Making Skype calls via smartphones has been done before. It looks like the guys from Skype plan on expanding their market by offering a downloadable Java client for non-smartphones. To find out more, check out the full article.

 

Previously, we relayed to you a rumor about the existence of a new phone that would enable Skype users to send phone calls to other Skype users for free. Thanks to a tip from Luciano, however, we've just found out that it isn't a rumor. In fact, it seems to be already available for folks everywhere to pre-order.

The device is called the 3 Skypephone, and as its name implies, the phone's main draw is its ability to let Skype users call other Skype users, whether on the computer or on other Skype-capable phones, for free. According to the website, the service is available for both pay-as-you-go users and subscribers, though pay-as-you-go users will have to pay a £49.99 fee to keep the service active.

In addition to the Skypephone's special service, the phone will carry the same accoutrements, such as an mp3 player and camera. For more information, you can check Three's Skypephone page, as linked below

A very strong rumor is going around that 3 Mobile and Skype are on the tailend (if not already at the end) of developing a new phone that would let Skype users to make calls to fellow Skype users (whether on the PC or on other Skype phones) for free. According to reports, the phone is called the 3SkypePhone.

A phone working on the same principle already exists, but runs on the WiFi network. The rumor doesn't mention how the new 3Skypephone will work, but the rumor does follow that the phone will have other features besides the free Skype-to-Skype calls:

• 2 Megapixel camera
• Photo editing and effects function
• Video capture
• MP3 player
• Inbuilt equalizer which enhances reproduction delivering great bass
• Simple navigation for browsing the library

Not only that but it will come in three colors and "will also be the only phone available on the new £12 Mix and Match 100 tariff which offers 100 minutes or texts or any mix of the two," according to the rumor. When will this wonder be available? October 29, and its official launch is on November 2. Not long before we can confirm this one.

Details on Nokia's N810 internet tablet are now out, and we couldn't help but feel awed by its presence. Make no mistake, this is not really a phone and does not work by receiving phone signals. The N810 connects to the internet (and make internet phone calls through Skype or Gizmo) via Wi-Fi connection through Boingo Wireless, Earthlink and The Cloud, among other Wi-Fi service providers.

The N810 looks like Sony mylo's older sibling, with the same sliding qwerty keypad and similar basic functions. It's small enough to fit in one's pocket, however, making it an indispensable tool for online communication on the go. It basically lets you fire off instant messages, check emails, make internet calls, all without having to lug a laptop around.

The N810 has a 4.13" inch screen with a crisp 800x400 widescreen resolution, and also has an integrated GPS receiver making it an ideal device for tracking and navigation via Wayfinder. It also has an integrated VGA camera, and with an optional 10GB memory card, you'll never have to venture out into the world unprepared.

Two big names in telecommunications are merging technologies into something bigger and better than before. Shape Services, a well-known developer of IM (Instant Messenger) clients has announced the beta testing implementation of the Skype peer-to-peer Internet telephony network for the iPhone.

Having already developed the technology for several phone models, the IM+ for Skype program developed by Shape Services shares all the conventional features of Skype and integrates it into the design and interface of the iPhone.

In addition, the program runs independently off any worldwide 3G/GSM/CDMA network; in other words, it can work practically anywhere without the need of a WiFi connection.

Another feature worth noting is the cost effective rate a user pays when using the program for voice calls compared to a regular mobile-to-landline or mobile-to-mobile call, especially one overseas.

All this can be purchased through a one-time fee with no subsequent monthly dues, according to the Shape Services site which you can access by clicking on the Read link below.

In a recent talk given by Laura Bush, she said that approximately 850,000 children are reported missing in the US each year. These are not good numbers by any account. That's why SmartLabs, in conjunction with a bunch of other organizations and the UK Serious Crimes Unit, have started up a program called Lost and Found to lessen, if not completely eliminate, this problem.

So what are the projects goals?

• utilize cutting edge and future technology tools to mobilize community intervention
  post images of missing children (or adults) and running a GPS-enabled system with live and online objectives to track sightings
• mobilize groups to block roads, explore fields, find those who are lost and report those who are hiding them
• include Skype links, mobile sensors and links to public webcams + podcasts and broadcasts where participants can see their own input to achieving success in FINDING lost community members, and to change the nature of play, and the sense of responsibility it entails.

