Build it, and they will come. We suspect the same is true with shipping papers. Go Solar USA most certainly hopes so, as it has just inked a deal with Chinese developer Yosion to bring the much-hyped Apple Peel 520 to the US of A. For those unaware, this slip-on case effectively turns your iPod touch into an iPhone, as it equips your PMP with a SIM card slot and the software needed to make / receive calls and texts. Granted, it’s not without its flaws, but for “around $60,” it’s not a half-bad alternative to handing over your cellular soul to AT&T. Both companies have reportedly agreed to work together to distribute it in the United States, but it’s unclear when those shipments will start and how much it’ll retail for once it arrives. Oh, and don’t hold your breath for compatibility with the latest and greatest touch — just sayin’.

Continue reading Apple Peel 520 coming to US shores shortly for an undisclosed amount

Apple Peel 520 coming to US shores shortly for an undisclosed amount originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 07:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The early days of VOIP calling required a lot of patience, as the half-second or more delay between you speaking and your conversation partner receiving often turned the convo into a start and stop mess. Those days are gone for voice, but we’re right back there again when it comes to HD video calls. However, random product researcher Fraunhofer is working on a new device to kill the lag and speed up your two-way monologues. It’s basically an encoder card able to do hardware squashing of HD video via H.264 and audio via AAC, not unlike the sort of tech Skype requires for its SkypeHD-compatible video cameras. Fraunhofer’s tech is also said to remove boomy room echoes and even handle network hiccups to keep you streamin’ in style. The result is said to be sub-100ms lag, which would be more or less playable for a shooter. Expect more on this development soon from IFA.

Continue reading Fraunhofer working to make HD video conferencing a little less laggy

Fraunhofer working to make HD video conferencing a little less laggy originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Aug 2010 11:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumors have been buzzing about since June, but Google just made it official — the company’s baking Google Voice calls right into Gmail today. Like the Google Chat text, voice and video chat integrated into the web-based email client last year, full phone calls will also be an option. Google’s demoing the service for us in San Francisco this morning, and it’s looking like it’s not free, but fairly cheap — a product manager just called Paris for $0.02 a minute. Incoming calls pop up as a chat window in Gmail (and ring your Google Voice-equipped phones simultaneously) and you press a “Call phone” button that appears near the top of the Chat window to send an outbound call, at which point a dialer appears where you can copy and paste numbers or tap them in manually. Users can screen incoming calls or send them to voicemail with a single tap.

Google just announced you’ll be able to make calls to US and Canadian landlines completely free of charge. You’ll be able to buy prepaid credits using Google Checkout for international landline calling at $0.02 a minute and up to $0.19 for calls to international mobile device. Google will sell its own credits for the program (via Google Checkout), which should be available in a few weeks, but the Voice in Gmail service goes live today in the US and will begin rolling out to users immediately. Apparently, Google’s only committed to free calls to US and Canadian landlines through the end of the year, as paid international calls are the sole revenue stream here: “Our hope is we’ll be able to make enough margin on international calls to keep offering it at that low price,” a product manager told us. We’re going to give some VoIP goodness a spin right now, check back later for impressions!

Continue reading Google introduces Voice in Gmail, free calls to US and Canada (update: video)

Google introduces Voice in Gmail, free calls to US and Canada (update: video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Aug 2010 12:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Back in February, Verizon Wireless made it quite clear what phones could be used with Skype Mobile, and the whole lot were smartphones. Sometime between then and now, however, it seems as if the carrier (or Skype… or both) has had a change of heart, as today a select few non-smartphones are showing up in its database as being compatible with Skype Mobile. Samsung’s $20-on-contract Reality, LG’s $80-on-contract Chocolate Touch and the enV Touch are all displayed as being in support of Skype Mobile, leading us to believe that an even larger stable of VZW handsets may soon hop onboard. Meanwhile, perfectly capable Android phones like the Nexus One can’t find a decent Skype client to save their life. For shame.

Update: Ah, ha! Now it’s official, with Skype confirming that Skype Mobile is now available on VZW multimedia phones on the BREW platform.

Verizon quietly pushes Skype Mobile onto select non-smartphones originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Aug 2010 10:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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For $40 (plus $20 per year), MagicJack’s USB VoIP dongle will let you make free unlimited telephone-to-telephone calls, but this week the company’s announced MagicTalk, a piece of software for internet-connected phones and computers that will wave even those upfront costs. The Associated Press tracked down one of our favorite ruthless salesmen, MagicJack CEO Dan Borislow, who described a service much like Google Voice and Skype, number portability and all — except it adds the whole allowing-free-calls-to-regular-ol-telephones bit by charging the companies that carry incoming calls. The service will reportedly be available on Windows and Mac next week, with iOS, Blackberry and Android by October, but speaking of promises, Borislow said plans for the company’s legally-ambiguous femtocell are now on hold — the device can’t legitimately muster up enough power without a cellular carrier on board.

