I don’t normally go with speakerphones, mostly because I don’t want to disturb people around me and I don’t want to sound bad to the other person. The Yamaha PSG-01S solves at least one of these problems. If you’re about 12 inches from the microphone or so, you sound as if you’re on a wired headset to the other person! If you’re a little farther away, you still sound like you’re on a speakerphone, but the echo is greatly reduced.

This device is peculiar in that it has an accelerometer in it. If you turn the device on its side, it beeps and the microphone portion of the device mutes. You can then just listen to the folks on Skype (or your favorite music, if you prefer). If you set the device vertical, the top of the device lights up, beeps, and the microphone is active.

As you can see, the device is brick-shaped and roughly the size of a Grande at Starbucks. It’s very lightweight, but solidly built.

There are also buttons on the side of the device. Theoretically they will go “on hook” and “off hook” for Skype, but I did not test this on a Windows machine, where there are drivers you can install that do this. On the Mac, they are inactive. However, the volume button and Rec/Mic button work on the Mac (the latter functions as a mute button).

The audio quality of the device was fantastic. Both sides of the conversation were outstanding audio quality. Considering how much I generally detest the audio on speakerphones, that’s saying something. In music playback mode, the device also sounds superb.

While I’ve said a lot of good things about this device, I personally wouldn’t buy it for two reasons. My own personal usage patterns don’t lend themselves to speakerphones, so it’s not a kind of device I would seek out in the first place. The second, and perhaps more important aspect, is the price. At $219 in the US Skype store, it’s well outside of my price range. However, if you need an excellent quality speakerphone and money is less of an object, I’d say get it.

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• Yamaha’s PSG-01S is the speakerphone version of a mullet (engadget.com)
• Yamaha Skype-certified USB speakerphones (ubergizmo.com)

This work originally came from Joy of Gadgets and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
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For the most part, I don’t want a jailbroken phone. However, Apple (or is it AT&T?) doesn’t permit the iPhone to be unlocked in the United States. I don’t need that often, but it is handy when I am traveling, which I have done quite a bit lately.

One other thing I can certainly use is the ability to tether, which AT&T still doesn’t officially support. However the blacksn0w also enables the IPCC “hack” that allowed you to download a provisioning file that enables tethering (i.e. using your iPhone as a modem). That’s also useful when traveling, particularly if there isn’t an iPass-compatible WiFi hotspot nearby.

There’s a part of me that feels uneasy about this. Geohot and others like him are finding and exploiting security vulnerabilities in the iPhone to inject code into the phone to make it do things Apple didn’t want you to do. Whereas we usually hear about the “bad” results of security vulnerabilities–and these exploits could be seriously bad in the wrong hands–this actually gives the user more functionality.

Apple will, of course, study these jailbreak tools and find a way to close the security holes they take advantage of. Typical in the game of cat-and-mouse between vendor and hacker. Of course, if Apple had more customer-friendly policies related to unlocking the device and allowing installation of “unapproved” apps, this problem would mostly go away.

Apple could be using these “hackers” to make their phone as secure as possible. Once Apple believe the phones are invulnerable to these kinds of attacks, they could simply provide easy access to device unlock and allow people to install whatever apps they want. People get the functionality they want with a much more secure device to boot. Everyone wins.

That’s just a crackpot theory, of course, and I’m probably wrong about it. I hope I’m not.

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• Blacksn0w Tool to Unlock the iPhone 3G and 3GS Coming Soon (techie-buzz.com)
• Blackra1n and Blacksn0w Tutorial to unlock iPhone 3G/3GS (techie-buzz.com)
• PSA from Geohot – iPhone unlock coming (geardiary.com)
• Tutorial: How to Tether on an iPhone 3G or 3GS running OS 3.1.2 (mobilecrunch.com)

