Skype iOS App Gets Video Calling... on 3G Too!

FaceTime just got nuked by Skype.

Skype released a surprise for iOS users on the iTunes App Store yesterday with its release of its Skype client version 3.0, which brought with it the ability to make and receive video calls.

SMS Messages Can Kill Mobile Phones

You may not think much of SMS messages hitting your phone every day, but two researchers revealed earlier today at a hacking conference in Berlin, Germany, that SMS could be used to attack and shut down individual cell phones or an entire carrier network.

The attack discussed at the 27C3 conference resemble the nature of a denial of service attack with a huge number of messages being sent of cell phones. In this specific case, Collin Mulliner and Nico Golde of the Technical University of Berlin tested cell phones in an isolated environment and shot 120,000 messages at them. The phones tested were simple feature phones (as opposed to smartphones such as the iPhone or Android devices) with just one processors as their operating systems usually shut down when just one application crashes. It is estimated that there are currently more than 4.6 billion feature phones in use today.

Samsung Making Galaxy iPod Killer With Android

A long way from the original Samsung Yepp.

The iPhone spawned the iPod touch, which is really just the iPhone without the phone part. The iPod touch is much more than just the music player that its other similarly named products are.

Apple Patents Drop Down Menu After 11 Years

Apple was granted two rather trivial patents on Tuesday.

One of them shows an app icon on a desktop GUI. The other one a transparent drop down menu. It took the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office only 11 years to understand and process the idea of a drop down menu.

Where were you in January of 2000? I had just moved from Chicago to San Francisco (I moved four times since then). I was anticipating the birth of our first son. Today we have three children. I was patiently waiting for the release of the Playstation 2. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office received a patent application from Apple for the design of a transparent drop down menu. It was approved on December 21, 2010.

Google Buys Massive Building in NYC Chelsea

Google gets right up next to Chelsea Market.

Earlier this month we learned that Google was closing a dealthat would see the search giant acquire the 2.9-million-square-foot building that currently houses the company's New York office.

Kinect May Support PC Games After All

A PC game developer claims it's adding Kinect support to a current MMORPG.

Korean-based developer GamePrix has launched a new MMORPG for the PC called Divine Souls. The game promises to resemble console titles by featuring a combat mode similar to what's used in Tekken and other console-based fighting games. However the big news is that it will eventually support Microsoft's motion-sensing device for the Xbox 360, Kinect.

Skype Goes Down, Millions of Voices Silenced

One of the largest providers of voice on the internet, Skype, today had its usually reliable service interrupted with an outage that left many silenced.

Those trying to make their holiday calls or even typed chats on Wednesday found it difficult, if not impossible to sign in to the service.

Google Continues the Gift of Free Phone Calls

Gmail is more than just for email.

Some of the best things in life are free, and Google today promised to continue giving out one such free thing -- phone calls in USA and Canada -- through 2011.

WP7 Hitting Verizon, Sprint Soon

An insider scoop confirms a recent Verizon flier that Windows Phone 7 will arrive on Verizon and Sprint in Q1 2011.

An unnamed source claims that Microsoft, Sprint and Verizon will announce the availability of Windows Phone 7 devices sometime in January-- possibly during CES 2011.

Word Lens App is Like a Magical Visual Babel Fish

It's like magic.

Computers have enabled some pretty amazing things. Not too long ago, translating something from one language took the work of someone who was bilingual. Today, we can simply just copy and paste the text into a free online translation tool and you get a reasonably understandable version of the text in another language.

MSI to Introduce Intel Oak Trail WindPad at CES

We already know that CES is going to be tablet crazy. With Microsoft rumored to be introducing several tablets (and perhaps even a Windows 8 tablet), we know that slates are going to be a running theme throughout the show.

Among the companies using CES as a launch pad for its new line of tablet designs is MSI. Back in June, at Computex in Taiwan, we were introduced to the WindPad brand. MSI had two WindPads, both 10-inch tablets, one each for Windows 7 and Android fans.

T-Mobile: We've Got 4G Tablets Coming Too!

Last week Sprint made headlines by talking about its plans for a 4G tablet in 2011 and it seems the carrier is not alone in wanting to share its plans for next generation devices.

In light of all the press Sprint got for talking about its 4G tablet plans, it's not surprising to learn that T-Mobile decided to get in on the action and issue a statement regarding its own 4G plans. Late on Friday, the carrier released a statement saying it plans to include 4G-equipped tablets in what it describes as an "aggressive 4G product lineup" for next year.

Dell's New Look Logo That You May Never Notice

Dude, you're getting a new logo!

You've probably already seen it a dozen times, but you may not have noticed it. Dell is sporting a new logo, and it despite the fact that the changes were minor over the old one, the company likely spent a considerable amount of marketing resources in making it.

What you see below are the various versions of its previous logo. It's essentially the same old Dell logo but in different settings.

And here is the new logo that's already been phased into the company's website and other branding.

The differences are so subtle that they are almost imperceptible without a direct comparison over the older design. The lines of the new logo are in blue, overlaid on the old logo in pink.

