A VoIP speakerphone is a combination of new-age and previous-age technologies. It is a speakerphone that allows hands-free, cord-free conversations that take place via Internet telephony. That's where the VoIP comes in.
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is a hot new telephone technology, allowing virtually free telephone calls. Because the only charge for a VoIP call is what you would normally pay for your Internet service, you avoid phone company charges for the call, even if it's long distance. So you can call Sydney, Australia, from your home in Seattle, Washington, and pay the same rate as you would if you picked up your land-line phone and called someone who lives just down the street.
The speakerphone allows you to avoid having to hold the handset in one hand or even to depend on a wireless headset in order to make phone calls. When you make or receive a call, you can switch on the speakerphone and be able to both speak and hear without using your hands. This allows you to continue typing on a keyboard or doing some other form of work while you are having a conversation. You are also free to use both hands to look up something on your computer without having to cradle the phone on one shoulder.
The VoIP speakerphone, then, is a speakerphone that is specially designed to be used with VoIP phone calls; using it for traditional phone calls might be problematic. The VoIP speakerphone can be hooked up to a computer using a USB cable. In this sense, the VoIP speakerphone is a plug-and-play device. Because it requires connection only with a USB port, the VoIP speakerphone is the ultimate portable speakerphone. Hook up the VoIP speakerphone to your laptop, and you have complete Internet telephony on the go.
Even though the VoIP speakerphone appears to be a device unto its own, it can also function as a portal. Specifically, you can connect a wireless headset to your VoIP speakerphone, making it possible to avoid having to switch back and forth if you suddenly want your conversation to go private.