voip

CallWave is about the coolest free cell-phone utility I have ever seen, and it goes a long way toward making me not care so much about the "visual voice mail" that Steve Jobs touted for the upcoming iPhone. The CallWave service, which is live now, replaces your standard carrier-provided voice mail with a much better system, and it lets you pick up incoming cell-phone calls on any other phone or even your PC.

I've been using the competing GotVoice service since I first wrote about it in May to get my cellular and home voice mail messages … Read more

In addition to its recent release of the Cube2, MobiBlu launched a pair of flash-based MP3 players at CES 2007.

The Boxon is a bit reminiscent of the iRiver Clix in that it's all screen on front, but it measures just 2x1.7x0.5 inches and weighs about 1 ounce. It has VoIP phone capabilities, too, so you can use it to make Internet phone calls--hot! Available in 1GB ($109) and 2GB ($129) capacities, it'll do video, photos, FM radio, voice/FM recording, direct line-in encoding, and audio playback, but it can't handle PlaysForSure subscription content.

The … Read more

Netgear announced today a dual-mode cordless Wi-Fi phone that supports both traditional landlines and Skype VoIP calling. The Netgear SPH200D Dual-Mode DECT Cordless Phone With Skype has a base unit that plugs into both your network router and a phone jack, allowing you to switch between Skype calls and traditional calls. It uses the 1.9GHz band, which should keep it clear of interference from your (or your neighbor's) wireless network. You can view your regular contacts and your Skype contacts, on the handset's screen, and when making a call to a non-Skype user, you can choose whether … Read more

Probably owing to the sensory overload of the holidays, we at Crave feel compelled to repeat our mantra that less is more. Just after posting an item on an elegant special edition of LG's "Shine," we came across another example of a well-designed handset in the form of a VoIP phone.

What is most appealing about Lexon's "Lexphone" is the consistency with its surroundings. If you appreciate the clean lines of your MacBook or Sony Vaio, for example, the last thing you'd want to do is have some garish phone plugged into it, … Read more

It's true: the iPhone is here--but not the one everyone's been talking about. Linksys announced today its family of Voice over IP and Wi-Fi phones, called iPhone.

The purveyor of home networking equipment has been shipping several flavors of VoIP and Wi-Fi phones since 2004 and announced two new products today, but branding them under the iPhone moniker is a new move. The two new members of the family are the iPhone Dual-Mode Internet Telephony Kit for Skype (CIT400) and the iPhone Wireless-G Phone for Skype (WIP320). The former is targeted for the home: it includes a cordless … Read more

Skype 3 rolled out today without a lot of fanfare. That's fitting as it brings some nifty-sounding new features, but none of them are earth-shattering. The first is a new tab on the Skype dashboard called "Live" that incorporates Skypecasts right into the main window. Here, you can join public discussions and conversations in progress, or start your own. If none of the conversations strikes your fancy, browse the directory to see if there's anything for you there.

The other big addition is the new Do More option under the Tools menu. Here, you'll find … Read more

There's a new click-to-call service launching soon: Jaxtr. Like Jangl, Jaxtr is a way station for phone calls that gives the person being called a lot of control over who can reach them.

The Jaxtr team is pitching its widget technology as the main differentiator of the service. Each Jaxtr user can put a box on their blog or their social network page that allows anyone to connect to them by phone. The reader puts in their phone number, and then Jaxtr calls both parties and connects them. Or--more likely for Jaxtr widgets posted on blog pages--Jaxtr connects the … Read more

Skype announced today a new all-you-can-eat SkypeOut plan for U.S. and Canadian customers. For $29.95 per year, you can make unlimited SkypeOut calls to mobile phones and landlines within the U.S. and Canada. Even better, if you sign up for the plan before Jan. 31, 2007, you get a 50 percent discount so you only pay $14.95 for a year of unlimited SkypeOut calls, plus 100 minutes of SkypeOut credit for international calls. If you're like me and don't make even $14.95 worth of SkypeOut calls each year, you can still opt to … Read more

We've never been huge fans of touchpads; call us old-fashioned, but we just like the feel of a mouse in our hand. But we also understand the aversion to carrying one more thing with your laptop.

Geniusnet has addressed at least part of that problem with the "Genius Navigator 380," a combination VoIP phone, instant-message device and optical mouse released in India.

While being used as a mouse, the closed clamshell handset can still ring or its LED will blink when someone is trying to reach you. It supports up to six instant messengers simultaneously in one … Read more