Skype Mobile for Verizon Wireless available now

Verizon Wireless and Skype have teamed up to offer free Skype-to-Skype phone calls over the Verizon voice network. That’s potentially a lot of free chatter, considering that 91 million people use Verizon Wireless and Skype counts 600 million users worldwide.

The Skype Mobile service is now available from Verizon on six of its BlackBerry 3G devices and three Android 3G smartphones, said Ryan Hughes, vice president of business development for Verizon Wireless. Verizon says it will expand the number of devices that can use Skype Mobile.

Skype-to-Skype calls are free, and you can make international calls to standard landline phones with Skype’s low international rates. You also can send Skype IM messages to other Skype users at no charge. Skype Mobile works only on Verizon’s cellular voice network and not on Wi-Fi networks, however.

The calls are charged against credits in your Skype account, just as so-called Skype Out calls are when using a PC. Calls and IM messages are not charged against Verizon monthly minute allowances or data plans. You do need a Verizon data plan to use the service, however.

The Skype Mobile service automatically logs users into Skype when they turn on their smartphone. This creates an always-available presence so that your Skype contacts know you are available (you can turn off the service, of course).

Video isn’t yet available because of limitations of phone handsets and the cellular voice network, Mr. Hughes said.

Verizon selected the BlackBerry and Android phones because customers who own these devices tend to be heavy consumers of wireless services, he added.

Skype Mobile can be used on the Blackberry Storm 9530, Storm2 9550, Curve 8330, Curve 8530, 8830 World Edition and Tour 9630. Android phones include the Motorola Droid, the HTC Droid Eris and the Motorola Devour.

If you are a Verizon subscriber who uses one of the compatible phones, you can download the Skype software to your phone and use Skype Mobile.

Boingo Brings $1.99 Pay-Per-Use Wi-Fi to Apple's iPad

Boingo Wireless has a new app for the iPhone, iPod touch, and, soon, the iPad that lets you buy an hour of service at a time: The Boingo Wi-Fi Credits app will let you connect from any iPhone OS device for $1.99 for 60 minutes at a single location in Boingo's aggregated worldwide network. You can also purchase 11 credits for $19.99.

Boingo has a $7.95 per month mobile plan that all iPhone OS devices qualify for; the company reiterated today that the iPad would be supported out of the gate. That's why two bucks for one hour seems a bit steep, since Boingo doesn't require a contract commitment to use its mobile service.

The only other worldwide pay-as-you-go system is Skype Access, formally launched a few days, which charges US$0.22 per minute for on-demand access.

AT&T Seeks To Expand Market, Targets Dogs

Considering 91% of Americans carry a cell phone, there are not a lot of new customers for wireless carriers to target. That is, unless you start considering non-human customers. That's just what AT&T has in mind with a new dog collar that can connect to the Internet.

After talking about wireless dog collars for more than a year, AT&T is almost ready to deploy a collar. The collar could send text messages or emails to a pet owner if the pet strays outside of a predefined area. It could also provide continuous tracking of the pet.

A wireless dog collar is just one of many new devices AT&T hopes will catch on and provide additional streams of revenue. Other gadgets could include a pill box that will remind you to take your medicine, ereaders, tracking devices for shipping containers, and in-car entertainment systems. By connecting these types of devices to the Internet via AT&T's network, the company expects to bring in about $1 billion in annual services revenue in about five years.

"We see opportunities in dogs, in pallets, in cars and how you take your pills," Ralph de la Vega, the head of AT&T's mobile business, said at the CTIA annual wireless trade show.

AT&T showed off a dog collar at CTIA but did not reveal a price. The carrier expects to launch the collar later this year. The dog collar was developed by Berkeley, California-based Apisphere.

Samsung announces plans for LTE handset

Samsung has announced plans to produce a handset for use on the Long Term Evolution (LTE) wireless broadband platform.

The company said that it will develop the SCH-r900 handset for use with the LTE network, which is operated in the US by MetroPCS. The device is initially scheduled for a trial run later this year in a handful of cities.

Samsung will also start selling telcos the computing and radio devices needed to build the backbone for an LTE network. The company will offer a range of LTE devices, including rack-mounted appliances and radio antennas.

Samsung gave few additional details on the handset, including a specific release date or international availability.

