Jan in Malaysia

The big cleanup. End of Skype Gadgets and Skype Watch.

I just decided (after the virtual cleanup was started on the matter of www.skype-gadgets.com and www.skype-watch.com) that the real life cleanup (moving boxes, wires, things... ) must start. Kind of amazing how much gadgets I have collected. The stuff you see below is only 1/10 of it. The rest I gave aways. All sample without value anyways.... On it's own, this could be an interesting phenomenon to study, more specifically; the effect of blogs on the shipping and box-wrapping industry. Hahahaha (joke). In the end it does not really matter because you'll end up throwing it away anyways, since there is always a better box to be moved by yet another box mover. There is no real business in it anyways. There never was. Luckily I found out before before engaging in anything more than just collecting some samples for testing, because that is exactly what I have been doing : testing people, concepts, boxes, software. Nothing more nothing less. Luckily my wallet did not get tested.

And this is where the story ends. For those "interested" in what went on well go here, here or here. Eitherways I am cleaning it up. Skype OUT for me.

For Skype related stories : www.skype-watch.com - www.skype-digest.com - www.skype-gadgets.com

Skype Video Phone in your WIFI Cellphone and some USB-phone boxes with USB-video attached to it...

I was just looking on google for a Skype Video Phone. Meaning a phone that provides me with Voice (maybe also with text-chat) and I also want to be able to connect my webcam-camera to it and why not link the incoming signal to my TV. You can do all that with a computer so maybe there are already phones out there that can do it too. With Skype. I found nothing really commercially available yet. At least that is what I thought, but after a few google search I thought differently. But still I found nothing that stands out or that really puts the video IN the phone. Too early, I guess.

I did find some websites that said they offer Skype Video Phones, but it kinds of nothing like a skype video phone. More something like a phone with USB-hub in for a webcam.. Still pointing to the computer.. Buy a nice store anyways at  www.skypestyle.com

Also found this great reference on the Skype forum : NEW - WLAN Skype Video Phone & Tri-band GSM  stating that XTV Mobile are proud to announce production of the XTV WLAN Mobile Skype Video & Voice & GSM phone.

Full information is at www.xtvmobile.com  

Then more … found this one at Amperor-Direct.It’s a phone with a hub for the webcamera and all that is connected to a PC, so kind of a funny concept. Not really a video-phone… But getting close… Nice store also by Amperor Direct. I hope I get to test this product in real life soon… But that could be a dream, since no samples are provided by Yealink or their vendors. You must buy it first… Okay then : so buy it. No hands review by me then for now.  

I wonder what is wrong with some of these manufacturors that they can’t see why blog and viral marketing can contribute to their marketing, by testing something (free testing an publishing okay, get it?). I would never believe a sales-person trying to sell me something if they are not capable of showing it real time. In the store. That is where those video-blogs come in handy. Living testimonials of a product. Hands on experience. Not flat marketing talk and flat images…. No, THE REAL STUFF.

Calculate the price of the 50 USD sample and devide it by 10.000 clicks or more on www.skype-gadgets.com and there you got your cheapo marketing-price… Then under each article add the Skype ID of the vendors or the distributors and the phone will ring. That is why we use Skype, right or are the distributors, vendors people that don’t pick up their skype phone anymore ?  Maybe too many Skypers are asking for a free sample…

Well not at Amperor direct they even got a little advertising icon to put on your blog. Nice enough, but I prefer to blog only about product that I have tested hands on. There is external reviews on the Yealink P4V USB VoIP Skype Video Phone anyways. Or maybe just go ahead and buy it. Burn some money…

Genius G-Talk USB Internet Phone for Skype.

Many people still continue to see Skype as a pure computer-related product. It needs internet and internet is related to their computer. Very simple. Wifi-phones are simple not yet present in their communications landscape. Only some lucky Skype Experts like Bill Campbell from Skypejournal and other early adaptors got hold of this great gadget. It will problably take a while. These phones also are not like readily and easily available and they still need to be adjusted for Public Hotspots (www.boingo.com). So I guess there is still some market for USB-phones. Many users don’t like headsets. Anyways here another Cable USB phone Genius (reminds me of the great early genius mouses…) works as a microphone and earphone with Yahoo Messenger, MSN Messenger, MS NetMeeting, Xten, Dialpad, MediaRing, Net2phone. I did not test it yet. Good review here.

What I like about this USB-phones is that you can attach your headset to it. Many USB-phones don’t provide that feature. This one does.

- Built-in hot-key functions to operate Skype software as easy as using a normal telephone.
- LCD displays caller ID, contact list and calling list.
- Works as microphone and earphone with Yahoo Messenger, MSN Messenger, MS NetMeeting, etc.
- Echo-eliminating function provides superior sound quality
- Buzzer function for incoming call alerts

Genius G-Talk USB Internet Phone for Skype (white color)

Netgear Phone. Video on Usage.