In other news, NetTalk announced last week that its pair of competing VoIP boxes now support free video calls. We imagine the timing (and naming) of MagicJack’s new service isn’t making ‘em feel too good.

MagicJack announces software for completely free internet-to-phone calls, places femtocell on hold originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 15 Aug 2010 13:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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No one expressly said that the Apple Peel 520 would change your life, but if you play your cards right, that’s not entirely out of the question. The mysterious doodad — which wraps around your iPod touch and holds an extended battery and SIM card — has caused quite the stir since being revealed late last month, and now it has undergone a full review overseas. Put simply, the device does work as advertised, turning one’s iPod touch into a device fully capable of making / receiving calls as well as texts. ‘Course, you’ll need to jailbreak your device first, and you’ll have to deal with a static (read: impossible to adjust) call volume, quirky SMS delivery and blanked messages for missed calls, but hey — a small price to pay for the upgrade, right? Hit the source link for the full skinny and a video to boot.

Apple Peel 520 gets reviewed: turns your iPod touch into an iPhone, but quirks exist originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Aug 2010 21:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oh sure, VoIP on the iPod touch is hardly breaking news these days, but what if you could actually slap on a regular SIM card and make calls on said device? That’s what Yosion’s appropriately named Apple Peel 520 claims to do. Powered by an Infineon baseband chip, this adapter not only offers voice calling and text messaging (presumably requiring a jailbroken iPod touch for the apps; GPRS not possible yet), but it also doubles up as an 800mAh battery and provides 4.5 hours of call time or 120 hours of standby juice. We’re told this cheeky hack’s coming out in China as early as this week for somewhere between

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Well, it’s about time. Touted back in March as one of the pillar apps to benefit from the new multitasking API, Skype has finally been updated to iOS 4 compatibility. We’re seeing crisper, more retina display-friendly graphics and, more importantly, background VoIP (not for iPhone 3G, naturally). A notification window will pop up when you’re called or messaged, and you can use other apps while on the line chatting to international friends at reduced rates. Even on the lock screen, if you receive a call, sliding to unlock will take you immediately into the call. Video chat still isn’t here — a darn shame given the lack of other options now — but now you’ve got even more of a reason to rack up those rollover minutes on AT&T’s voice plan. Download away!

Update: Remember when Skype was talking about charging extra for calls over 3G starting this month? Straight from the horse’s mouth: “we no longer have plans to charge a supplement to make calls over 3G.”

[Thanks, Tyler C]

Skype updated for iOS 4, background VoIP is a go (update: no plans to charge for 3G use) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 21 Jul 2010 15:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’ve never heard of the NetTalk TK6000, you’re certainly not alone — suffice it to say it’s an as-seen-on-TV product that converts a standard ethernet internet connection into a VoIP telephone cord. And to be clear, the new NetTalk Duo doesn’t seem to offer anything different than its predecessor, only a shiny bullet case, but that just makes it the perfect salvo across incumbent MagicTalk’s bow. We can hardly wait to see how the latest chapter in the infinite long distance call saga will play out. However, on the off-chance you’ve been looking to Fire Your Phone Company(R), don’t wait, act now — peep the press release after the break for your ten percent discount.

Continue reading NetTalk reveals the Duo, we await MagicJack’s response

NetTalk reveals the Duo, we await MagicJack’s response originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Jul 2010 03:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Yeah, seriously. While Aircell’s Gogo in-flight WiFi service has been blocking VoIP calling services (Skype being the most obvious example) from day one, it’s apparently not throwing the same brick wall in the face of Apple’s new standard. Our good pals over at TUAW managed to record a (relatively) solid two minute FaceTime conversation with an iPhone 4 owner, and only after you realize that said owner is a few thousand feet above the Earth’s surface does this all become a lot more interesting. We know for a fact that certain iPhone 4 owners have had difficulty with FaceTime conversations when using highly firewalled access points (like those found in hotels and corporate offices), but it seems as if seat 16A is cleared for transmission. For now, anyway. Head on past the break to peek the FaceTime ad that Apple forgot to make.

Continue reading FaceTime video call works beautifully on airplane’s in-flight WiFi (video)

FaceTime video call works beautifully on airplane’s in-flight WiFi (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Jul 2010 22:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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