Skype for Mac Beta update adds revamped call UI, incoming video calls
Skype’s Mac Beta software was anointed with another update this morning, adding an “improved” user interface and new voice call support. With version 5.5, users will be able to accept incoming calls with or without video, while taking advantage of the program’s streamlined layout, which has apparently made it easier for them to mute, transmit videos, share screens and add others on to their calls. Skype is currently asking for feedback on the new build, so if you wanna give it a spin for yourself, check out the source link below.
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Skype for Mac Beta update adds revamped call UI, incoming video calls
Google gives the gift of gab, extends free domestic calling in Gmail
Just in time to thank Grandma for that polyester blend sweater, comes more free domestic calling in Gmail for the US and Canada. In the spirit of holiday giving, Mountain View has decided to extend its gratis VoIP program for another year of free chatter.
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Google gives the gift of gab, extends free domestic calling in Gmail
Biscotti TV Phone goes on sale today for $199, assumes everyone you know uses Google Talk
Feel the need to video chat in higher resolution? Or maybe just take a break from the PC while you talk to your long-distance girlfriend you met at Comic Con? Well, we just got word that Biscotti, that TV phone we demoed last week, is on sale in the US and Canada for a princely $199. To recap, it’s a camera that sits discreetly atop your TV and is, indeed, about as small and lightweight as that crunchy Italian cookie. The idea is pretty simple: it plugs into both your TV and set-top box, and makes free calls to other Biscotti owners, along with anyone using Google Talk. After our brief demo we were impressed enough with the easy setup and simple menus that layer on top of whatever you’re watching, but then again, we were unaware of the price. So, is two hundred bucks worth a lifetime of seeing grandma in 1080p? That, friends, is a decision you’ll have to make for yourself.
Gallery: Biscotti TV Phone
Biscotti TV Phone goes on sale today for $199, assumes everyone you know uses Google Talk originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Nov 2011 06:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Republic Wireless is only kinda, sorta unlimited, may ask you to take your business elsewhere (updated)
Republic Wireless certainly garnered itself a lot of attention with the promise of unlimited everything for only $19 a month and no contract. The company keeps the price so low by using what it calls “hybrid calling” — a fancy way of saying it relies almost entirely on WiFi and VoIP, only falling back on Sprint frequencies when you wander away from an 802.11 connection. The service may be billed as all-you-can-eat, the reality is a little more complex. While you’re free to plow through as much data and as many minutes as you want over WiFi, there are “fair usage” limitations on your cellular footprint. Specifically, if you cross a threshold of 550 minutes, 150 text messages or 300MB of data you may be asked to take your business elsewhere — not exactly “unlimited” now is it.
Update: Republic Wireless issued a clarification on its Facebook page, explaining that you can in fact go over the 550 minute “example” above.
“People of the republic, we’d just like to clarify that 550 minutes, 150 texts, and 300 MB of data over 3G is just an example, not a limit. The more you offload to Wi-Fi, the more you can use. It’s truly unlimited. We do have fair use guidelines and we encourage you to use Wi-Fi whenever possible.”
Republic Wireless is only kinda, sorta unlimited, may ask you to take your business elsewhere (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Nov 2011 11:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Tango video calling app prances its way into Windows Phone Marketplace
Tango video calling app prances its way into Windows Phone Marketplace originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Nov 2011 07:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Biscotti TV phone hands-on
The tiny Biscotti TV phone would be pretty easy to miss in most home theater setups. It is, in fact, roughly the shape and size of its namesake Italian cookie. Honestly, it’d be pretty easy to miss even if you were holding it — the video calling TV attachment probably weighs less than its baked good doppelganger. The idea is to stick this sliver of glossy black plastic on top of your TV and make video VoIP calls using its integrated HD webcam and 802.11n radio. Your counterpart is then displayed, super-sized, on your big screen. Around the back of the device are the three ports: HDMI in, HDMI out and power. You simply plug the Biscotti in between your settop and TV, then navigate the menus with the included remote. The demo stream set up at the CES Unveiled event had a slightly yellow hue to it, but we’re willing to chalk that up to the poor lighting on the show floor. The best news, though? In addition to making calls through the proprietary Biscotti service you can get your video chat on using the increasingly ubiquitous Google Talk. Check out the gallery below and a quick video walk through after the break.
Gallery: Biscotti hands-on
Continue reading Biscotti TV phone hands-on
Biscotti TV phone hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Nov 2011 20:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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AT&T Call International App gets Ma Bell into the mobile VoIP market
AT&T is throwing its globe trotting customers something of a bone with its Call International App. The free VoIP service, created with help from 8×8, will allow customers to place international long-distance calls over WiFi for much less than they would have to pay under standard roaming plans. Calls to China, France, Germany and the UK are as little as $0.04 a minute when dialing a landline. The app is available for all versions of the iPhone and certain Android and BlackBerry handsets. You can see if your device is supported (and chances are it is — even the ancient BlackBerry 5810 has been granted access to the party) at the more coverage link. And don’t miss the PR after the break.
Continue reading AT&T Call International App gets Ma Bell into the mobile VoIP market
AT&T Call International App gets Ma Bell into the mobile VoIP market originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Nov 2011 14:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Republic Wireless goes live, brings unlimited data, text and calls to LG Optimus users
Republic Wireless goes live, brings unlimited data, text and calls to LG Optimus users originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Nov 2011 03:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Google might offer TV / phone service over its fiber network
Google has mentioned more than once that its Google TV platform isn’t about replacing traditional pay-TV services, and now the Wall Street Journal reports it might be about to offer one of its own. Don’t cancel your cable, satellite or IPTV service just yet though, as this would merely be an expansion of the fiber internet it will offer in the Kansas Cities, offering video and phone service as well. Reportedly it’s looked into offering channels from the families of Disney, Time Warner and Discovery, but nothing is set in stone at this point. As CBS’ attitude towards Apple TV makes clear, actually getting into the service biz can be complicated and costly, but we figure Mountain View has to fill those 1Gbps pipes with something other than Turquoise Jeep videos.
Google might offer TV / phone service over its fiber network originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Nov 2011 05:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Republic Wireless to offer unlimited calls, SMS and data for $19 per month
Prepaid world, you’re getting called out. Offering what appears to be the lowest unlimited everything plan we’ve seen thus far, Republic Wireless — a division of Bandwidth.com — is ready to roll out its game-changing service next Tuesday. The carrier will be doling out all-you-can-eat talk, text and data for $19 per month. We’re still slim on the nitty gritty details, but we know the new network is so inexpensive because it plans to utilize hybrid Android devices that rely mainly on UMA (the same WiFi-calling tech employed by T-Mobile) and will drop back to cellular roaming on Sprint when you’re not in range of a hotspot. The company’s main site offers nothing more than a teaser for now, but promises that we’ll know all of its secrets no later than November 8th. If you’re pulling your hair out wanting to find out more, we guess the teaser was a success.
Continue reading Republic Wireless to offer unlimited calls, SMS and data for $19 per month
Republic Wireless to offer unlimited calls, SMS and data for $19 per month originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Nov 2011 04:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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