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Posts with tag voip

Engadget

Spies to Use Skype to Send Secret Messages?

by Blake Besharian, posted Jun 3rd 2008 at 4:19PMBreaking News



Not to make you paranoid, but the next time you hear some static during an Internet phone conversation, it might not be a bad connection. In fact, it could be spies trying to send you packets of encoded information along with the data that is delivering your friend's voice. Well, probably not, but researchers in Poland have at least announced that it's actually possible.

Information scientists at the Institute of Telecommunications in Warsaw, Poland, have published an article in New Scientist magazine about a program they have created, which hides secret messages in Internet (VoIP) phone calls (aka Skype, Vonage, etc). The program inserts packets of information that are delivered along with the rest of the information for the call. This packet is deciphered by a program on the other end of the call. Right now, the program causes a bit of audio distortion, but the researchers are working to remove any perceptible sound distortions, which could giveaway the presence of a secret message.

Tyler Moore, a computer security engineer at the University of Cambridge says "It's an interesting proposal: it makes sense to hide data in a VoIP payload," but, he adds, the identities of the two callers are not hidden like the data, and often that is more important than the message. Because of this, the technology doesn't have many practical applications yet, and it may be a while yet before we see James Bond-types using Skype to transmit secret messages. [Source: New Scientist]

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Engadget

Internet Phone Calls at Risk For ID Theft?

by Will Safer, posted May 15th 2008 at 11:16AMBreaking News



The next target for identity theft has been identified.

Voice-over-IP communication is growing in popularity as it allows people to make free or low-cost calls to friends and family around the world – and like any other service that requires a user name and password, it is a target for hackers who have nefarious plans for your personal information.

The upside is that most of us don't yet use this kind of service, so as a matter of numbers, the problem is not large but that doesn't make security experts any more comfortable with the potential for security problems.

Voice over IP – or VoIP, as those in the know call it – allows a user to make a phone call over the internet. People who use public networks or unsecured Wi-Fi hotspots could be broadcasting their user information to anyone intent on "listening in." VoIP service has been popularized mostly by Skype, which enables free computer-to-computer calls, as well as inexpensive computer-to-phone calls, and even phone-to-phone calls with specially designed handsets.

Interestingly enough, the folks at Skype say the security threat need not be a problem, since data encryption is possible with their service already. It's other less robust services that seem to be most at risk. Even so, some analysts say the idea of a threat is overblown, since relatively few people are using this type of service. It's likely as VoIP calling grows in popularity the need for security will be recognized.

And now a question for you loyal Switched readers: Do you use Skype or another VoIP calling service? [Source: BBC News].
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Engadget

Sony's PSP Skype Headset Finally Arrives Stateside

by Paul Miller, posted May 9th 2008 at 2:21PM


If you've got a PSP-2000 and a hankering for some VoIP on the run, Sony has finally brought its Skype-friendly PSP headset to US retail. Unfortunately, it won't work with those original fatty PSPs, and at $30 you've gotta ask yourself how much you'll really be using it for -- the original price was set at $20. That said, it's undoubtedly the easiest way to get up and running with Skype and in-game voice chat on the PSP, since it used to require two separate accessories to pull it off. Oh, and if you're Skype curious, be sure to check out the how-to guide over at PSP Fanboy. [Source: PSP Fanboy]
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Engadget

Skype Offers Unlimited Calls Worldwide for $9.95 Per Month

by Thomas Houston, posted Apr 21st 2008 at 3:33PMBreaking News


Today, Skype announced new pricing plans for its popular Voice over IP (VoIP) service, which allows users to make international calls over the Internet at prices much lower than those offered by traditional phone companies.