Testing a bit with embedding video of www.Youtube.com into this blog. To spice up the content. www.videoegg.com might be a solution too.

How many Skype users are there per country/continent ?

I guess Skype has got those data based on the IPnumbers and problably the profile of the Skype users will give an indication too. There are many reasons why one would like to know that. I wish Skype themselves would give some indication of this. Would say much more than 300 mio user or xxxx number of downloads…

Good summary here : http://mathaba.net/news/?x=408348

Ruell Consulting did some research too last year (thanks Jean Mercier for the tip)

Voice Cloak Plus; voice changer for Skype.

Voice Cloak Plus is a voice changer, a great way to mask your online identity, & the easiest way ever to record VoIP & Voice Chats!

http://www.blazeaudio.com/products/voicecloakplus1.html now allows Instant Recording & Security - for Skype or other On-Line Chat services. You can use it to make a podcast of your Skype or Voice Chat recordings, create voiceovers for presentations.. .

Using Skype is illegal and will get you behind bars. Therefore it must be blocked, so we can protect you.

At least in Burma on of the 15 black holes in the Internet (Belarus Burma China Cuba Iran  Libya Nepal North Korea Saudi Arabia Syria Maldives  Tunisia Turkmenistan Uzbekistan Vietnam). «"The decision to ban Gtalk and Skype were taken partly for financial reasons. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services were breaking into the profitable long-distance telephone call market, in which the state has a monopoly," said the press freedom organisation. "But it is also since, like webmails, this type of communication is very difficult to monitor. The Burmese Internet is more controlled than the Net in China," it added. The authorities, who already block access to Yahoo! and Microsoft (Hotmail) email services, want to force Burmese Internet-users to use Mail4U from Myanmar Teleport (formerly Bagan Cybertech), a state enterprise which filters and controls email content…. Every computer in the country has to be registered with the MPT, with those failing to do so liable to a sentence of up to 15 years in prison. It is the state which licences Internet cafés. They are forced to ask clients to produce proof of identity and to install software which takes screen captures every five minutes. All the data has to be kept on CDs and regularly sent to the authorities. The Burmese authorities have ordered filtering of independent online newspapers, websites defending human rights or promoting democracy and publications supporting the claims of the Karen people (an anti-government ethnic group in the east of the country). Internet users can access these sites and webmail by using proxy servers or tunnelling techniques (See Reporters Without Borders’ Handbook for Bloggers and Cyber-dissidents). The OpenNet Initiative has shown that the junta has, since May 2004, been using Internet filtering software sold by the US firm Fortinet.Finally, the creation of a website has to be approved by the authorities, and under a 2000 law, anyone discussing political issues online or posting articles "likely to damage the interests of the Myanmar Union" or "directly or indirectly harmful to state security policy" is liable to a six-month prison sentence.». source. Related : Skype is illegal | Skype must be blocked.

Integrate your blog with your Business. Be there or be square.

For example : this is company IP AGE in Johor Bahru. (www.ip-age.net) is selling VoIP phones and services for businesses and professionals, is now integrating a small business blog in their existing marketing and communications-strategy. They have just started using a weblog a business-tool, but are catching up very quickly.

Writing relevant content will bring you more readers. So the whole point is to continue writing interesting things, stay on top of things. Show what you have and what you know.

This weblog will be linked to a subdomain on their website, id est : http://news.ip-age.com. They even have a Skype Icon on their blog.

Note for example who they link to the website of one of their agents who is a reseller of the IP-age phones and who also has a weblog. Simple and to the point strategy to inform your customers, your network and raise topics in the industry. Very important to be present these days. No presence no business. It’s like not being there on a business fair. No communication, no business.

By using for example www.rssreader.com you can immediately suck up all the relevant news.

Company : www.ip-age.net
Newsblog : www.ip-age.typepad.com

New Skype 2.5. official release.

The Skype 2.5. version has gone official. Skype 2.5 SMS & Video Official release. Version: 2.5.0.113. Release date: June 14, 2006. File name: SkypeSetup.exe File size: 10 MB (Change Log)

What’s new in Skype 2.5?

• Easier to call ordinary phones
• Send SMS messages
• View and call Outlook contacts directly
• Buy Skype credit more easily

Features

• Make free calls to anyone else on Skype, anywhere in the world
• See who you are talking to with free video calls
• Chat with up to 100 people in group chats
• Conference call with up to four people for free
• Call ordinary phones with SkypeOut

 | Skype 2.5 SMS & Video | Integrate Skype / Outlook | Pamela Skype Answering Machine | SAM Skype Answering Machine | Yappernut-box | Vosky Call Center | USB-Telbox | Wiki describes Skype | del.icio.us/Skype |