AMEX Unveils Skype Phone with Touch Sensitive Keys

AMEX Digital does a little bit of everything, and although specialized in Blu-ray Recorders and HD DVD Multimedia Center PCs, they've also offered Skype phones, including the i Talk Nano Skype phone that, as name at least, was kind of an iPod rip-off.

After offering their keyboard with Touch Sense keys, AMEX Digital are now offering a wireless Skype phone with the same type of keys.

It makes you wonder whether AMEX didn't like the keys so much that it went on releasing products just to be able to use the technology again.

But you've got to hand it to them. Most Skype mobile phones are plain ugly, while their TSP-VS501 is a very interesting blend between the TV remote control design Skype phones usually have and a sleek black LG Chocolate with touch sensitive keys.

It's just too bad that the screen it features is monochrome, but it is there more for functionality, showing whether the user's friends on Skype are online. Of course, the phone looks much better and more convenient in this photo since you don't get to see the USB cable sticking out, because in order to use it, one has to connect it to a normal USB port on a PC.

It will however work with Skype for free Internet telephony from Skype-to-Skype and SkypeOut for calling regular mobile phones worldwide at local rates, therefore it's both an Internet and regular phone all-in-one. In the end, it's just your regular Skype phone with added touch sensitive keys.

The TSP-VS501 phone will be displayed at CeBIT this year where it is most likely that information regarding its price and future availability will be revealed.