April 2008

Here’s a video of Skype for your mobile running on a Nokia N95 8GB. You can learn more about Skype for your mobile from my full post about it and you can download it for your phone here. Don’t forget that it’s beta software: known bugs are here, and you can report any you find here.

Whoa whoa whoa! Hot on the heels of Skype’s new global calling plans comes (in my geeky opinion) some even more exciting news—the release of Skype for your mobile beta!

So what is it and what can you do with it?

Skype for your mobile (beta) is a ‘thin’ client for Skype that works on Java-enabled mobile phones. It lets you use many of Skype’s features on the phone you already have. On the main information page (here), you can get instructions for how to install it on your phone and you can see a list of phones that Skype for your mobile has been tested on (though it may work even if your phone isn’t listed, the phone needs to be Java-enabled).

Using Skype for your mobile beta, you can

• Make Skype-to-Skype and SkypeOut calls
• Receive calls from Skype contacts and from people calling your online number (SkypeIn)
• Send and receive instant messages (including group chats)
• See whether your contacts are online
• Set your online presence
• Adjust your account settings

There are a couple things to be aware of though:

Continue reading "Hello, Skype for your mobile!" »

Some recent Gear-related news on this fine Tuesday:

A double take on the Belkin Skype WiFi Phone

I just caught this video review of the Belkin WiFi Phone for Skype by Chris Hogg (and Chris Hogg) on Digital Journal TV. We’ve reviewed it before here. "They" run through what the phone does and say that it kicks derriere. I’m not sure of the camera and computer tricks DJTV used to make the video, but it’s pretty neat. Watch it here:

PSP’d

If you’ve got a Sony PSP Slim & Lite and haven’t tried Skype on it yet, have a look at these step-by-step instructions on Instructables. The author also goes into how to rip and convert DVDs for viewing on the PSP.

Webware 100 Winner!

For the second year in a row, Skype is a winner in CNET’s Webware 100 Awards in the Communication category. Users (like you! Thanks if you voted!)chose the winners of these awards; no doubt this year more people are using Skype in more ways beyond the computer (like on a Nokia Internet Tablet, 3 Skypephone, a Skype WiFi phone, a Sony Mylo—the list goes on…). Check out the Skype’s winning page here, and all the 2008 Webware 100 winners here.

Caught a neat bit of unconventional Skype Gear this week—David Bue Pedersen has created a "a DIY instant messenger online contact signalizer picture frame thingy" which works pretty much as described—it lets him see who’s on Skype in a physical, visual way as he lounges across the room getting fanned and fed grapes. Or doing whatever he, um, normally does.

David used polycarbonate to make a picture frame for five photos, and backlit each photo with a LED. Then using some circuit wizardry and the Skype API, he got the LEDs talking to Skype and lighting up when the person in the photo is online. Pretty neat.

If you’re of the Do-It-Yourself / Make Magazine persuasion, you can make your own light-up frame for up to 22 people—David provides schematics. More info (and some other cool DIY projects) on David’s site here.

Some exciting news out of the CTIA Wireless conference in Las Vegas, USA this week—Nokia officially announced the N810 Internet Tablet WiMAX Edition. The N810 WiMAX Edition takes the very Skype-friendly Nokia N810 and adds WiMAX, a new wireless broadband technology. It’s going to be out in the US this summer in areas where WiMAX is available. What exactly is WiMAX? The press release spells it out quite clearly:

WiMAX is a standards-based wireless broadband technology that delivers an open Internet experience similar to that of fixed broadband technologies with typical data download speeds of up to 2-4 Mbps per user with peak download speeds of up to 10 Mbps. Unlike current single point local area technologies like Wi-Fi which have a range of a few hundred feet, WiMAX networks consist of a number of interconnected base stations, each with a radius of up to 2-3 miles, that allow for handoffs from one base station to another as users move about a region or metro area. Additionally, WiMAX networks integrate technology designed to maximize the quality of service for each subscriber.

I think this is pretty awesome—it adds a whole new layer of mobility to the N810. Rather than needing to be at a WiFi hotspot or tethered to your mobile through bluetooth to check your email or make a Skype call, you’ll be able to get online wherever you have a WiMAX signal (presumably in large metropolitan areas to start). Check out a video of the Nokia N810 WiMAX Edition in action after the jump.

Continue reading "MAXed out: Nokia N810 Internet Tablet WiMAX Edition" »