skype

A Net phone for the fashion unconscious

We've said it before, and we'll say it again: More is not always better, when it comes to combo or all-in-one devices. And even when the combination of functions makes some sense, it's often at the cost of atrocious aesthetics.

Take, for example, the "Trio" Skype phone from Ipevo. Its features are logical--a handset, speakerphone and digital recorder, according to Everything USB--but just look at this thing. We first thought it was some kind of Taser or one of those handheld metal detectors that airport security uses when you've set off the threshold alarm.… Read more

Latest Skype worm infects ICQ, MSN, and other IM services

Heard the one about the Skype worm? Actually, users of the popular VoIP service Skype have been contending with misleading and dangerous URLs for some time. Like worms spread by MSN Messenger and Yahoo Messenger, various Skype worms have been known to include a message such as "Give me your opinion" followed by a URL. Clicking the link then installs several malicious files including versions of the Warezov/Stration Trojan horse. Stration has been known to open remote access on infected machines.

Now, Chris Boyd, Director of Malware Research at Facetime Security Labs, has found a recent Skype … Read more

Joost added as defendant in StreamCast lawsuit

Joost, the video-on-demand program created by the founders of Skype and Kazaa, has been named as a defendant in a lawsuit filed a year ago over the technology upon which Skype and Joost are based. StreamCast Networks owns the technology underlying Internet-calling provider Skype's software. In its lawsuit, StreamCast claims that Skype founders Janus Friis and Niklas Zenstromm breached contract by improperly transferring technology rights away from StreamCast. StreamCast, which created the Morpheus file-swapping software, added eBay as a defendant to the lawsuit a year ago. eBay bought Skype in 2005. Joost was launched commercially May 1.

Mobivox does free Skype calls on your cell phone

Mobivox launched the beta of its new mobile-to-Skype service yesterday. Registered Mobivox users with Skype accounts can call local access numbers to be connected via a virtual operator to their Skype contacts, for free. The service works with landlines and mobile phones, and it requires no download to your phone or PC.

To use the service, just give Mobivox your telephone numbers and Skype account info. The service will sync your Skype contacts and make them available to call using the remote voice access system. Just call the number, and you'll get a virtual operator who takes voice … Read more

News Roundup: March Madness on YouTube, Google privacy, and SkypeFind

NCAA tournament clips on YouTube. Just because Viacom has gone lawsuit-happy with YouTube, that doesn't mean CBS wants to keep its content off Google's video-hosting service. CBS will be adding highlights, press conferences and specials available "immediately" following live TV coverage. YouTube users will also be able to vote on and rank their favorite game clips.

Google adding search privacy protections. Google will be "anonymizing" search queries connected to your IP address and browser cookies about 18 to 24 months after they were created. Currently, all three pieces of information are grouped together and … Read more

Skype Prime: get paid for your VoIP

Skype launched a new paid-by-the-minute service last night called Skype Prime. Like competitor Ether, Skype users can set their own per-minute rates that get charged to the caller. Skype Prime takes 30 percent of the fees to pay for the service, which is double Ether's 15 percent. The service is aimed mainly at consultants and other professionals looking for an easy way to monetize their phone calls.

Skype Prime users can set up as many types of paid-for calls as they want, with short descriptions and custom pricing. Each one is listed on your Skype profile for others to … Read more

Mig33 blends social and mobile networks

Mig33 is a mashup I came across at the O'Reilly ETel conference, which mixes Web-based social networks with cell phone technology in a very interesting way. Mig33 lets users create profiles and interact with friends from their phones or their Web sites. You can also text chat with people through the Web interface or your mobile phone.

There's also a VoIP angle, allowing you to make low-cost international calls using Mig33's phone app, or set up the call to connect on both ends using Mig33's third-party connection service. There's still some cost involved, but in … Read more

Yackpack: Skype meets walkie-talkies [Update x3]

There have been several communication tools on Webware in the last few days. Joining the party is Yackpack, a messaging tool that lets you chat live as a group or swap recorded messages to group members, all within your Web browser.

Yackpack creates a visual chat room for you, with floating faces representing users. Playing and recording messages is handled through a slick and simple player that sits in the top right of the interface. Handling who you are and aren't talking to is as simple as clicking icons. Toggling all group members is managed with a single select … Read more

Joost fires up its engines with Viacom deal, Mac beta

Hey TiVo, Slingbox, AppleTV, and everyone else who's trying to "bridge the content gap" between TV and broadband video--Joost might really pack a powerful punch. The start-up from the founders of Skype and Kazaa has been all over the news recently with new content deals, a Mac beta version, and an agreement in the works with Viacom to distribute programming from such cable mainstays as MTV and Comedy Central.

Last week, it was announced that the previously Windows-only private beta version of Joost would be available for Intel-based Macs. At the same time, Joost released new … Read more

The juice on Joost

It's really impossible to follow any tech blog these days without hearing something about Joost, formerly known as "The Venice Project," the mysterious online video start-up from the same minds that brought us Skype and Kazaa. There's been a lot of speculation, a lot of hype (usually involving the phrase "YouTube killer"), and a lot of hush-hush. That's because Joost, as I learned upon signing up for the private beta test, has a very strict non-disclosure agreement (NDA). Consequently, it's been difficult for me to address some of the more pointed questions … Read more