Comments

• 5 November 2009, tom writes: if apple wanted to be secure they would open source the core baseband and USB communications modules so that 'anyone' could take a look at the code and pinpoint and make public the vulnerabilities for quick fixing.
• 5 November 2009, PhoneBoy writes: Apple open-sourcing stuff? Hardly seems like them, but a valid point none the less.
• 5 November 2009, Stuart writes: It seems to be getting simpler rather than more difficult. Re security -- the user is making this choice. It is not like I'm walking around an my phone is being breached. The same type of "update" is available for Nokia's and other phones too. Just the market for those with iPhones is much bigger. It interesting to me that I didn't even need cydia this time and the "slowness" that my phone ended up with on other jailbreaks / unlocks doesn't seem to have manifested itself at this point.
• 5 November 2009, PhoneBoy writes: The user is making the choice, and in this case, you need physical access to the phone in order to exploit it. The risk is, therefore, not widespread. The last time I did this jailbreak (I didn't unlock it before), I pretty quickly restored the phone back to a Steve Jobs approved state because it wasn't booting. This was a fairly painless and quick process and yes, didn't require Cydia. geohot made this extremely easy!
• 5 November 2009, tom writes: yes blackra1n is by far the simplest jailbreak/unlock yet. it also makes possible to unlock and than delete blackra1n without installing cydia. this is more appealing to many who only want an unlock and could get confused by the whole jailbreak thing. i have stooped jailbreaking/unlocking for other though. i have found that people who do not perform there own jailbreak.unlock are near guaranteed to end up re-locked after an update. this upsets many of my friends who expect me as 'the geek/hacker in the crowd' to do things like unlock their phones for them.

This work originally came from Joy of Gadgets and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
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The Apple iPhone: As much as I have liked the Nokia phones over the years, thanks to the breadth of applications on the iPhone, not to mention the iPhone’s multimedia capabilities, the iPhone has been a welcome travel companion. TripIt and iXpenseIt have become absolutely indispensable applications while traveling.

Portable iPhone Battery Charger: Written about this in the past, of course, but it bares mentioning again, especially when using the iPhone in airplane mode on a plane where they don’t provide a USB or power jack. It keeps my phone charged so that when I land, my iPhone and I are ready to go.

The Nokia E71: This comes in handy, particularly on those trips to Israel where I can’t use my iPhone as anything more than an iPod Touch thanks to AT&T’s roaming rates being so expensive. Prior to my purchasing an iPhone, the Nokia E71 was my primary phone and it is still quite capable in a pinch. It is also a failsafe in case I completely drain the battery in the iPhone

MaxRoam: One thing I have to admit missing from my days at Nokia was not having to worry about my mobile phone charges when traveling abroad. 500 – 1000 EUR phone bills were not all that uncommon for travelers abroad. Even though I was a responsible chap and asked how one might reduce that cost while abroad, I was often told “not to worry” by managers. Meanwhile, Check Point has a different opinion about these things, so I carry a MaxRoam SIM in that Nokia E71 to keep the roaming costs a bit more reasonable. That and I get a local SIM card if I’m going to be someplace more than a few days.

Skype: Assuming I have a good Internet connection, Skype is a lifesaver, especially for making reasonable calls to the US while I am abroad. Actually, the calls are included in the ~$30/year Skype North America plan, making it an excellent value.

Monster Outlets To Go: Given the relative lack of plugs I have found in hotel rooms, having a power strip with me has proven to be a wise investment. Abroad, it is even better because I can make more efficient use of the relatively scarce plug adapters. The Outlets To Go by Monster has been fantastic. It’s compact, the plug lights up when connected to power, and it’s relatively inexpensive. Can’t ask for much more than that.

iPass: As much as I’ve used (and loved) Boingo in the past, I have had numerous issues with their software on the iPhone and on the Mac. Also, I frequently find their “mobile” software doesn’t allow me to log into hotspots I use frequently. Enter iPass, who has been at this remote access game longer. They still provide dialup Internet access on the road, but also provide Internet access through a number of other mechanisms, including many of the same WiFi hotspots Boingo does. Their iPhone app works pretty well.  More options is good, and when providing reliable remote access solutions, experience counts.

A Travel Router: Because one never knows exactly what kind of broadband connectivity one will find at a hotel, and I have multiple devices that might need to use that Internet access, a travel router has a place in my bag. I can plug it into the hotel Ethernet and make it WiFi so my laptop and my mobile phones can connect to it. I currently use a first-generation WTR54GS from Linksys, which I have flashed with the flexible DD-WRT firmware.

The EVERYMAN Headset: Yes, with Skype, one needs a quality headset for an optimal experience. The EVERYMAN delivers in terms of cost and compactness in my travel bag. Yes, they gave me a review unit a few months ago, but at $23 shipped to my door, I’d happily buy another one!

