SnapperTalk

Voice-over-IP (VOIP) usage such as Skype and SIP continues to take off in a big way. There is already lots of hardware to make using VOIP more user-friendly – USB-handsets such as the Cyberphone K, cordless phones such as the Dualphone, and retro-handsets such as those from Hulger. Or of course you can just use a microphone and headset as many people do.

In my mind, the real killer product will be the one that frees the user from needing a host-computer running the VOIP software, and is portable. The spread of Wi-Fi access points all over the world, or in your home, combined with a portable VOIP handset, promises the opportunity of free global calling on the move.

One way you can do this is via a mobile phone/PDA running an operating system like PocketPC or Windows Mobile, that also has Wi-Fi capability, on which you can run your Skype or SIP client – for example some of those from QTek or i-mate. What is really needed is a dedicated VOIP Wi-Fi handset. Netgear announced its intentions down this route with the Netgear Wi-Fi Skype phone, but so far it seems to be stuck at pre-order status, and it also has some major deficiencies such as only having the notoriously hackable WEP encryption, not the increasingly common and more secure WPA. There’s also the nice-looking Linksys WIP330, but it only supports SIP, not Skype. There’s a WIP330 review here.

The Register reported yesterday on a new device seen from an apparently little-known company called BCM, that on the face of it delivers everything you could want. It looks pretty similar to the product listed here by the Taiwanese manufacturer MPN. The Register claims it is compatible with Skype, SIP services, MSN Talk and MSN Messenger on any 802.11b/g Wi-Fi access point, runs an OS based on the Windows CE kernel, is chargeable from a USB port, and has 60 hrs standby time. The MPN site also lists an optional module to have that, and also GSM cellphone functionality, all in one device. No sign of it for sale yet, but if some company can bring out a product along these lines, it will sell in a big way I’m sure. There’s apparently another picture of it here.

Whereas with AOL and other instant messaging clients such as the excellent Trillian you can sign-on with multiple user accounts, Skype has never been able to do this, limiting you to one username at a time. Here’s a useful hack I came across here that gets past this limitation if you are running Windows XP Pro.

1. Have two admin-level user accounts on your machine e.g. “user1″ & “user2″
2. Have two Skype accounts e.g. “skypename1″ & “skypename2″
3. Login as user1 and create two shortcuts to the Skype application. Name the icons “skypename1″ & “skypename2″ to remember which is which.
4. Open up the first shortcut as you would do normally and sign-on with “skypename1″. Click the box saying “Sign me in when Skype starts”.
5. Right-click on the second shortcut, and choose “run as” from the contextual menu.
6. When the “Which user account do you want to use to run this program” window pops up, click the 2nd button labelled “the following user” and beneath it select user acount “user2″ and enter the password of that account.
7. A second instance of Skype will open up. Sign-on with “skypename2″ and click the box saying “Sign me in when Skype starts”.
8. Now, all you have to do to run Skype with either or both skype accounts is to click the appropriate shortcut(s).

Clever…

Note: Doing the same on Mac OS X is a bit more difficult, but there is a solution – see this thread in the Skype forums.

UPDATE 02/07/08: There is now an easier and cleaner way to do this – see this newer post

With a new beta version of Skype for Windows out yesterday – 2.5.0.82 – I thought it would be worth pointing out one of the new version’s very useful features: Skype SMS. Now you can send SMS messages to any mobile phone in the world directly from the Skype application. They’re not free, so you’ll need a SkypeOut account, but they are pretty reasonably priced – complete rate-list here – and unlike a lot of the free web-to-sms gateways, it seems like it will work for all countries even the more obscure ones. You get to choose whether the recipient sees the message as coming from your Skype username or from your mobile number.

Wipe that “I’m slinging the latest Canon EOS1D MkIIN round my neck” look off your face as you smugly pass those cameraphone-toting punters in the street – they may just be shooting bigger files than you. As if the cameraphone market wasn’t ridiculous enough, Samsung comes out and unveils a 10-Megapixel cameraphone.

I know it’s not the same, but still…

Those hankering for that retro-feel in their modern communications – whether it’s by mobile-phone, Voice-over-IP, or satphone – might want to take a look at the Hulger P*Phone. It’s a 1970s/80s-style telephone handset that one can plug into all sorts of devices. For use with a laptop or desktop computer e.g. for making Skype or other VOIP calls, get the Y*Cable coiled lead so it can be plugged into the headphone/microphone sockets. The company has some nice answers to those that ask – Why?

UPDATE 30/11/05: Hulger have now brought out two new models – the Penelope*Phone and Pip*Phone – both in wired and bluetooth versions. All their products are here

Thuraya has announced the next-generation of handheld satphones that it says will become available in early 2006.
Here’s a few excerpts from the full press release about the new cellphone-sized handsets:

“The sleek and stylish satellite phone combines satellite, GSM and GPS, with built-in GPRS, MMS and JAVA features. The GPRS feature allows an always-on access to internet. Users will be able to download and upload information using Thuraya’s satellite network anywhere in the coverage area. Similarly, the GPRS capabilities can also be enjoyed on the GSM mode.”

“Additionally, the new satellite phone has a tri-band GSM system that allows it to operate on different GSM networks (900, 1800 and 1900 MHz) and it also has many high-end GSM features such as a built-in camera, video, a high resolution colour screen and a multi-language support.”

“The new phone comes in three versions: a satellite-only version designed for those requiring mobile connectivity in areas beyond terrestrial networks, and a Satellite/GSM version that is geared towards existing GSM users requiring mobile connectivity and roaming in areas beyond terrestrial networks. Both come with superior GPS navigational features that allow users to find locations and reach destinations safely and quickly. The third version is a satellite modem that is designed for integration and use with other devices.”

They haven’t released any pictures that I could find, except a brief glimpse in this advert on their website and Thuraya CEO Yousuf Al Sayed describes them in this video.

If you’ve ever wondered exactly what it is up in space that you are pointing your satphone to – Wired has a good article all about the new Inmarsat-4 satellites that will provide the next-generation of BGAN coverage for satphone users.

Since the switch over to the new Inmarsat-4 F-1 Satellite BGAN satphones can now be used all the way down to South Africa which is good news. But the switch has also left a gaping coverage hole over parts of West Africa (plus northern England and Portugal) that will only be filled once the Inmarsat-4 F-2 satellite becomes operational over the Americas sometime in 2005/2006. Until that happens, it seems that you will not be able to use BGANs in these West African countries:

Western Sahara – Mauritania – Senegal – Mali – Guinea – Gambia – Guinea-Bissau – Sierra Leone – Liberia

U.S. satphone outlet GMPCS has published a pdf flyer comparing some of the different models of new BGAN satphones expected later this year. In it, they reveal their approximate pricing (and at this stage it is likely just that) of the different models, which are all (expectedly) a fair bit more expensive than the current regional-BGAN satphone… but then they do a whole lot more, and much faster.

AddValue Wideye Sabre: Approx. Price: $1,795
Nera WorldPro 1000: Approx. Price: $2,550
Hughes HNS-9201: Approx. Price: $3,550

Hughes Original R-BGAN: Approx. Price: $499

I wrote previously about the next generation of BGAN satphones, and now Nera has announced the availability of their unit – the Nera WorldPro 1000 – and it looks like a good one with detachable antenna, detachable cellphone-style handset for voice calls, and small size and weight.