new to VOIP, though, setup may be a little tougher, although the accompanying software relieves most of the stress. Pop in the disk and you will be guided through the process of connecting the phone and setting up a Yahoo Messenger account. From there you can follow links to purchase Phone Out time or to obtain a Phone In number. Managing your list of contacts is done on your PC, which then sends the information to the phone when it is in the base station. Once setup is complete the device functions very much like a modern cordless phone--choose from your list of contacts or dial a number and push the call button. We found that within a few minutes of familiarzation with the handset we were able to make both national and international calls with ease.

Connection Quality and Convenience
Let's be honest: VOIP is simply not yet as reliable as a land-line (or good cell connection), nor is the sound quality as high. That said, we tested the phone by making a series of calls locally, nationally, and internationally and found we were able to achieve pretty good, but not great, reception. Calling a friend in London we experienced a lag for a few seconds, but once the connection was established we noticed only a slight reduction in sound quality compared to a land-line conversation. Those familiar with internet phoning are aware that only one voice in the conversation can be heard at a time, making it impossible for you and your conversation partner to talk over the top of each other. To some this can be a bit disconcerting at first, but we found that only a brief warm-up period is required to adjust.

The Linksys CIT 310 advertizes a connection range of about 50 meters between handset and base station during indoor use. Our experience was that the connection is about what you would expect from any modern cordless phone. We had no trouble moving from room to room or to a different floor in the house from the base station, but could not stray too far outdoors. While the phone frees internet phoning from a direct connection to your PC, it can only be used within range of the base station connected to your PC. This is in contrast to a Wi-Fi based internet phone, such as the Netgear Skype Phone, which allows you to connect to the Skype VOIP network whenever you're in range of any accessible Wi-Fi hotspot.

Speaking of Skype, we compared the connection quality of the CIT 310 and Yahoo Messenger with Skype calls. We found voice quality to be very similar, and the Yahoo Messenger service offers much the same functionality as the venerable Skype service. Overall, if you don't require a Wi-Fi based phone, and you can live with having the base station connected to your computer, the CIT 310 provides a dandy alternative to Skype.

Pros

• Convenient internet telephoning for fans of Yahoo Messenger with Voice
• Dual-Mode allows it to function as regular cordless phone
• Great solution to international calling, supporting connections to all cell and land lines

• Works only with Yahoo Messenger, a less common VOIP standard
• Voice quality dependent on the quality of your Internet connection
• Base station must be connected your computer for VOIP operation

Customer Reviews:

• Great Concept if It Worked
  I purchased this phone as an alternate to my cell phone when minutes got low I could use the cit310 at a very much cheaper rate than my cell phone carrier charges for excess minutes.
  
  My problem was it was working fine for a year and then for some reason it would not perform correctly. I could make a call but the reciever could not hear me,and I could not leave a message on there cell phone or land line, and and after testing on my own a little further I would have someone call me which I could recieve calls and they said I was very hard to hear. Now when I did upgrade to yahoo messenge 9 it would not work at all and then I had to go back to the older version and it worked fine in all ways.
  
  I called Linksys Tech and after talking to some foreigner (probably India) this I presume because when I had trouble with my linksys wireless router I was talking to a young lady in the Philippines, any way he said because the phone was out of warranty a few months andI would have to purchase a one time $29.99 customer support call or a $39.99 for a 6 month support service, in order for him to help with the above problem and as I explained all the problems to him he said it is a software glitch and needed upgrading other than what was available on the web site and for him to direct to the website I would need to purchase the above contract support.
  
