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Sony PlayStation Vita delayed in U.S.

Skype for Android expands two-way video calling to more phones, Apple's Find My Mac makes its debut on the developer testing version of iCloud.com, and Sony delays the launch of the PlayStation Vita handheld console in the U.S. and Europe.

Links from Thursday's episode of Loaded:

PlayStation Vita to miss U.S. and Europe holiday launch New device tests for HIV Gmail offering lower international rates Two-way Skype video chat arrives on more Android phones Find My Mac and iTunes Replay Missouri stops teachers from friend students Subscribe:  iTunes (MP3) |  iTunes (320x180) |  iTunes (HD) |&… Read more

Fring steps up to FaceTime with two-way iPhone video calls over 3G

Ever since June, when we learned of FaceTime, Apple's two-way video-calling feature for the iPhone 4, we've been waiting for Fring to make its competitive move--especially since Fring announced its intention to release the very same features last March.

Since Fring, the joint VoIP-and-multinetwork IM client, was still offering only one-way video calls when we pitted it against FaceTime on the iPhone 4, it wasn't hard to predict the victor of that battle. So for honor's sake, we retested the updated Fring for iPhone, fresh in the App Store with two-way calling, when it was released on Thursday.

It would be cruel to kill you with suspense. While certainly better than it was earlier this month, Fring's two-way calling on iPhone 4 doesn't even approach FaceTime in the arenas of design, video quality, and audio quality. There are some reasons for all of these, however, some areas where Fring can improve, and plenty of cases where despite the drawbacks, using Fring will make sense. Are you ready?

Fring versus FaceTime, part deux

Like FaceTime, Fring uses the iPhone 4's front-facing camera to share video of your visage to your calling companion. Fring lets you make video calls through Skype and SIP, and other chat networks that support such calls. The video shows up in the same location as FaceTime, though the incoming Web cam image we saw was much grainier than FaceTime's. Bandwidth may have something to do with that, and we tested Fring over both Wi-Fi and 3G.

We're disappointed that Fring's video is smaller than FaceTime's and shows more of its bland background. FaceTime undoubtedly lends a richer visual experience. Fring is also less flexible than FaceTime since it's blocked access from swapping between the front-facing and standard cameras, unlike Apple's pet app, which can jump between cameras to broadcast both your face and the view in front of you.… Read more

Get 26-mile, two-way radios for $20

Looking for a cheap personal communications device for around the house, the neighborhood, or even the harbor?

Woot.com has the Midland GXT710 22-channel, 26-mile GMRS 2-way radio (pair) for $19.99 plus $5 shipping for Sunday only.

These two-way radios provide access to 22 GMRS/FRS (General Mobile Radio Service/Family Radio Service) UHF channels with 121 privacy codes, as well as access to all 10 weather channels supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association. The radios feature 5 watts of power and claim a maximum range of 26 miles in optimum conditions (but you will likely get … Read more

Miss that syncing feeling? App gives the iPhone two-way syncing

Mark/Space recently announced the availability of The Missing Sync for iPhone 2.0, the latest version of its data-synchronization software for the iPhone and iPod Touch. It retails for $40, but it's a free upgrade for registered users of the first release.

The Missing Sync enables iPhone and iPod Touch users to synchronize Mac-based data that neither of these can devices ordinarily synchronize with, including notes, documents, and tasks. Conversely, the software also lets you log your mobile device's text messages and call history on a Mac. A "Migration Assistant" feature even allows you to … Read more

Hands-on with Motorola Tlkr T7 two-way radios

Charlie November Echo Tango, this is Crave, do it to us, over.

We got ourselves a couple of chopped-top CBs from Motorola--a.k.a. the Tlkr T7 series--so you'll have to put up with the radio slang. Sorry. Over.

The T7 is a serious piece of kit. It's about as powerful a walkie-talkie as you can buy without requiring a special license or unwittingly interfering with the emergency services, and in optimal conditions, two or more handsets can communicate 6 miles apart.

We recently came back from testing these bad boys out in the Italian Alps, where … Read more

First "Two-Way" iPhone Application Set Debuts

Developers continue to push the envelope on iPhone application development, skirting the bounds of Apple's development guidelines and discovering means for implementing undocumented, pioneering functionality. The latest breakthrough comes from Innerfence software, and is best described by its author: "Go somewhere; do something; come back."

Most iPhone applications offer a one-way street when it comes to accessing other applications' functionality. Click on a URL in Mail, for instance, and you are transported to Safari. In order to get back to Safari though, you need to click the home button then tap the Safari icon again. In other … Read more

Motorola goes hunting for walkie-talkies

If Motorola does end up getting out of the mobile phone business, we hope it's not counting on walkie-talkies as the future. Moto has already launched its fashionable "TLKR" line, and now we hear that it's launching a new "Talkabout" two-way radio with a camo design and a choice of five hunting-call "buddy tones"--duck, goose, turkey, elk, and coyote, according to Slippery Brick.

Yes, it's not exactly the same as downloading the latest Beyonce ring tone (that could be suicide around people with firearms anyway), but it sure seems to … Read more

A multimedia helmet that's Gatorade-proof

If NFL teams continue to use technology on the field--legally or otherwise--you've got to wonder how long it'll be before they start using something like this.

The "Multy LYNK" helmet from Voz Sports would seem just as suitable for the battlefield as the gridiron, serving as both a multimedia device and communications tool. In addition to playing MP3s on its built-in stereo speakers, according to Gizmodo, it has a "two-way Family Radio Service radio with voice control and 14 channels (plus 38 privacy codes) or via Bluetooth."

We'd be dubious about … Read more