Even though landline phones are supposed to be dying, the Grandstream GXV3140 is extending the desktop phone into the Internet era with its support for Skype (News - Alert).

“The Grandstream GXV3140 offers a combination of best-in-class technology with plug-in capabilities. The GXV3140 allows you to keep in touch with friends and family around the world and to keep track of information that impacts your daily life without interruption, whatever the time of day,” Techwatch said in its review of the device.

The phone is certified for use with Skype with a front-facing VGA (640 x 480) resolution camera. Grandstream is marketing the phone to home users as well as business users, touting its music and video streaming features.

The appeal to home users would probably be limited, as most people will already have something they can make and receive calls with, such as a PC, tablet or a smartphone. The latter two are more portable, while the GXV3140 is a full-sized desktop phone.

While the company makes similar desktop phones that run Android (News - Alert), Grandstream has its own platform on this phone.

Business users would probably appreciate the phone more, since its wired connections are more reliable than Wi-Fi. Microsoft (News - Alert) rebranding Lync as Skype for Business could encourage them to adopt the phone, since it’s certified for Skype. The videoconferencing is useful for businesses that want to save on travel costs, though serious users will probably want a device with a better camera.

In any case, it shows Skype’s wide hardware support. One of the selling points of Skype is that it supports just about anything with an Internet connection: smartphones, tablets, PCs and smart TVs. Skype even supports Linux on a desktop, a rarity among commercial software companies and even more so for a company owned by Microsoft.

Skype users will have another choice for hardware, at least.