An Extra Change of Clothes: One thing I learned from a professional services guy I worked with early in my career is that you never know when you will get stuck someplace on the road. Flights get canceled or severely delayed. Any number of accidents can happen involving your clothing, as well. As a result, I always–even on short trips–bring an extra change of clothes with me. I have never had to use them, thankfully, but it’s nice to know they’re there if I need them.

An Extra Bag: Yes, I actually pack an extra bag in my carryon. It’s one of those nylon “recyclable” bags you might get at a grocery store. This particular one folds up nicely with a velcro flap to keep it a nice, tidy bundle. However, if I end up picking up a few extra things on my travels, having a way to carry that stuff home is important.

Comments

• 21 October 2009, SuzanneC writes: Another item that you and your readers might want to consider for your "Travel Tool Box" is a new up-and-coming VoIP service called www.friendcaller.com, a browser-based P2P VoIP application based on the Java platform. I'm representing FriendCaller, and we've gotten some great feedback from travelers who like having the ability to talk with their friends back home, for free, via their Web browsers through the FriendCaller platform. Not only do they find it simple to use, but it also saves a lot of money on calling plans. FriendCaller just released its new iPhone/iPod app, FriendCaller 3 Pro, which enables users to send a CallMe link from their iPhone/iPod to anyone on the Internet, and they can talk for free, over WiFi, to their friends.

This work originally came from Joy of Gadgets and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
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Yes, this headset from In Store Solutions is that good. It’s also surprisingly affordable at just under $23 shipped to your door from the Skype store! I’d be buying one right now if I didn’t get a review unit.

As a long time user of Skype, I’ve used many a headset over the years. You want to use a headset so you can hear the other party better and the other party can hear you better.

The problem is that PCs weren’t always equipped to do proper sound. I remember the days of the Apple ][ with a very simple speaker that you could coax into playing music. I also remember building my first PC and having to put in a Soundblaster card!

If you've bought a PC in the past 6 or 7 years, though, you know that sound cards are pretty much standard equipment these days. Actually, they're just included on the motherboard, you rarely even buy an extra sound card these days! Unfortunately, what isn't standard is the quality of said included audio. It varies widely. Not to mention having to remember to switch between speakers and headsets.

One of the ways to eliminate any issues with onboard audio is to use a USB headset. Audio is processed on the USB device itself. It shows up as a different audio device, which you can easily switch between in applications or the operating system.

I've been using a Logitech USB Headset for a while now. It's fairly comfortable, the audio quality is acceptable. But it's not very portable. And it wasn't cheap.

The folks from In Store Solutions have made a comfortable headset that is portable, sounds fantastic, and is very inexpensive. It's quite an impressive engineering feat.

As shown, the Everyman USB headset folds up flat so it can more easily fit into your bag. It is also quite comfortable, which is also important for someone who spends a lot of time using Skype on their computer. The boom mic is not rigid, allowing you to place it in the most optimal position: at the corner of your mouth! Since the earphones unplug from the USB dongle, the headphones can also be used on your MP3 player/iPod/iPhone.

While all of those are nice features, what sets the Everyman apart from all the others is the audio quality. Both the microphone and the speakers take full advantage of Skype's new SILK_V3 codec, which operates at 12Khz. When SILK_V3 is being used along with these headsets, it's quite literally like you're in the same room with the other person. There is nothing like it! Other reviewers are saying similar things.

The headset arrives in a very compact, easy to open box made out of recyclable cardboard and paper. You open it up, plug the headset into an open USB port on your computer, and you're ready to make calls on Skype.

When you consider the price: under $23 shipped to your door, purchasing this headset is absolutely a no-brainer. It will be one of the best investments you can make to improve your calling experience with Skype.

