November 2008

Today I had the chance to check out the new INQ1 phone from 3. Like on the 3 Skypephones S1 and S2, Skype is built in--you can make calls for free using Skype (or for cheap using your Skype credit) from wherever you are. The phone is also big on Internet features and Facebook integration. It will be available from 3 in the UK very soon.

Hardware-wise, the phone feels quite solid in your hand, and the flipping open the keypad is quite satisfying. The buttons offer a good amount of feedback. Software-wise, the BREW interface is clear and clean, and it has many nice features, including widgets on the home screen and an automatic change from portrait to landscape mode in the browser when you turn the phone.

Here's a video I made showing off the INQ1's user interface and Skype functionality.



Check out some more photos of what using the INQ1 is like after the jump.

Continue reading "Hands on with 3's new INQ1 phone" »

You may have seen Peter's post on the main blog about the launch of the first Skype-certified webcam, the Asus AiGuru SV1. It's a very neat little gadget--I'm going to have one to play with this week and will be sharing my thoughts on it soon. But until then, here are some more recent Skype stories in the news:

Podcasting Tip

• Skype is used in the production of many podcasts; while recording the audio from one side will generally produce a "good enough" sounding file, the audio can sound more professional if both parties record their own side of the conversation, chat on skype, and then one person syncs up both audio files afterwards. Dan Benjamin details his process here.

"Celebs" using Skype

• Tori Spelling and her husband Dean McDermott learn about technology (and how to use Skype, about a third of the way in) in this video on PC.com. The video also features the Sony VAIO Mouse Talk, which I reviewed here.
• Kendra Wilkinson, Playboy Playmate and star of the reality show The Girls Next Door, appears on a talk show and mentions how she uses Skype to, erm, stay in touch with her boyfriend across the country (note that this clip isn't exactly safe for work).

Students and Soldiers

• Schools are using Skype to enable teachers to teach and students to learn when they can't be in the classroom because of illness or far away learning opportunities. High school teacher Sallye Clark was able to teach her students from home while recovering from knee surgery.
• And Brenda Page-Riley, in Louisiana on a science fellowship, was able to connect with her primary school students in Connecticut.
• Likewise, American soldiers deployed in Iraq are using Skype to stay close with family members, particularly young children who might not understand why their parents need to leave for so long. Capts. Tom Fischer and Nate Rawlings share their experiences here and here.

This is just awesome: Marque Cornblatt, a San Francisco-based artist and host of the DIY lifestyle and design series Gomi Style, has created Sparky (the Self Portrait Artifact Roving Chassis), a computer on wheels that can be controlled through Skype (and some custom software that uses Skype's API).

He's posted a full set of instructions on Instructables so you can try to make your own Sparky, and he's also made a video, which really brings the project to life. Check it out here: