Will videophones ever take off?: The Bottom Line
Communications have taken many forms and lots of movies predict we'll use videophones one day, but will we do that in reality? We ask Jonathan Strickland of HowStuffWorks.com if videophones are the future on The Bottom Line.
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Tumblr takes away blog from blogger?: TechVi Now Morning Edition
Tumblr, the popular blogging service, is under fire after a blogger claims the company gave his subdomain name away. Also, Google dropped a nice surprise for the Wikimedia crew and Verizon will allow free voice calls over Skype. Find out more on TechVi Now.
Skype settles lawsuit
It looks like Skype might finally be over its lawsuit woes, and now service can continue uninterrupted. Iyaz takes a look behind the scenes to catch you up to speed.
Plantronics Voyager Pro UC announced
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Plantronics today unveiled their latest offering, the Voyager Pro UC, a Bluetooth headset primarily targeted towards Skype users which will allow them to answer Skype calls by simply pressing a button on the device. It also works with several softphone programs including Google Talk and can be used with mobile phones. The Voyager Pro UC will be available this month for $200.
Skype close to settlement?
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Skype founders Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis may be nearing a settlement with Skype over use of the core technology of the service. Previously, the founders and eBay, the company who purchased Skype back in 2005 for $2.6 billion, came to blows over use of the core technology, which eBay licensed rather than purchased outright. More recently, eBay said it planned to spin Skype out as its own company, which rubbed the founders the wrong way thanks to some intertwined personal drama between the new Skype investors and the founders. The founders then threatened to pull the license to Skype's core technology which would cause the service to be legally unable to operate.
Now, a settlement could mean Skype could keep the lights on while pursuing a spin-off. Om Malik, who is reporting this latest twist, failed to cite any sources, nor provide any specific details, but he is a Silicon Valley insider who could have knowledge of the talks, if there are any. We'd expect this to come to some sort of resolution fairly soon.
New York Times: eBay to sell Skype
The New York Times is reporting that eBay will sell the popular VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) program - Skype - to private investors for an undisclose amount. It's also unclear if the founders, Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis, are involved in the purchase.
Licensing deal could kill Skype
eBay has stated that it may have to kill its popular telephony client, Skype because of licensing issues. eBay, who purchased Skype back in 2005, has been licensing the technology to run Skype from its founders, which have recently pulled the licensing agreement. The fate of Skype now rests in the hands of the courts as they will decide whether eBay can continue to use the technology or if they will have to shut the service down.
eBay begins removal of Skype services from auctions
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The popular auction site will soon remove Skype voice and chat services from auction pages. Beginning June 10th, users will no longer see "Skype Me" links while browsing for a bargain. The move is in preparation of the separation of the two companies as eBay stated earlier this year that it will spin Skype off as its own organization which will then be sold.
T-Mobile Germany: People who use Skype on iPhone could void contracts
T-Mobile Germany (Deustche Telekom) says mobile customers who use Skype on their iPhone could violate their contract, which would terminate the agreement, according to the Associated Press.
Skype works on iPhone OS 3.0 over 3G connections
A move that's likely to be plugged before iPhone OS 3.0 ships officially, 9to5mac and others are reporting users of the recently released Skype for iPhone have had success calling over 3G connections when the phone is updated to iPhone OS 3.0. VoIP calls are supposed to be restricted to WiFi connections exclusively, as to not impune on carrier's revenue.