  One would think that a company like Linksys would put out updates on a regular basis for there products.
  I got so upset I just told him that was the last Linksys product I would buy, because if a company cant put out a simple upgrade I did not need them.
  If anyone has had this similiar problem and or found a fix please email me, unfortunately where i am living now is a poor reception for my cell phone.
  I hope this helps other people in the Linksys cit310 with the version 1.2.
  Please email me if anyone has found a solution (dml822000@yahoo.com)...more info
• Linksys CIT310 Dual-Mode Cordless Phone
  Phone is convenient, able to use as both PC to PC as well as land line. Great reception as a land line, PC to PC connection often with enough static that call needs to be terminated, have to report problems with almost every use. ...more info
• Functionally partially satisfying
  I'm glad I got it for the lowest price I could find. Althought the people on the other end sound only slightly disatant, there's not any static or anything of that sort - but it is pretty hard to hear them, and I've not had much luck in finding anyway to adjust to volume in a discernable way. The calling out works fine, once you figure out what settings to put the mic and speakers on - but that took some trial and error. And just when you think you have it, someone calls you, and the settings that worked for calling out, don't work for calling in. haven't had a chance to convince someone to trouble shoot it with me - it'd take them making a few calls while I try the different settings options. So it's functional. partially. And I think I recall recieving a call on it successfully once, but I don't remember the settings I used. The literature/manuals were not vista based or the latest version of Messenger, so the settings they described didn't apply....more info
• I hate it! Wish I could give it a minus 10 stars!!!!!!
  I thought this phone might be the perfect thing for an American working overseas who didn't want to be tied to her computer while making calls to loved ones back home. Boy, was I wrong!!!! I've had the phone for several days, but only installed and left it to charge the day I got it, figuring I'd come back on the weekend and give it a good workout. Well, after many hours of changing all the settings on my computer, uninstalling, reinstalling, rebooting, no help from Linksys live online tech support, fruitless phone calls to Linksys and a couple of hours of fighting the urge for a stiff adult beverage to take the sting out of this nightmare, I am just about ready to box it up and send it back to Amazon. Installation seemed to be a breeze, but it's not working like it should. Instead of the audio from the handset and not PC speakers, I hear it from both the handset and the PC speakers. Of the few calls that did make it through (I believe that to be a problem with this phone and not Yahoo Voice, as I've very very rarely had dropped calls in the 4 months I've been using Yahoo Voice) once they connected I only heard audio through the PC speakers. No more audio on the handset, and apparently no one could hear me either. I looked everywhere on Linksys' website for an answer, even scrolling through all of the VOIP questions and answers on the users' forum. I spent half an hour waiting "in line" for the online tech support and when my turn finally came all I got was a message saying to call the 800 number, which is 800-326-7114 (in case anyone else feels like beating their head against the wall.) Linksys has to have one of the WORST tech support lines I have ever had to deal with. First of all, they are obviously working from a script (understandable, up to a point) and they don't really listen to what you are telling them. I would consider myself an extremely articulate person, who has never had a problem getting my point across or being understood when explaining something. After several minutes of telling the person on the other end of the line what was happening, what steps I had taken to try to resolve the problem, and what happened as a result of the measures I had already taken, the guy responds with, "So you say you're not able to hear anything on the handset?" "No, that wasn't what I said, did you not listen to anything I just said?" He asked a couple more questions about what was happening, including what I had done and not done (all of which I'd already covered) and then while answering his question, the call was dropped. So I called back, got a different tech support nonhelper and and went through the same deal on an even worse scale. I've had it, I so feel that this has been a HUGE WASTE OF MONEY. Customer service from Linksys is horrid, the phone has been a major disappointment, and now I'll have to make a special trip to a military post office to send this back to Amazon. Not at all the convenience I expected it to be. I may after a day or two, try again, though I can already see that it will be up to me to solve the problem since Linksys has been no help whatsoever. If anything changes I'll update this review. ...more info
• Linksys CIT310
  The Linksys CIT 310 is pure trash. No help what-so-even from Linksys. Several of us purchased these units and none worked as described. It is better to use Yahoo and pay for the minutes directly than to waste the money on this Linksys CIT 310 item....more info
• i guess its ok
  well im in iraq and i figured i buy this phone so i could communicate with my wife through yahoo messenger at first the phone was working ok..well for about 3 hours. then all of a sudden my sound settings were altered horribly and the phone stopped working i finally figured out how to properly use it and lets just say it works when it wants...your better off buying a headphone set.......more info
• Linksys CIT310 Cordless Phone for Yahoo
  Great phone. Only one problem is that the volume is extremely low and cannot be adjusted. Based on other reviews I have read this is a common problem. Tech support and detailed installation instructions for problems is lacking. Installation problem I had I was able to resolve by doing a search on the internet. I could not get the phone to work without turning off my computer speakers. However, making a setting change in Yahoo Messenger solved the problem. If you can live with a low non adjustable volume I would recommend the phone. Many places were selling the phone for $70 and up. Found it on Amazon for $21....more info
• Linksys CIT310 great product
  Before I bought the Links CIT310 phone I read several of the reviews and I must say customers had mixed emotions about how good this phone is. I think their reviews were based on their knowledge of how to set up the phone. I have a girlfriend that lives in south east Asia and I tell you, the quality of the phone is excellent, not to mention how much money I saved. It is much better then paying what I did before which was near $300 a month for a phone bill. Believe me when I say, I don't know what the rest of the customers are saying, but trust me you can not go wrong on buying this phone I HIGHLY recommend it, you will be happy no doubt.
  