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• USB 2.0 to 3D Audio Sound Card (phoneboy.com)
• Review: Logitech G35 7.1 surround-sound headphones (crunchgear.com)

Comments

• 18 August 2009, edythemighty writes: Thanks for pointing this out. I'm actually in need of a new headset, I'll see about ordering these in a few weeks.
• 18 August 2009, FREETALK® Everyman: The Bloggers Speak Out | Voice on the Web writes: [...] (PhoneBoy) Welch-Abernathy, in Every Man, Woman or Child on Skype Needs an Everyman Headset, provides a brief background on the evolution of audio support on PC’s and outlines why FREETALK [...]
• 18 August 2009, Michael writes: It's an affordable USB headset... nothing more, nothing less. The impact of onboard soundcards on speech is completely negligible and ever since version 3 Skype is actually much nicer to use over speakers. I rarely have any echo effects even if both parties use this combination and the conversation sounds much more natural when not wearing a headset. You don't get the "in the room" effect using anything else but your speakers. As for the microphone, unless you are using the worst webcams available you shouldn't have any problems on that side either. The Everyman headset is certainly not a bad purchase for what it costs, but in times of Skype 4 it's not going to improve your sound quality all that much either.
• 29 August 2009, YardSale writes: They sure have taken some shortcuts on this one. There is no volume control, for example. If someone screams in my ear I have to fiddle with the software in order to lower or mute the volume: I might get deaf in the process.
• 2 September 2009, Hero writes: They sure have taken some shortcuts on this one. There is no volume control, for example. If someone screams in my ear I have to fiddle with the software in order to lower or mute the volume: I might get deaf in the process.

This work originally came from Joy of Gadgets and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
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While Junction Networks provides PBX services using that “new fangled” VoIP technology, they are very “old school voice” when it comes to IP phones–they don’t care what you use so long as it is compatible with the service. Ok, restrictions on handsets are as old as the Bell System, but it’s “old school” for anyone who has had a landline anytime in the past two or three decades.

Meanwhile, as a result of selling their IP-based PBX service to smaller businesses–the 3 to 50 seat crowd–they have had to come up with handset recommendations for potential customers. There are hundreds of IP Phones, analog telephone adapters, and even software phones to choose from. How does the relative VoIP handset newbie choose?

Junction Networks has the answer: OnSIP Team Reviews. They review handsets based on a number of criteria–including compatibility with their own service–and post them for all to see. Currently, they have only 3 handsets reviewed on the site, but the plan is to write up the results of some of their other testing to give you a balanced opinion. The site will also include analog telephone adapters and VoIP client software.

Unlike, say, a company that sells IP phones, Junction Networks isn’t selling phones. The only interest they have is ensuring you choose the method of accessing their service that works best for you. The exceedingly clever part, though, is that while they are giving away free information that essentially anyone can use–even non-customers–they are getting free advertising and a lot of community goodwill. Having built a fairly successful career on that relatively simple concept, I have to say it’s a win-win-win for everyone.

Michael Graves also talked with Rob Wolpov and posted his take on this announcement.

Comments

• 21 August 2009, LucaFiligheddu.com writes: years, too. Thanks! Related articles by Zemanta Adobe eLearning Suite: Creating engaging eLearning – the Adobe way: Live eSeminar (blogs.adobe.com) Putting the Cable Industry on notice. HD Voice is happening. (pulverblog.pulver.com)Junction Networks Providing IP Phone Reviews(phoneboy.com) SIP Clients For Iphone? (mneylon.com)

This work originally came from Joy of Gadgets and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
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The phone came in a FedEx box and was clearly used in other reviews. It came with a USB cable, a power charger, an inactive T-Mobile SIM card, and a CD with their version of PC Suite and other documentation.

The phone did not come charged, so it would not power up out of the box. I figured the USB cable would work for charging the phone, but not so. Instead, if you want the phone to be charging AND hooked up to the computer at the same time, you have to daisy-chain the USB cable into the power cable, which has a convenient port on the back of the plug for this purpose. This is worse than having a separate plug for charging the phone!

The phone also did not come with any memory installed. Worse, it uses a proprietary Sony-only memory format. Not having any Sony Ericsson phones around, this means either suffering without a memory card or spending money on a 8GB Memory Stick Micro so I can review a phone I will be sending back in less than two weeks.

One other thing about the phone I received–it was a prototype unit. Why am I getting prototype units when the phone is supposedly shipping? Am I looking at production software? How much does the build quality differ from this prototype with the real production?

So we haven’t gotten into actually using the device yet, and there are already three strikes against the device–strikes Sony PR could have easily corrected by ensuring I got a production model, the phone was charged when I got it AND included some sort of memory card with the device. It really makes me appreciate the work that Andy Abramson’s team at Comunicano does with the Nokia blogger relations program, who truly sets the standard for how these kinds of programs should be run.

