Facebook’s made no official push into the smartphone universe — to date, we’ve been left using various mobile apps to connect with J. Timberlake, Marky Z. and the rest of the crew, but it looks as if the preeminent social networking site of our generation (ahem) is just about ready to clear the air on at least one issue. The invite above recently landed in our inbox, requesting our presence at “a mobile event at Facebook HQ” in Palo Alto, California. Naturally, we’ll be on hand from NorCal bringing you the blow-by-blow, and we’re interested to know what you think will be on deck. Will we finally see the Facebook phone that it quickly shot down? The Nexus Two with a borderline-criminal amount of Facebook integration? The resurgence of using pastel colored tin cans to connect Jane and Joe? Whatever the case, we’re sure It’s Complicated.
Not stoked on Skype or FaceTime? Looks like you’ve got another option, bub. That overhauled Yahoo Messenger app we told you about 48 hours ago is now live in the App Store, offering multitasking on the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4, 3G / WiFi video calling (iOS to iOS, iOS to Android or iOS to PC) and instant notifications. Users interested in making voice calls can also tap into their bucket of Yahoo Voice Phone Out minutes, but it’ll only work in America, France, Germany, Spain and Singapore at the moment. Hit that source link to get your download on, cool?
Well, that didn’t take long. Just days after the official Skype application finally landed in the Android Market, along comes an .apk that’s far more salacious for Americans. Thanks to xeudoxus over at Droid Forums, a tweaked version of the app is now available to download and sideload (sorry, stock Aria owners), promising the same functionality but without that nasty 3G block. It’s really as simple as that — hit those source links to get the unquestionably superior version, and feel free to let us know how your carrier’s network holds up in a test call.
That’s no render we’re looking at, Savant assures us, it’s the most recent photograph of the company’s Touch Remote prototype. This crazy do-it-all peripheral comes with an embedded fourth-gen iPod touch — no word on whether you’ll be able to remove it, though it looks unlikely — and mirrors the abilities of Savant’s iPad home control and automation app. That means that once you get your lights, climate control, network cameras, and home cinema hooked up to Savant’s control hub, you’ll have yourself a neatly streamlined remote to save you doing anything yourself again. Or so goes the theory, anyhow. Savant augments the offering with promises of VoIP and FaceTime integration by the time the Touch Remote ships to retailers in the first quarter of next year. MSRP is set at $399, which may or may not be feasible given that the iPod touch by itself costs at least $229. We shall see. For now, you can see the prototype device on video after the break.
Even if you hold your laptop up to your face like a flip phone, talking into your computer is lame. You want to use Google Voice like a real phone—with buttons and stuff. We’ll tell you how. More »
Skype released its long-awaited app for Android. It’s free and available for download now at Skype’s website or the Android Marketplace for devices running Android OS 2.1 and above. But US users will have to wait for Skype calls over 3G.
Outside the US, the new Skype app for Android works over both Wi-Fi and 3G, features free Skype-to-Skype calls and group IMs, and paid US or international calls to any mobile or landline number using Skype credits or a subscription plan.
Skype for Android works using the same Skype account as your desktop and autoloads your contact list. You can also search for and add new contacts within the application. For users on networks in the US, 3G calling is disabled, as was initially the case with Skype for iPhone. (Verizon’s separate mobile Skype application allows for 3G calls only on certain phones on its network, including some Android phones). Video calling, which is supported on Skype’s desktop apps, is not available for mobile.
The only way to receive calls on Skype for Android is to purchase a SkypeIn online telephone number. Skype offers phone numbers in 25 countries; users can answer calls from any mobile or landline number in Skype. These numbers cost $18 for 3 months or $60 for a year. Users who buy a monthly subscription for calling time to non-Skype phones get a 50% discount, which could be attractive to those who prefer to use Skype as a primary telephony solution.
Skype instant messages can be sent and received in the new Android app. One workaround for users with free Skype accounts could be to receive a Skype IM from another Skype user, then phone that user back. It’s difficult to imagine how this could work if both users were phoning and messaging using Skype for Android, though.
Unfortunately, some users have already had difficulty getting that far with the new app. Currently, Skype for Android doesn’t work on Samsung’s Galaxy S, although Skype has promised a fix in the near future. The service isn’t available in China or Japan. The app also doesn’t work on Android phones with screen resolutions below 480×320 pixels, including the HTC Wildfire.
According to Skype, the app has been tested only on HTC and Motorola phones running Android 2.1 and above.
Some Android users on Verizon have already been able to access to a mobile Skype application through Verizon’s media store. However, Verizon’s Skype app worked only over the 3G network, and calls to mobile and landline phones in the US counted towards a user’s wireless minutes. In the new Android app, all Skype calls to non-Skype numbers use Skype credit.
Skype has an application for iPhone with similar functionality over Wi-Fi and 3G; Blackberry users are currently limited to Verizon’s mobile Skype application.
Got a workplace fancy enough to warrant $500 video conferencing VoIP phones? Then Aliph’s got a Bluetooth headset you might like to own. From what we can tell from the press release, the Jawbone Icon for Cisco doesn’t have anything new in terms of audio quality or styling — the old adage of don’t fix what ain’t broke — but instead adds upgradable firmware and allegedly seamless switching between a Cisco Unified IP Phone (or that Cius tablet) and your personal cell. The idea is that you could walk around all day untethered, and never need to bend over to pick up calls from either phone. The headset’s already shipping in the US and Canada with top-tier Cisco phones. Hear that? That’s the sound of the last vestiges of humanity fading away as the Bluetooth cyborgs take over. PR after the break.
A few months earlier in the year, we covered the arduous process of staying connected while traveling abroad. One of the ways we mentioned for jetsetters, backpackers and common tourists to stay jacked in while situated far from their homeland was a MiFi rental service from Xcom Global. The company has only been operating for a matter of months, but we recently took their services for a spin in order to give you a more detailed look at what to expect. The long and short of it? These guys are the guys to contact when you’re about to grab your next passport stamp. Read on to find out why.
The iPhone 4 launched this weekend in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, but buyers wound up with a surprise — their handset’s front-facing cameras couldn’t do FaceTime. The National reports that the video chat feature is missing from phones sold at UAE carriers Etisalat and du, as well as those from Vodafone Qatar. Carriers are blaming Apple for the missing feature, and spokespersons from both Etisalat and Vodafone say they’re speaking to Cupertino about reinstating FaceTime post-haste; It was reportedly advertised on Middle Eastern versions of Apple’s iPhone website until around September 20th, when all references to FaceTime were removed. TUAW reports that some UAE denizens have actually tested FaceTime on phones bought abroad and found it working just fine, but that the functionality disappears after installing the local version of the iOS 4.1 update.
RIM’s Mike Lazaridis famously warned that countries threatening to ban the BlackBerry might thumb their nose at other forms of internet transmission too, but if’s far too early to tell if Apple was pressured into removing FaceTime or chose to for another reason entirely. It’s worth noting that both the UAE and Egypt (also missing FaceTime website ads) have bannedcertain VoIP services in the past.
When we first caught wind of Fring a while back, Skype compatibility was the draw, but as the years progressed and Fring grew some, the VoIP services didn’t exactly get along. Today, the company’s taking matters into its own hands with the not-so-subtly named FringOut, which appears to provide even cheaper calls to landlines and mobile phones than its powerful namesake. Starting on Nokia’s S60 platform and “coming soon” to Android and iPhone, FringOut’s promising as-low-as one-cent-a-minute calls. Sounds like a deal to us, but of course, call quality is paramount — let us know if you like what you hear if you happen to try it out. PR and video after the break.
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