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

Redbox iPhone app allows you to see what movies are available at your location.

Quietly, the Redbox DVD dispenser machines are becoming part of the landscape at many retail stores across the nation and a lot of people have found them very convenient. To add to that convenience, now imagine being able to surf the content of those Redboxes near your location in search of that particular one movie that you want to watch. That is possible thanks to the Internet connection of those boxes which allows you to go Online and survey their contents from the comfort of your home or better yet, your iPhone. Yep! There is an app for that.

Sorting through the titles is simplified by the Redbox iPhone app so called "search-by-genre" feature which is said to let you only see "Hit Movies" or genres like Action & Adventure, Comedy and Drama, according to the New York Times. Also making the search easier, is the movies' listing by release date instead of alphabetic order.

For more, see NYTimes.com

Cortado Workplace is a free app that let you print from your smartphone.

Blackberry and iPhone owners now have the possibilities to print files right from their devices by using a free app called Cortado Workplace from a company named Thin Print AG.
Imagine being on the road with your smartphone as the only device with you and be able to print e-mails, computer files, photos or documents from your phone and onto a networked printer. All that is possible after you download the free app; from there, you will be using the company's cloud server to store for free files up to 1 gigabyte with a maximum of 3 megabytes per file, according to the New York Times.

For more, see NYTimes.com

Health messages for expectant mothers sent over the phone via texts. .

Expectant mothers who find themselves needing a little coaching to carry their pregnancy can now find that help in the form of timely text messages sent to their cell phones. The free service is from Voixiva a Washington based health non profit group who specialise in using technologies to solve complex medical issues.
The way the service works is very straightforward according to the New York Times: you send in a text message to the service with the word "baby" or "bebe" in Spanish to 511-411 then wait for the service to prompt you for for zip code and due date. From there and until a year after your due date, you will be getting reminders for things like taking your vitamins, going see your OBYG for a regular check up, etc.

For more, see NYTimes.com

Cisco's Valet wireless router makes home networking easy.

Last week, a new wireless router called Valet -The Valet.com- made by network equipment maker Cisco, hit the market with less fanfare than the launch of Apple's iPad. Not to compare apple and orange, -no pun intended-, a lot of people may benefit more from Cisco' Valet wireless router than from Apple's iPad. But that is a mute point given the fact that they both serve different purposes and may respectively fall in the need and want categories, therefore their "sexiness" greatly varies. Well, speaking of the Valet wireless router, it is really a user friendly device that almost anyone can set up and operate. All the people who reviewed it, have come to that conclusion, including TMC.net. According to the reviewers, setting up Valet wireless network takes about 10 minutes on average thanks to its USB Easy Set Up Key that plugs into your computer and almost auto-installs, requiring only very little action from the user. It can be configured with a parental control to restrict teens Web access or usage, or to accommodate guest logging, or to add on other computers and devices like mobile phones etc. The Valet wireless router retails for $100 and is available from various outlets like Staples, Amazon.com, Target, and Wal-Mart. And for those looking for something with more range, there is the Valet Plus, a $150 version that with 20% more Wi-Fi coverage.

For more, see TMC.net

Apple's iPad set to go on sale Saturday April 3 rd.

On Wednesday, Apple confirmed to its customers by e-mail, the commercial debut of the iPad tablet as being Saturday April 3rd at 9 AM.
To better showcase all the possibilities touted about the new device, Apple is positioning its Apple stores as the place to experience it. It is planning to have its specialists available to demonstrate all the bells and whistles of the iPad and even help potential buyers with the set-up of their devices for free. But the device can also be purchased at Apple's Web site.
The iPad that will go on sale this Saturday will be available in the Wi-Fi format only with prices ranging from $499 to $699 for the 16 GB and the 64 GB while the 32 GB will cost $599.
Apple is planning to release Wi-Fi+3G versions in later April with prices ranging from $629 to $829.

Foe more, see Informationweek.com

Greeting Card Companies offer new video greeting cards service.

People who want to send greeting cards but don't want to deal with the hassle associated with it, (buy the actual card, scribe something on it and take it to the post office for mailing etc), there is a new option in the form of mobile video. The new services being pushed by greeting card companies, try to capitalize on two things: the ubiquitous nature of mobile phones and the popularity of videos. And with more and more videos being tailored to the mobile medium, it was just a matter of time before someone try to capitalize on that. The fact that an industry like the greeting cards' is jumping on the fray, makes perfect sense giving the facts that more and more people communicate via mobile phone and that texting recently surpassed talking as the favorite choice.
According to the New York Times, video greeting cards as proposed by some in the industry, "deliver a brief video with sound and music as quickly and often as cheaply as sending a text."
American Greetings is one of those greeting card companies that offer the new services and it service "transmits a video card chosen from its Web site directly to handsets of nearly all major mobile carriers", according to the New York Times.
Right now the service is free for the four million customers already registered on its Web site or for premium users who pay $15.99 a year, the New York Times said.
Another greeting cards company in the mix, is Hallmark, whose so called Web-to-mobile cards cost 99 cents each.

For more, see NYTimes.com