  NAT California...more info
• User
  The CIT 310 phone is a great idea , but there are major problems with the phone that detract from its full potential. The first problem is that the sound volume heard by the phone user is way too low and as far as I can tell unadjustable. This is also true for calls placed over the regular phone line even with the phone disconnected from the computer. The sound heard by the people being called is satisfactory and most of the time they report a real clear sound. The second problem is that if the computer is in sleep mode, either an incoming call or an attempt to use the phone will restart the computer. These two problems make the phone not very useful to me.
  1/25/07 Beware the obvious. The navigation bar adjusts the volume. The user manuel does not tell you this nor did my contacts with Linksys. I now think this is a very good product and would rate it as a 4 star....more info
• Wonderful - Product
  This is a great phone and a great investment. I love it and recommend it over Vonage or Skype.A++++ I highlt recommend this phone and it will put Yahoo VOIP on the map! I was really screwed over by Vonage and I am glad I have Yahoo/Linskey Phone as a reliable way to communicate and save hundreds of dollars on my phone bill...more info
• Great land-line phone, poor VoIP phone...
  The main reason I got this phone was for a nice DECT 6.0 phone. The VoIP functionality was nothing more than an added bonus. After poking around with it, I'm glad that's all I got it for. Weather functionality always returns errors and VoIP quality is nothing more than acceptable.
  
  Using a land line the phone is quite nice. Volume is quite loud using the ear piece. Range is very good; I walked up our street a bit before it began cutting out. Battery life seems fine; it has a battery meter on it and I've never seen it below 2/3. However, I almost always have it in the base.
  
  Some problems I have noticed though... Speaker phone is hit or miss. While the volume is very loud, ambient noise (or anything picked up by the microphone) seems to cause the speaker to become very quiet. Keys can be a little confusing at first, and numbers sometimes get pressed twice (not too bad until you're trying to enter something like a credit card number!)
  
  Also, while not so much a problem, the phone is not quite as customizable as I'd like it to be. It has a number of rings to choose from, but most are very annoying polyphonic music. And out of the 4 backgrounds, two are Yahoo related, one's Linksys, and the generic one is rather "flowery"? The ability to add new backgrounds and rings would be nice...
  
  One last thing I should probably bring up; my phone was manufactured in 10/2006 (purchased 1/2009). The 100 free Yahoo minutes expired 10/2008. None of this really bothers me except the fact the battery has been sitting unused and uncharged for over two years. The good news is the battery appears to be two AAA NiMH so it should be very easy to replace should it die prematurely...
  
  Lots of people tend to compain about how unsteady it is standing up. Fact of the matter, it's really not meant to stand up besides in the base. When not charging, it's really meant to lay flat on it's back, hence the rubber back their.
  