Meanwhile, I only tested a few specific areas of the phone: the camera, the media player, and the web browser. I go into some detail after the jump.

The Overall UI

The phone UI is reasonably responsive. It has some prompts that suggest it is a Symbian-based phone (perhaps using UIQ as a frontend versus Nokia’s S60), but I can’t find any documentation that suggests what OS it uses. It doesn’t really matter, I suppose.

One thing I absolutely hated about the default UI was that EVERYTHING was in motion most of the time–including the idle screen. I don’t particularly like that. Seems like an unnecessary waste of battery.

The Camera

The Sony part of Sony Ericsson actually makes proper standalone digital cameras. You figure they might know a few things about making a decent camera. And at 8.1 megapixels, you’d hope the pictures would be good.

The problem with an 8.1 megapixel camera on a mobile phone is that the reduced size of the mobile phone makes the focal length of the camera fairly small. This means that pictures are only going to come out good under ideal conditions.

I did take a few pictures with the phone that came out ok, but I don’t think the extra megapixels did a whole lot of good. The pictures came out fuzzy unless I was able to hold the phone absolutely still–which I had a problem doing most of the time.

The camera does have some shooting modes that are interesting: panorama mode (which I didn’t test) and the “BestPic” mode. What it does is takes several snapshots of the subject in rapid succession and allows you to select which photo you wish to keep. Great for subjects who blink whenever the camera flashes.

The Walkman

Again, Sony should theoretically know some things about making a music player since they invented the concept of the portable music player with the Walkman, at least in my youth. Rarely do you see a Sony music player these days–Apple’s iPod is pretty much the winner there.

I found the music player a bit nicer than I typically find on a Nokia handset. Having external media keys helped, of course. The built-in speakers were surprisingly loud. I could not see how well it handled large play lists as I did not have an external memory card, so I could only give it a cursory play.

I was able to treat the phone like a USB device and copy stuff onto the phone. Since there was no Mac software included, I didn’t bother to go much deeper into some of the other music player features.

The Web Browser, Text Entry

I tried the built-in web browser to browse a few sites and get a sense for how well things like text entry worked. I did this over WiFi, which worked pretty good. The browser appeared to render pages at least as well as the Nokia devices I’ve used. It does the job adequately.

Consequently, I also saw how data input worked on this phone. When you push one of the number keys, the different choices for that key pop up. Subsequent keypresses will move the cursor along those choices. If you hold down a number key, the number will automatically be selected. It was helpful in showing exactly what key I pressed, as the phone keypad made it too easy for me to press adjacent keys.

One infuriating thing with text entry was that the pound key was used to generate a space, whereas the 0 key normally does that on a Nokia. This meant a lot of mistyping on my part. I wish all phone manufacturers would just agree on a standard text entry method and stick to it.

The Verdict

At least based on the few days I had the device, I have a difficult time recommending this device. While I’m sure some of this comes from the fact that Sony PR clearly dropped the ball in how they send these devices around to bloggers and whatnot, the device just doesn’t feel right to me. The keypad makes it far too easy to push adjacent buttons with my fat fingers. The proprietary memory cards are a non-starter. The lack of Mac support is also a non-starter for me, at least.

Comments

• 2 August 2009, Mobile Industry Review writes: folks at Sony sent me a Sony Ericsson W995A to review. This is the first time I have actually used a Sony Ericsson product, so this is as much a review of the specific handset as it is the experience of using Sony Ericsson products in general. viaReview of Sony Ericsson W995A on PhoneBoy.com. Do you think he was a fan?  I’m betting….no. Random Posts Lastminute.com Labs launches FoneFood August 14, 2008 AdMob hunting for Sales Manager/Director & Account Manager November 27, 2006 T-Mobile UK’s

This work originally came from Joy of Gadgets and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
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I’ve seen a number of news stories that says that Apple thinks people shouldn’t hack the baseband software in their iPhones because it can cause damage to the mobile phone network. If there was a simple way to unlock the iPhone people paid for without hacking the baseband, people wouldn’t be hacking the baseband. Make it dead simple like a Nokia–enter a code into the phone, boom, the device is unlocked.