Though Skype offers several levels of service, the most popular is its computer-to-computer calling connection. Users can install the Skype software on their computer -- or PSP -- to call other Skype users, located anywhere in the world, for free. For a fee, Skype users can also call local land-line and cell phones worldwide. $2.95 buys you unlimited calls to the United States and Canada, and the expanded package, offering unlimited calls to China, Chile, Japan, UK, Australia and more, is $9.95 each month. [Source: AOL News]
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Engadget

Oprah Does Skype Video Calls

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Mar 4th 2008 at 5:22PM

Oprah Does Skype Video Calls
The eBay-owned VOIP service Skype is sponsoring a weekly segment on Oprah.com called 'A New Earth,' in which the talk show legend and Eckhart Tolle will answer questions about Tolle's new book, 'A New Earth: Get Ready To Be Awakened.'

The 10 weekly segments will be aired live online and will focus on a different chapter from the book each week. Those with Skype accounts, reasonably powerful PCs (read Dual Core), and a high resolution webcam from Logitech will be able to ask questions and interact with the world's favorite talk show host via Skype's new high quality video calling service.

No doubt the folks at Skype are hoping this will bring renewed interest to the now floundering former king of the VOIP world.

From Laptop Magazine

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Engadget

Sony PlayStation Portable Now Makes Phone Calls

by Tim Stevens, posted Jan 30th 2008 at 9:02AM


Sony's latest PSP, the slim and light PSP-2000 series, can do everything its predecessor could. That means spinning games off of UMDs (Sony's PSP disc format), playing music and video from memory sticks, and streaming media over the Internet from your PS3 at home. Now, thanks to the recently released 3.9 firmware update, it can do something the older, fatter PSP can't do: Skype Voice-Over-IP phone calls.

When paired with a headset, PSP owners with access to a Wi-Fi Internet connection can now pull up their Skype friends list and make some calls between gaming sessions. The firmware update is available for free by selecting "Network Update" from your PSP, but the headset you'll need will set you back $20. A small price for free, wireless calling.

From Engadget

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Engadget

New Sony Playstation Portable Comes With Skype

by Ian Rowan, posted Jan 8th 2008 at 8:32AM


The new generation of the Sony Playstation Portable (PSP-2000) is now being bundled with Skype. For those of you not included in the 246 million users of Skype it is a Voice-Over-Internet-Protocol (VoiP) service that allows users to call one another free of charge or call to land lines worldwide for a nominal fee using your computer (or in this case PSP) and its internet or Wi-Fi connection. This means that not only can users of the PSP play games, watch movies, listen to music, surf the Internet, and view photos, but also receive and place calls free of charge to other Skype users and stay connected to other friends as well via the SkypeOut option.

And for those of you whom have grown fond of your original PSP the Skype service will be able via a firmware update in late January. (Thanks, Sony, for taking care of these folks.)


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Engadget

New T-Mobile Katalyst Handles Wi-Fi and VoIP

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Dec 10th 2007 at 11:47AM



The new Katalyst from Samsung is the latest phone to get paired with the Wi-Fi powered T-Mobile HotSpot@Home VoIP service. This slim slider has all the standard features you'd expect from a mid-range phone, Bluetooth, a 1.3-megapixel camera, instant messaging, media playback, and more.

The Katalyst also comes with a Wi-Fi radio, a necessity for working with T-Mobile's HotSpot@home service. HotSpot@home allows users who are in a Wi-Fi hotspot to switch from standard cellular calls to VoIP (Voice Over IP) service, which passes calls over the Internet and doesn't use up cell phone minutes. HotSpot@Home automatically switches over to Wi-Fi for unlimited free calls when at home or in a T-Mobile hotspot (like those at Starbucks).

The phone's included Wi-Fi also means owners can download documents, pictures, and surt the Web at broadband speeds whenever they're in a Wi-Fi hotspot.

The Samsung Katalyst, also known as the SGH-t739, should be available immediately on the T-Mobile website for $79.99 with a two-year contract.

From T-Mobile

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Engadget

Skype Cell Phone in the Works

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Oct 19th 2007 at 4:08PM

Skype Cell Phone in the Works
Skype is getting ready to make a serious push into the mobile space. The Internet-calling service, which lets users make free and extremely inexpensive calls over the Internet, is partnering with 3 Mobile (a company with, sadly, no U.S. presence) to develop a customized Skype-branded cell phone. The phone will let users switch between cell phone and Internet phone calls depending on whether or not a person is in a Wi-Fi hotspot.