  All in all, for $25 I do really like this phone. I love how it looks, I like all the little menus and such it has. I do wish it could connect directly to a network without a computer and the VoIP functionality worked better as a whole. This is why I gave it a rather low rating. However, once you get over the keyboard and forget it's a dual mode phone, it easily deserves 4 or 5 stars in my book....more info
• A very difficult company to deal with
  This is a bad company. I purchased a wireless router from them and, truth be told, it never really worked right. The speed was ok, but it was impossible to set up without tech support and every so often it would simply stop working. When that happened I would be forced to call tech support and spend 30-60 minutes on the phone fighting with them about resetting the router. I recently purchased a new computer and decided to save a little money by moving this router to it. When I called tech support I was told that the router was out of its warranty period and they could not help me... unless I would pay them to. That's right, I would have to pay for the assistance on their product - a working product because it was not under warranty.
  
  So be warned that you are only buying the option to use Linksys' products for a limited time - that is if you have any problems whatsoever that require tech support. I am now trying a Trendnet. Let's see if they are any better.
  ...more info
• Great Phone but Obsolete with no support from Linksys.
  I bought this Phone back in August since I needed an alternative to reduce my long distance charges. I had tried making long distance calls through Yahoo! Voice and their service was pretty good. So I just needed to have a handsfree phone that I could use anywhere in the house. I found this one in Amazon and purchased it when the price had dropped down to $20 with free shipping. Great deal. I received it promptly and had it installed in no time. It worked perfectly. I was so happy with it that I recommended it to everybody and even bought a second one and gave another one as a gift. But recently I started getting charges from Yahoo! Voice for calls that didn't connect. I contacted Yahoo! Voice support and they said I needed to upgrade to latest Yahoo! Messenger version. HUGE mistake because now I get a "runtime error" that shuts down the voip application. Yahoo! Voice says they can't help and refer me to Linksys. And since this phone is obsolete, Linksys no longer provides support for it.
  
  So if you want to buy this phone, you are warned that any issues you might have, you're on your own since there's no support from the Manufacturer. But you could still use it for your landline; this is why I give it only 2 stars because it does not support its main function as a VOIP phone.
  
  I have started researching VOIP phones again for a replacement....more info
• Linksys CIT310 for Yahoo Massanger
  Hi I bought this product for my convinience and its perfect. Its easy to use and install. I recommend for everyone its very cheap to make a any call from yahoo massanger rather than any other voip call. Thanks....more info
• Linksys CIT310 Dual-Mode Cordless Phone
  Having used the phone for two weeks for mainly VoIP calls, I am pleased with it. I do have it connected to the land line as well, but I have used it very little in that mode.
  
  Installation was fairly straight forward, but setting the sound to USB caused me to loose the speaker sound. I did, however, make adjustments so that the phone uses USB and the computer uses the on-board sound card. For an owner unfamiliar with how to do that - it could cause a lot of frustration.
  
  I had some trouble setting up a "phonebook" to use through Yahoo (rather than individually dial each time) for individuals not registered with Yahoo Messenger. I did find the answer in the "pdf" instructions. One must enter names and numbers through the phone's software rather than on the instrument.
  
  I have made a number of telephone calls both here in the United States as well as several to England. The sound is similar to the sound one gets through a headphone. In fact, a headphone/microphone combo unit can be attached to the side of the phone, and I prefer that "hands free" method of calling.
  
  Since it is VoIP technology, one must just keep in mind that there is no "talk over". One must get used to talking and stopping to allow the other party to speak - somewhat like shortwave radio.
  
  What is obvious from the picture is that it is a beautiful design, and the cordless feature provides excellent range where we live. I was able to retain a signal by walking two houses down to test it's strength.
  
  It is a nice addition to Yahoo Messenger w/Voice!
  
  Added 29 MAR 07: Having used it for an additional two weeks I can state that the initial reaction was correct. It has turned out to be our only communication link between San Antonio and England as well as our main tool for domestic long distance.
  