People would not be as interested in jailbreaking iPhones, either, if there was some way for people to install apps that Apple does not approve of. The best app on a Nokia is something called Gravity. It is digitally signed, but frequently not by Symbian (who is owned by Nokia). Other platforms have this concept as well.

Both of these issues–and resulting bad PR–is entirely self-inflicted. Please consider changing your policies in these areas to more customer-friendly ones. Permit people to unlock their legitimately paid for iPhones and install applications of their own choosing.

Comments

• 30 July 2009, tom writes: the whole google voice thing really confuses me. how is an extra service that sits between you and your callers more of a 'duplication of a built in feature' than skype that actually allows the bypassing of the iphone 'calling' feature all together? i am a bit mixed about the 'jailbreaking.' on the one hand i wish i did not have to do it; on the other the hacker in me kind of like the challange and exclustivity of being a member of the 'jailbreak club.' as much as geeks and hackers love to dream of 'open devices' the reality as long as they are busy with hacks is that it does not matter since they will simply open up the closed devices. it is a bit ironic though that apple coumputer was founded by a couple homebrew computer club members who were in the bussiness of building and selling 'blue boxes' to hack the phone company before they went ligit, and is now the company with the most closed and locked down platform.
• 30 July 2009, Jason Harris writes: I have a jailbroken iPhone already - and immediately downloaded GV Mobile from Cydia when it was released. Great app - great extension/interface for Google Mobile.
• 30 July 2009, GV Mobile Moves to Cydia After Being Pushed from App Store : The New Dork Times writes: [...] Apple – Please Adopt More Customer-Friendly iPhone Policies (phoneboy.com) [...]
• 31 July 2009, New Comm Biz » I dislike Apple but I’m really glad they’re around writes: [...] Apple – Please Adopt More Customer-Friendly iPhone Policies (phoneboy.com) Zemanta helped me add links & pictures to this email. It can do it for you too. [...]

This work originally came from Joy of Gadgets and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
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One of the use cases Andy mentions that he think will be huge is “Pre-teens who need a phone but can’t afford a contract.” First of all, the iPod Touch is quite a pricey device for most teens, whereas your typical prepaid phone is a lot cheaper. Sure, some teens will get an iPod Touch, but unless the price goes down, not as many as Andy thinks.

Once you get past the price issue, the second, more important piece of functionality is missing from the iPod Touch: SMS. This is the killer app for teens. I know, I had one staying with me for 10 days. I know there are probably services that make that happen, and with Apple’s Push Notification Sevices, realtime SMS on an iPod Touch is doable.

Even if such a service exists, how will the teens find out? Word of mouth, I suppose. Even so, most of these services require credit cards for payments, making them non-starters again for teens.

Now, I do agree that an iPod Touch with an integrated microphone would make a compelling VoIP device. The reason I don’t think it will be big? The lack of background applications. In order to make and receive calls, you have to leave an application running in the foreground. That might work for making calls–which I could see some business travelers using–but for receiving calls? A non-starter from my point of view.

