June 2008

A while back I wrote up a few tips for ways you can use your webcam when you're not using it for video calls on Skype. I hit on remote monitoring, lifestreaming and "media librarying." Recently Lifehacker, one of my favorite blogs for productivity and web tips, put together their own post for ways to use a webcam you might not have thought of. I particularly like the idea of using your face to log into your computer and setting it to record and upload videos of thieves if your laptop is stolen. Also using it for time-lapse photography is a pretty neat idea.

Of course the best use for a webcam is to make video calls on Skype, but these tips are cool for getting more value out of something you've already got.

[photo by Nic Launceford]

Earlier this week our friend (and former Skype blogger) Jaanus Kase noticed an issue that's affecting some users of the FREETALK Wireless Headset--it appears that the headset's microphone doesn't work properly in Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard. Commenters on my original review have noticed poor performance on Mac, and Jaanus noted in his post that the mic does work properly when he's running Windows through Parallels on his Mac.

I've been asking around and I'm still not exactly sure what the issue is, but Skype Support has informed me that they're aware of the problem and are working with ISS (the company that makes the headset) and Apple on resolving it. They haven't been able to reproduce the error on Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger (which was the OS used for Mac Skype Certification).

If you have a FREETALK Wireless Headset and are experiencing poor performance on Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, you have two options. You can either wait for an updated driver that will resolve the issue, or you can return it for a refund / replacement.

If you've purchased the headset from the Skype Store in the past 30 days and wish to return it, you can return it through the Skype Store's normal return policy (here's the EU Store's policy).

If you've had the headset for longer than 30 days, are running Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard and don't want to wait for the updated driver, you can speak with Skype Support. They'll give you the option of getting a refund or a replacement unit (if you think your problem might be due to a hardware fault).