How does it work? Based on the diagram below, the system uses a simple server-client architecture where users will receive new information and pictures of missing kids via their cellular phones. If any of them are spotted, then they can report this new information which will be processed real-time; this data will be disseminated among the community who can then possibly dish out helpful feedback. The GPS-enabled system along with the regular streaming of information should be able to track down the child along with the offenders who are presumably in custody of the child.

 

This is something that we hope every QJ reader will support because of its potential benefits to the community and to the youth in our nation.

From cellphones to TVs and PC's. The founders of Skype have recently announced they're now conducting tests on broadband television service for computer screens. The project's called "The Venice Project," and is currently undergoing beta testing among 6,000 users.

"We are trying to bring together the best of TV with the best of the Internet," said Skype's director of strategy and innovation, Janus Friis. According to Friis and Skype's Chief Executive Niklas Zennstrom, the broadband service was developed using money money when Skype to eBay Inc. for $2.6 billion last year.

And while there aren't any details of when Beta testing will be finished, this could spell good news for PC with broadband internet connections, the broadband service promises high-quality channels over your choice of desktop. We'll let you know if there's any developments for this new broadband service.

Did you ever imagine that there will come a time when you can make Skype calls on your mobile phone without even having to install software on your phone? At all? Well, if you did, then you've got some imagination right there!

Welcome MobiGater, the newest gateway from Skype to your GSM. By simply connecting the USB to a PC, you can now connect to the Skype VOIP infrastructure. Now, did we mention you don't need to install any software? Yeah, that holds true. What you do need, however, is a SIM card for the MobiGater to work. What the MobiGater maker, Euro Design Ltd.,  suggests is for you to get a SIM card with low rates on the same network as your mobile phone.

Also, please take note that you would still have t pay for the call to the MobiGater device when making your calls via Skype. But regardless of that additional cost, at least you can now use your mobile phone and actually make cheap Skype calls. Just as you imagined it to be.

Good news for smartphone owners: Skype will run on Symbian phones by the end of the year. This is according to Eric Lagier, a Skype mobile development exec, in response to the clamor that's been going on concerning Skype's plans to synchronize with Symbian OS.

As we all know, most mobile phone users would much rather use a Skype-compatible phone to take advantage of the cheaper price of VoIP calls. Trouble is that Skype on mobile is still under development. There have been mixed reactions concerning Skype's entry into the mobile industry. Skype has taken its first steps into getting assimilated into the mobile market for quite some time now, (with iSkoot and Netgear Wi-Fi phones, for instance), but they have held off on Symbian.

The reason why the Skype-Symbian partnership is being pushed is because most other mobile OS that work with Skype are expensive or are limited to a certain region in the world. Symbian is a rather popular OS - it may support Wi-Fi connections and runs on most 3G networks. Although Lagier admits Skype on Symbian won't be free, the cost of a VoIP call won't be as expensive as any other mobile calls that are made on other P2P internet telephony network.

The growth of Bluetooth has been exponential in the last 5 years or so, with the introduction of the new wireless standard to mobile phones and laptops alike. The VoiceStation Bluetooth conference phone shows just how this Bluetooth technology has adapted to suit our normal lives. Designed for the small office/conference room, the VoiceStation 500 from Polycom features their Acoustic Clarity Technology for full, natural group conferencing which works by minimising annoying conference phone call features such as background echoes, word clipping and distortion; providing high-quality voice conferencing for all.

The VoiceStation 500 features 3 360-degree microphones that have been finely tuned using Polycom's 12 years in the voice conferencing business for maximum clarity. The Bluetooth part of the device allows you to connect wirelessly to a mobile phone for conference calls, or to a computer for use with VoIP services such as Skype, giving this device many uses. If you don't have a bluetooth connection, you can even connect it up to your PC using the good old-fashioned copper wire - known as a cable to you and me.

The Polycom Voicestation can be picked up for as little as $260 from certain online retailers.