Comments

• 1 January 1970, The iPod Touch Blog writes:
• 1 January 1970, My Philly Network writes:
• 22 July 2009, Tsahi Levent-Levi writes: Dameon, I tend to agree with your analysis. I'd also say that teenagers get their phone contracts through their parents, and from what I've seen here in Israel (and especially from my younger sister), they usually get what they want with the monthly shouting when the bill shows up on the mail. You can add to the background applications the fact that there still is the requirement to download from the AppStore (and finding the app), which won't work for most users - it has been observed already that such Apps are usually downloaded, used and discarded within a span of a single week. Tsahi
• 23 July 2009, tom writes: for this to be big VOIP would have to be built in as a backround app. also it would be a very big help for this to be able to hold up to your head like a regular cell phone. i have used voip(mostly skype, but also fring and nimbuzz) on an itouch. it is really not very practical for inbound calls even after jailbreaking to enable backrounding and keeping wifi alive all the time. as for the SMS. google voice is the first non-traditional phone company to accept SMS;s to their DID's but i expect that to become normal in the near term. if apple wats this they need to put the mic and speaker in the correct locations for use like a tradional phone and build the voip in so it work exactly like the cell network connected verision. if they do that they will have a huge VOIP hit. but i do not see pre-teens so much as all sorts of people who do not really need cell phone connectivity and would be happier with the trade off of a much lower phone bill but wifi only usage.
• 25 July 2009, Is WiFi Becoming the Unregulated Stealth Carrier of the Future? | Voice on the Web writes: [...] Rumors New iPod Touch Won’t Be Huge For Teens, VoIP (phoneboy.com) [...]
• 26 July 2009, Graves On SOHO VoIP » Is The Rumored New iPod Touch A VoIP Platform? writes: [...] Damien Welsh (aka Phoneboy) also chimes in with some seemingly sound logic to challenge Andy’s assertion. [...]
• 27 July 2009, Voxilla writes: Things got started last week with a post by VoIP Watch ’s Andy Abramson, who waxed ecstatic over the possibilities intimated by rumored specs for the next version of Apple’s touchscreen iPod. Venerable VoIP authority and former Nokia wonk,Phoneboychimed in first, as did Michael Graves on SOHO VoIP over the weekend – with both of them coming down not quite as excited as Abrambson on the matter, though everyone seems to recognize the disruptive potential of being able to make and receive voice communications o
• 29 July 2009, Justin Goldberg writes: If I wanted to build a service that supports unlimited calls to another country (prepaid, probably), couldn't I just put an Asterisk pbx in each country?
• 29 July 2009, tom writes: Justin, take a look at this: http://www.voipuser.org/forum_topic_8289.html
• 29 July 2009, Justin Goldberg writes: tom, thanks for the link. That's a great forum!

This work originally came from Joy of Gadgets and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
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One of the chargers I found was this little portable charger. It takes the standard iPhone charging cable and plugs into the bottom of your iPhone, charging both simultaneously. The battery on this charger is 1900 mAh, which is more than enough to completely recharge your iPhone battery. It has lights that come on both when it is being charged and when it is charging the iPhone.

This unit cost roughly $13 on eBay from a US-based seller. It is clearly made in China and not approved by Apple. It does, however, get the job done. Just be aware that the charger doesn’t click-in like the standard iPhone cable does, so you want to be careful while this charger is plugged into your iPhone. However, having a charger small enough to carry in your pocket is a great thing–especially considering any serious iPhone usage drains the battey pretty quick.

This work originally came from Joy of Gadgets and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
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Keyboards are a rather personal thing. You either like them or you don’t and there is plenty of wiggle room depending on what is important to you.

Adesso’s PR firm sent me a Wireless Media Center Keyboard with Optical Trackball to review. It is geared for people with media center PCs, though it works ok with my Mac as well.

The unit comes with a USB dongle that blinks blue whenever you push keys on your keyboard. It communicates with the keyboard over 2.4 Ghz, which is also used by Bluetooth and WiFi. I haven’t noticed any interference problems as of yet, but the keyboard and mouse are less than 1 foot apart in my normal usage. Supposedly it works up to 100 feet away, but unless you had Frank’s 2000 inch TV hooked up to your computer, I doubt you could actually see what you were typing on the computer from that far away.

The keyboard has some media keys to control audio, the TV channel, and the volume. Surprisingly, most of these keys actually work on iTunes on the Mac just fine. The channel buttons seem to function as a sort of page-up/page-down kind of thing. There are also a row of 8 buttons along the top that don’t appear to do anything on the Mac, but are supposedly for Windows Media Center .

The other important feature this keyboard has is a track bar, scroll wheel, and mouse. They work well enough, but I would have preferred the buttons to be to either side of the trackball (e.g. for left and right clicks) instead of being on the opposite side of the keyboard from the trackball!

I find that certain keys on this keyboard tend to require a bit more force to ensure they register properly, like the right shift key and the spacebar. This is not a unique problem to this keyboard as I find that many modern keyboards suffer from this “mushmellow” syndrome. I also find some keys are put in somewhat odd spots, which often happens when keyboards are made smaller.

What’s the verdict for $74.99 US? I like the wire-free operation, but it’s not necessary as I’m usually sitting at a desk anyway. I’m also not as big on controlling media from my keyboard. It would be great for that, of course, but its not something I do with my computer on a regular basis. It’s not a great fit for me, but if I needed a keyboard for a media center PC, I’d consider getting this one.

This work originally came from Joy of Gadgets and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
Fingerprint: e37ac627f3d973694c212ff9430d215a