Skype has struggled to monetize its popular service after being purchased by eBay. As a result, the service is trying all sorts of new things, including a recent deal to offer a Skype-like service to MySpace members.

The partnership is particularly interesting since most other mobile carriers spend their days fighting the VOIP revolution. Using VOIP (Voice-Over Internet Protocol) services like Skype on AT&T is strictly prohibited, while Verizon and Sprint are hoping to batter Vonage into the ground with patent infringement lawsuits.

The only cellular carrier that has embraced VOIP services is T-Mobile, which offers its own brand of VOIP-cell service called HotSpot @ Home (users use VOIP when they're at home or in a T-Mobile hotspot, but use cell phone networks everywhere else).

We love Skype -- it has made the telecommute so much more affordable -- so let's hope this latest plan brings it the success it deserves.



From Business Week

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Engadget

MySpace and Skype Join Forces

by Tim Stevens, posted Oct 17th 2007 at 9:35AM

Skype Gets Friendly on MyspaceIt was just a couple weeks ago that eBay was lamenting paying far too much for online phone calling service Skype, making the acquisition for a whopping $2.6 billion back in 2005. But, news today of a partnership with MySpace may brighten the online auction house's fortunes a bit. Late next month MySpace users will be able to make Skype calls to their friends directly from their profiles, or indeed to any other Skype user.

While Skype also offers for-fee calls to physical phones, whether they be landlines or cellys, the biggest draw for its users has always been the free calls to other Skype users. However, making these calls has always required the installation and configuration of Skype software, something many potential users can't be bothered with. Thanks to the partnership with MySpace, Skype calling will be able to be done directly from the MySpace IM client, so those who have that installed won't need to download anything else. It's a huge deal for Internet phone calling, also known as VOIP.

So, is this the next step in the beginning of the end for the phone industry, or will eBay just have to keep complaining about spending too much for an unprofitable startup? Only time will tell.

From BBC News, Webware and AOL Money and Finance

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Engadget

Skype Voice Chat Service Goes Down for an Entire Day

by Tim Stevens, posted Aug 17th 2007 at 9:06AM

Skype Outage
SkypeYesterday afternoon, reports began to surface regarding widespread log-in problems with Skype, the popular voice chat and digital phone service. By "widespread log-in problems," we mean "nobody in the world could log in." Throughout the evening, Skype engineers worked through the problems and made frequent posts on their status blog. The blogging engineers took every possible opportunity to point out that there was no hack or security threat going on. The problem was blamed on "a deficiency in an algorithm within Skype networking software," according to the blog. The deficiency has apparently been fixed.

But don't expect to be able to log in instantly today: It seems the company's servers are filtering through reams of backlogged data and are slowly catching up. If all goes well, you should be able to get back to your free online video and voice chatting by the end of the day. Until then, you might just have to pick up a regular phone to get in touch with people, assuming you still have a regular phone.

From 'The New York Times'

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Engadget

Kill a Land Phone, Win a Wi-Fi Phone

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Jul 17th 2007 at 3:13PM

(WARNING! Explicit lyrics in the above video.)

Crunch Gear is running a contest, and a fun one at that. All you have to do is send in a video, via e-mail, YouTube or any other video-sharing service of you going medieval on your land line phone. Take a bat, a crowbar, a 20 pound sledge -- it doesn't matter -- and destroy that vestige of land line-based communication. The best entry wins a prize package including:

"A HotSpot-enabled phone (Nokia 6086 or Samsung t409), T-Mobile HotSpot @Home Wi-Fi router (D-Link or Linksys brands) and one year of free T-Mobile HotSpot @Home service that includes (per month) unlimited calls to your myFaves contacts, 2,000 nationwide WHENEVER Minutes®, unlimited T-Mobile-to-T-Mobile domestic calling, 1,500 messages sent, 1,000 messages received, and access to t-zones."

