Skype deal with Verizon to make it available on the carrier's 3G network.

Back in February, Skype signed a deal with Verizon Wireless that will make the former VoIP telephone service available on the latter 3G network.
With Verizon Wireless, Skype mobile is now available in two carriers' networks in the U.S.
Until now, Skype was only available on Apple's iPhone over AT&T Wi-Fi service.
But the deal with Verizon comes with some strings attached: "Skype users will have to buy voice and data plans from Verizon Wireless and also one of nine smartphones sold by the operator. Also, any Skype calls placed to United States residents who do not have Skype accounts will be deducted from the caller’s package of Verizon voice minutes" said the New York Times.
Outside the U.S., Skype mobile is available in certain European countries.

For more, see the NYTimes.com

MagicJack is a cheap telephone service solution.

Nowadays, when it comes to choosing a phone service to make or receive a call, their are so many options available that they can be overwhelming. Mobile phone have so much exploded that now more people own a mobile device than land based one. And with the never ending flood of the so called smart phones hitting the market almost on a daily base, a legitimate question can be raised about the future of land based telephone service. But there is a good news on that front thanks to Internet based telephone service. The technology has been around for a while now and the interesting part is that in most cases, it combines an old technology which is the traditional land based telephone service with the Internet to offer lower rates for phone calls. One product offering Internet phone services for less is the MajicJack which combines a software in a device looking like a laptop mobile Internet card. It has two ends; one is just like a regular USB connector that plugs in a PC or laptop and the other end is a standard phone jack that plugs in a phone a phone. It is made by a small company called YMAX corp based in Florida and retails for about $40 and is available at various retail spots including drug stores.The software that comes with the device self installs itself on any computer it is plugged in and for the phone service to work, the device needs to stay plugged to a computer connected to the Internet at any given moment because the calls are made and received through the Internet.The first year of service is free and it costs $20 after that for unlimited domestic calls to or from the U.S., Canada and certain territories like Porto Rico and the U.S.Virgin Islands.And according to the Wall Street Journal, you can buy "low cost prepaid international minutes or if you travel overseas, take your majicJack with you to make free calls here to the U.S.The device is compatible with both PC and Mac and works either way with a wired handset or a cordless-phone.After signing with the service, you are assigned a new number by the company behind the technology which promises landlines number portability in the near future. As with all Internet based phone services, MajicJack users are required to register their addresses with 911 emergency system. The whole system is set to receive a makeover when the company release a new version without the traditional hardware as reports the Wall Street Journal. Also is planned a MajicJack mobile version that will turn a cellphone into a wireless Internet phone, still according to the Wall Street Journal.

For more, see WSJ.com

Evernote is a new way to keep different files synched and searchable.

Have you ever dreamed of the possibility of one day being able to have all the important information from all kind of different sources accumulated as you go by your day, located in one place and accessible from any device you happen to be using at any given time? Well, that time is here with a new free web application called Evernote from a Montainview California start up by the same name.
According to the New York Times," the company offers a Web application that saves data you accumulate. You can use it to keep a wide range of information: meeting notes and voice memos, for example, or even photographs of wines consumed or recipes found in magazines. The information is stored on the company’s computers so all the data can be synchronized on every computer the customer uses — and on smartphones as well."
You can for instance "snap a picture of a business card with a smartphone like a Palm Pre or an iPhone and it shows up on the phone’s Evernote app — as well as on the Dell back at the office. It is searchable, right down to words in photographs." That way, if you type in “Samsung,” for example, every business card that you own coming from someone working for that company, will pop up.
To put it like the company CEO, it is like an universal memory drawer.
For the basic features, the service is free and can be downloaded at Evernote.com.
For people who find the service so useful and need more storage space or s0me extra features, they can ugrade to the premium level at a cost of $5 a month or $45 a year.


For more, see NYT.com

New models hit the pocket size projectors or microprojectors market.

Since last year, a wave of microprojectors also known as pico projectors, have the market place. They are pocket size gadgets that can play a video on an iPhone or some handful other smartphones and transform almost any surface to a 60-inch screen.
The first one to hit the market was the Optoma Pico PK 101 by a company called Optoma USA.
One year after its introduction, the Optoma now retails at most places for $229 except at Best Buy who has it listed at $299.
After all the buzz garnered following its introduction, now there are two new entrants in this niche market.
One of them is the Cinemin Swivel by WowWee Technologies and the other is the 3MPro1020 by 3M.
Both these two new devices are a significant improvement from the Optoma Pico and they are both hitting the market this month and strikingly enough, they both retail for $350.

For more, see NYTimes.com

Yahoo voice recognition is expanding via an iPhone app.

According to the New York T imes, Yahoo popular voice-enabled search function also known as OneSearch, has been added to its its iPhone application where it will be available through an update though some people wishing to get it earlier can do so by downloading it from the iTunes app store.
The application is already available for BlackBerry, Nokia and Windows Mobile phones with less features than the one slated for the iPhone. On the other hand, Google's iPhone application has voice recognition also.
In wake of the development of its voice recognition app, Yahoo has abandoned its Yahoo Mobile for smartphones that was intented to be a one place stop to aggregate your mail to from several other sites as well as access all your social network sites.The individual widgeets that were developed for those different functions, would be gradually released to different phones.

Skyfire is a fast mobile Web browser.

Looking for a fast Web browser that can run Flash videos and therefore give you access to sites you could not open before? Skyfire, a mobile browser in its beta or test phase, may be the answer.
People who have tested it, are blown away by its speed which they say is faster than any built-in browser in the market, and even faster than the popular Opera browser.
Although it works for both Windows and Symbian operating systems enabled phones, Skyfire browser seems more suited for smartphones.
It is free and downloadable at Skyfire.com