  Only twice have we been unable to make a connection with the called party, but that was a fault in Messenger and not with the phone. The voice quality remains on a par with a land line, and individuals we have called comment on the clarity of the call - once they are told we are using Yahoo VoIP. ...more info
• Useless Device Poorly Supported
  For me, this product was useless. I could never get the base receiver and handset to communicate. Technical support was non-existent nor did anyone respond to my email queries. The knowledge base on the manufacturer's web site did not contain any information on this problem, which seems to be something that should have been addressed. I will never buy another LinkSys product....more info
• likksys dual line phone
  It is a great phone for the money and being dual line compatible It sure comes in handy...more info
• Linksy CIT310, Sleek looks but average performance
  Having seen this as a bargain, i was happy to buy. I have been using this with Yahoo Messenger for a couple of weeks and i have found the software stable and user friendly. The only downside of the Unit is that the volume is low in general on the Handset and i often have to struggle to hear a caller. I was aware from other reviews this might be the case but not expecting such a weak output from the Unit. If you are willing to invest a few dollars to have the occasional conversation then yes it is worth the money. If you are a serious user, then i would consider investing in a proven unit unless you want to lose what little patience you have repeating your conversation. (Yes two cans and a piece of string would is what i think of here) Come on Linksys you can do better!!!!...more info
• awesome phone yahoo CS is terrible
  good sound quality, great price for product and service. For whatever reason I couldn't get my voice credit to apply to my yahoo account. had to setup a new yahoo account just to get it to work. Then had to call Yahoo's stupid consumer service and yell and shout to get credited back for my first attempt at getting my voice service.
  my only grip with the phone is the sound either goes to the phone or the computer speakers. You have to go to audio settings in control panel and set the default device anytime you want to change it between the speakers or phone. Skype has the same phone but their service cost a few more bucks. might be a good alternative just so you don't have to deal with yahoo....more info
• Great but !
  This is a great phone, very clear ofcourse talk over is a drawback like all voip, one thing i could not figure out is that sometimes the voice ocmes out of the computer and sometimes it comes out of the phone.
  if anyone could help would be great...more info
• If you Yahoo Voice, this phone kicks a$$
  Great little phone. rugged too. I've dropped it 1 1/2 times, (second time wasn't very far and onto carpet), and it still works fine, nothing broken. I like the fact that it hooks up to regular land line also, if you need one. Would be nice if it gave you more than a couple background pictures to choose from, 2 yahoo and 1 linksys, oh think there was another but it was awful.
  
  Other than that.... 5 thumbs up!...more info
• Does not work with Messenger 9.0
  i cannot make this product work with Yahoo 9.0. It is too old of a phone and no longer supported by Linksys....more info
• Good sound quality
  It has a very good sound quality and user friendly. I like it!...more info
• So-so
  This product works ok for home phone service. Not so good for the yahoo voice service. Not happy with that part of it....more info
• GREAT PHONE!!!
  It is a great phone, sound quality is very good, especially on the speaker phone option. It works just like you would expect a cordless phone to work, just with the ability to call using Yahoo as well as your regular land line. The only thing i did'nt really like was when placing a call out on Yohoo it does not ring but makes a beeping sound, just one little quirk on an otherwise great phone! If you use Yahoo to make international calls like i do, then you should consider the fredom this phone provides. Highly reccomend this product....more info
• CIT 310 Yahoo internet wireless phone
  This is an excellent buy for anything less than $30 to $39. Its a good phone, as it is a dect 6 phone along with yahoo internet phone. You can hook up your regular phone line to the base unit, as well as connect the base unit to your PC thru the USB port. You will need a yahoo.com account, and then you can chat without sitting at the computer using the yahoo phone to anyone on yahoo account. Please note that the phone does not work with any other internet service like skype or msn, it only works with yahoo messenger and chat. the yahoo button answers yahoo calls or allows you to view active yahoo users in your address book. If there is a local call on your local line, and you connected the base unit to the local line, then you can switch from yahoo phone to local phone. It has great distance, and works in the basement even if your main unit or pc is located on the third floor. Highly recommend the phone. Big feature is that it has a speaker phone built in!
  
  Negative: Low light on the display (at least i have not been able to figure out how to increase the light intensity yet); and the volume is a bit low, but only just a bit.
  ...more info
• this is a great telephone...
  This is a very good telephone with a outstanding quality. The service with the yahoo voice is excelent!!! I recomend it.
  ...more info