Contest details here. Happy smashing!

From Crunch Gear

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Engadget

Make Cell Calls Over Wi-Fi & Save Minutes

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Jun 27th 2007 at 2:14PM

Engadget Hands On With T-Mobile's Hot Spot @ Home
Our pals over at Engadget got their tech-greedy mitts on T-Mobile's new Hot Spot @ Home service and have some early impressions. Hot Spot @ Home uses a phone with Wi-Fi to switch between the standard cellular GSM network and Wi-Fi connections for unlimited voice over IP minutes. This basically means that you can potentially save mega money and minutes by using WiFi instead of your cell phone provider's network.

T-Mobile provides you with a Linksys router, but if you already have a Wi-Fi router (and you should) you can simply use yours by entering the network ID and key. Hot-Spot @ Home also comes packaged with free access to all of T-Mobile's hot spots around the country, like those at airports and a certain ubiquitous coffee chain. Seems like a pretty good deal for only $10 a month.

The Engadget folks were pretty pleased with the service -- though it wasn't with out its quirks. Switching from GSM to Wi-Fi wasn't exactly seamless. There was usually a delay of a second or more, and they experienced a few dropped calls. Also, all data is transfered over T-Mobile's cellular network, even when the phone is connected to Wi-Fi.

T-Mobile's Hot Spot @ Home will initially be available with either the Nokia 8086 or Samsung's SGH-T409. Both are pretty standard flip phones (Bluetooth, cameras etc.) with Wi-Fi built in.

Check out the complete review and a hands on gallery at Engadget.

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Engadget

Jangl: Call Someone Via E-Mail

by Terrence O'Brien, posted May 24th 2007 at 5:17PM

Jangl: Call Someone Via E-Mail
Jangl is yet another Voice Over IP (VoIP) service attempting to put a dent in the dominating market share of similar Internet phone services like Skype and Vonage. As of late, the market has become crowded with cable operators like Time Warner rolling out their VoIP services, and with other online competitors to Skype like Jajah, Lingo, Wengo debuting.

But Jangl is offering something unique to its customers that other services don't provide -- namely, privacy. First of all, you reach a person by entering his or her e-mail address. Then you get a unique phone number that only you can use to reach that person (this is verified since you must use your phone to call). If someone else wants to call that person, they'll get their own unique number to use. This makes it easy to block specific users that you may not want calling you.

Once you reach someone's Jangl number, you can leave a voicemail, which then gets sent in audio file format via email to the person you're calling. There's no need to share any personal information, no general phone number to get into the wrong person's hands (maybe Sidekick-losing Paris Hilton should get this service).

Unlike, say, Skype, Jangl doesn't require a download, special hardware or even a computer to actually use. You dial a number using any working phone that is routed through Jangl's servers to the other person's phone.

Jangl is growing quickly with over 500,000 users signed up both directly and through its partnerships with social networks Tagged.com, TypePad and the ubiquitous online dating service Match.com.


From USA Today

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From Usa Today
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Engadget

Call Mom for Free on Mother's Day

by Joshua Fruhlinger, posted May 1st 2007 at 11:03AM

SkypeNo more excuses - this year you have to call your mom on Mother's Day. Why? It's free! Skype and Intel are putting on the "Mother's Day Gift of Gab" promotion from May 13 to 14. For a complete 24 hours, you can make free calls on the SkypeOut service, which allows you to call any phone (except 900 and other premium numbers) in the US and Canada, Skype or not. This is a good thing, as we imagine many moms aren't Skype'ing quite yet.

Skype's tagline for the promotion is "Call Mom first. Then go crazy," which implies that you'll be able to go bonkers with free calls all day. Don't go too crazy, though -- the fine print says that customers are limited to 200 minutes of calls total per computer during the offer period. Teenage girls worldwide sigh in unison.

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From CrunchGear
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