Cell phone calls via VoIP and Wi-fi

Matt Richtel of The New York Times reports on the progress that US based cell phone service providers are making in accepting that VoIP services like Skype and others aren’t suddenly going to disappear. With the increasingly widespread penetration of Wi-Fi hotspots and Wi-Fi use in homes and offices all across the country, VoIP will remain a rival service for the forseeable future. Many of the big names are getting in early and embracing the technology rather than resisting any longer. Similarly, non cell-phone service providers like Skype, Fon and Earthlink are all after a piece of the action.

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Apple “iPhone” as early as next month? More rumors…

A reader over at Engadget is apparently tipping the release of Apple’s much anticpated first cell phone. Any truth to the story? Who knows? But not too long to find out one way or the other.

[Engadget]

Need to feel popular or get out of something awkward? No one ringing your new cell??

Here’s a new and really fun idea for those wanting to feel popular and important. Or for those needing to get out of a sticky situation and need saving “by the bell…”

The folks over at PopularityDialer have set up a service which enables your cell phone to be called at a time you specify. Their system then delivers you one half of a conversation for you to adlib along with.

At this point there are four voices and scenarios to choose from;

• Popularity call - a Male voice
• Popularity call II - a Female voice
• Affirmation - a guy telling you how great he and his friends think you are (?)
• The Boss - a call about urgent repairs needed to the office copier

Program the type of call you want to receive and the time and date you want to receive, the system does the rest.

Take a listen. US Cell phone numbers only.

[PopularityDialer]

Diamond studded phone for $300k anyone? No thanks!

It’s probably just a little too late to start saving your pennies to be one of only 5 in the world to own Swiss VOIP company, VIPN’s ridiculously expensive Black Diamond handset, scheduled for launch early in ‘07.

Seriously, $300,000USD for a phone? Who has that kind of money to burn? Sure the styling is sleek (has that same piano gloss finish of the black iPod Nano) and yeah, it has a couple of big diamonds stuck on it and can operate using VOIP over regular Wi-fi, but the rest of the feature set is comparable to many regular ‘off the shelf’ PDAs or Smart Phones. Really nothing all that special at all.

And while we are at it, sure, there’s a language barrier to get through for those where English is not their native tongue, but come on, if you want to convince me to buy a phone worth the same amount of money as an average house, I’d probably be taking a closer look at the spelling and grammar on my site thankyou very much. Sheesh…

My advice, hold out for the Apple iPhone (if that’s what they are gonna call it), hope they sell them in black, and stick a big diamonte on the back - who’s gonna know the difference…?

[Take a look at VIPN.ch]

More ways to pay, the cell phone way…

A few days ago we reported on the new mobile based serviced ‘Paypal Mobile‘ that helps facilitate settling the check with your friends after a great dinner by allowing payments to be sent to your friends and other services via a text message from your phone. Well, it turns out there are many ways of using your phone for bill settlement and instant payments, Textpayme and Obopay can also help out when your wallet is devoid of the folding stuff.

Oh, and thats not all - how about using your phone to save money? Turns out downloadable coupons for your phone are making the scene and becoming increasingly popular. Dry Cleaning, video rentals, you name it. Pizza anyone?

[More from SmartMoney.com]

Hot new headsets from Plantronics coming soon!

Headset manufacturer Plantronics has four new Bluetooth devices coming our way to round out Q3.

For $80 the Bluetooth 1.1 Explorer 330 uses the typical ‘apostrophe’ style around the ear approach that many of us have become accustomed to.

The Pulsar 590E (pictured right) features over the ear style headphones and an boom-style mic and has an SRP of $139.95.

And then there’s the Pulsar 260. A control unit sporting Bluetooth 2.0 for the more discerning users with MP3-playing phones demanding high quality stereo earbuds and remote facilities for volume control and track selection.

Also using 2.0 is the Discovery 655 a super-lightweight ‘in-ear’ headset with optional charger.

If you are in the market for a new Bluetooth partner for your ‘phone, sit tight and watch out for these bad boys to start appearing in stores from Sept ‘06.

Hate putting all the numbers in your new phone? - Try this…

Backup-Pal is the world’s first consumer based portable and universal cellularphonebook backup device that does not require a personal computer, software installation, or monthly subscription to a carrier’s data service. At the touch of a button, the battery-powered Backup-Pal instantly saves a backup copy of the user’s contact information from their cellular phone.

[Visit Backup-Pal]

Using your phone on a plane, possibly coming soon?

A company by the name of ASiQ has applied for a patent to allow using your cell phone while flying. The unit is connected by either a standard cable or bluetooth connection, and it claims to not interfere with ground networks or the aircraft’s avionics.

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Phones so small they fit in your throat?

Well maybe not to eat it, but at least one known person has had one down their throat.

An ex-boyfriend shoved a phone down a womans throat after she demanded her cell phone. I guess that is one good reason not to own a small sleek phone.

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Send and receive money, purchase items, all from your cell phone

Don’t you hate it when you are eating out with friends and the waiter brings one tab for all of you, and worst of all you have no cash? Paypal has introduced a new method to pay your friends instantly using your cell phone without having to go to the ATM. Paypal’s Text2Buy offers just that, and much more. Not only can you send money to your friends, you can also order CDs, buy movie tickets, order books and many other items wherever you see the Text2Buy logo.

[Read more]

Live Traffic Maps on Cell Phones via Google

Google today announced that it has begun offering mobile phone users in more than 30 major U.S. cities the capacity to view highway maps with “live” traffic data.

After downloading Google Maps for mobile through their mobile phone’s web browser, users simply move to the desired location within the application and select “show traffic” in the menu. The most up-to-date traffic information will be sent directly to the users’ mobile device, and will highlight the conditions on the covered commuter routes using red, yellow, and green overlays.

In addition, when mobile phone users search for driving directions, they will now see the expected drive time as well as any unexpected traffic delays, making travel planning much easier and more effective. And another new feature - the ability to store their favorite searches and driving directions - will allow users to access frequently used routes and compare traffic conditions on them.

To download Google Maps for mobile, users simply visit http://www.google.com/gmm from their phone’s web browser.