Samsung's announcement comes just days after news surfaced that fellow US carrier Sprint is working with HTC on a handset to run on the competing WiMax wireless network.

Both WiMax and LTE have been suggested as eventual successors to the current 3G wireless broadband system. LTE has garnered a larger support base, but neither standard has thus far moved beyond small targeted deployments.

Belkin intros new line of wireless routers with built-in apps

Belkin has launched a new range of routers which it claims are capable of doing more than just silently connect devices in your network. The new Surf, Share, Play, and Play Max are the first routers to embrace the concept of apps, with each model bundling different sets of utilities to handle things like playing music, games, and HD videos as well as share photos and print wirelessly from anywhere in your home.

Apps include Memory Safe for backing up photos and files to a USB hard disk, Print Genie for printing to a USB-connected printer, Music Mover for playing music through an audio streaming device like an Xbox 360, Daily DJ for custom playlists based on your mood, Torrent Genie for downloading files when your computer isn't on, and Bit Boost to prioritize traffic on your network for video, gaming, or VoIP.

Granted, you can already do all this with other software using wireless routers or NAS devices currently on the market, but Belkin claims that they make the job much easier for novice users. The routers will cost from $50-$130, depending on the model chosen. All models have pre-set wireless security and incorporate Belkin's dual-plane antenna positioning, along a "unique implementation of MIMO technology" to provide a consistent signal, even through walls and floors.

Samsung launches Galaxy-class smartphone at CTIA 2010

Samsung has launched its Galaxy S smartphone at CTIA 2010.

The new Android-powered device features a 4-inch Super AMOLED screen, along with a 1 GHz application processor that renders HD videos and augmented reality content through its Layer Reality Browser and advanced LBS (Location Based Services).

The Galaxy S also boasts a mobile Digital Natural Image engine (mDNIe) which optimizes an already crisp viewing experience for photos, videos, and e-books.

"The Galaxy creates a perfect environment to record, edit and play HD video, to browse the Internet and to read your favorite e-books," explained JK Shin, president of Samsung's Mobile Communications Business.

"A variety of applications from Android Market allows users to even more extend the benefits and excitement of smart phone experience. Plus, users have access to Google mobile services, such as Google Search, Gmail and Google Maps."

Shin added that the smartphone offers a "highly advanced," always-connected Social Hub, as well as easy wireless integration with a variety of other devices, such as notebooks, TVs and cameras.

Other key features include:

• Daily briefing - Instant access to weather, news, stocks, and the scheduler.
• All share - Enables inter-device connectivity via DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) technology.
• Home cradle - Can be used as a digital photo frame, table clock, calendar, and music station.
• Write and go - Jot down an idea first and later decide on a format such as SMS/ MMS, email, calendar or memo.
• Swipe- Provides fast and easy way to input text on screen while on-the-move.
• Think-Free - Apps to view and edit Microsoft Office 2007 documents.
• Smart alarm - Wakes up with a natural alarm sound and automatically turned-on display light.

AT&T to Soon Launch Android-Based Dell Aero

On Monday, mobile phone carrier AT&T announced plans to deliver to its users a series of new smartphones, including the Palm Pre Plus and Palm Pixi Plus devices, as well as a new Android-based handset, the Dell Aero. We already knew that the wireless operator was set to bring the Dell Mini 3i to the US market, and now things seem to have become official.

“The lightest Android smartphone coming soon to the nation's fastest 3G network!,” is what AT&T has to say on the launch of the new device. The Dell Aero will become the second Android-based smartphone available for AT&T's users, yet the wireless carrier will still have to unveil officially the exact details on the handset's availability and pricing.

According to AT&T, users should expect for the new Dell Aero to arrive with a wide list of appealing features, including a 3.5-inch nHD (640 x 360 pixels) touchscreen display, as well as a 5-megapixel photo snapper with fast access to social networking sites like Flickr, Facebook, Picassa, YouTube and TwitPic.

Moreover, the wireless carrier touts the social networking capabilities of the new mobile phone, which comes packed with apps like Facebook, fully integrated into the phonebook and capable of syncing events to user's calendar. Not to mention that the handset also sports Flash Lite support, as well as Wi-Fi connectivity, and built-in GPS receiver.