First of all, Dell worked with a font type to tailor a typeface, Museo, specifically for the logo. It did keep the iconic tilted 'E' which is critical to the logo, and added in additional vertical height to the letter. Dell also packed its characters closer together and encased it permanently inside a circle.

While a logo change, especially one as subtle as this, won't really change how its machines are built of what cool feature may make it into the next XPS line, it's an interesting thing to take notice for a logo that we see so often both online and in the print advertisements that make it into our mailbox.

NYC Microsoft Store Coming Next Year?

Is Microsoft heading for the Big Apple?

There are not a lot of Microsoft stores in the country. In fact, there are only seven in total. These are located in Scottsdale, Mission Viejo, Lone Tree, San Diego, Oak Brook, Bloomington and Bellevue.

Google Wave Fans Rejoice! It's Apache Wave

No need for long, tearful memorials after all.

Google Wave was launched last year, in September 2009. However, in August of this year, the company announced that it was axing the 'community collaboration tool' because not enough people were making use of it.

"… Wave has not seen the user adoption we would have liked. We don’t plan to continue developing Wave as a standalone product, but we will maintain the site at least through the end of the year," the company said in a posting earlier this year.

Google: Android Is Profitable for Us

Android is making Google richer through the use of ads.

Speaking during an interview at the D: Dive Into Mobile conference, Google's VP of Engineering Andy Rubin said on Monday that the Android platform wasn't a loss-leader for Google.

Samsung Sells a Million Galaxy Tabs

As Samsung hits a milestone of a million Galaxy Tabs sold, some are quick to point out that Apple had sold two million iPads in the same post-launch time frame.

Way back in September, Samsung's Hankil Yoon told the Wall Street Journal that the company expects to ship 10 million Galaxy Tabs and take a third of the global tablet market in 2011. Short-term plans for 2010 were to ship one million Galaxy Tabs and the company has done it well ahead of schedule. Despite the fact that we've got a little over three weeks until the calendars switch over to 2011, Samsung this past weekend confirmed that it has sold one million Galaxy Tabs.

T-Pain Says: It Ain't Hardcore Unless It's Hexacore

I want some of them megagigabytes.

Toshiba's strength in the portable market isn't from just luck. The company had to cleverly use its resources to design and distribute laptops that consumers wanted.

Motorola Hints to New Threat at Verizon

The iPhone could put Motorola in a world of hurt in Q1 2011.

Thursday during the Credit Suisse 2010 Technology Conference, Motorola co-CEO Sanjay Jha delivered a keynote speech that seemingly detailed the company's roadmap for 2011. Out of the topics ranging from tablets to top-tier smartphones to4G smartphones, one particular nugget stood out that may perk up the ears of loyal Apple consumers nationwide: Verizon Wireless.

Apple Sued Over MagSafe Adapter Fire

Looks like Apple’s moves to beef up its legal department seem to have come just in time. The consumer electronics company was recently sued by an insurer over the MagSafe adapter.

Back in 2008, the laptop accessory was cited as the cause for a bedroom accident that led to insurance payouts “in excess of Seventy-Five Thousand [US] Dollars”. The Great Northern Insurance Company is seeking to recover its payments from Apple through legal means, having filed suit in New England US District Court.

Google Deranks Bad Vendors in Search Results

Naughty behavior from those vendors who have earlier found a loophole in Google’s search algorithm to their benefit, will now lead to a lot less desirable search ranking results.

Negative results are now what are in store for those that abuse their customers and think this will result in a better search ranking result, as Google as tweaked and tuned its algorithm to deter these types of bad business practices.

Tegra 2-powered Olympus Turns Up at the Market

You just never know what you'll find at the local flea market.

I love flea markets. They're the perfect example of the age-old adage, "One man's trash is another man's treasure." Still not convinced? Well, one Gizmodo tipster claims he managed to snatch up an Olympus at a market recently. That's a Motorola Olympus, by the way, not a camera.

Google Translate Can Beatbox Too!

Google Translate is just one of a huge number of useful products owned Google. Though many are using the service to better understand friends from different cultures (or you know, do language assignments for school), there is another use for Translate.

One Reddit user yesterday posted that Google Translate is capable of beatboxing if you set it to German-to-German translate and paste the following into the text field:

Toshiba Unveils TVs with Battery Backup

Love soccer but living with unstable power? Toshiba has you covered.

Toshiba today announced a duo of new TVs with integrated battery backups in time for the new soccer season, or football season for our International readers – the Power PC1 series. The Toshiba Power PC1 series feature a rechargeable battery capable of delivering around two hours of TV watching time without power. The Power PC1 series are catered towards users that live in areas with unclean or sketchy power sources that are prone to black outs and power fluctuations.

LED backlit panels are employed for the Toshiba Power PC1 series with an eco-mode for reduced power consumption.  Toshiba plans to offer the Power PC1 series in 32 and 24-inch sizes.

Check out the Dual Screen Acer Iconia in Action

The massive tabtop... err... laplet?

Earlier this week we saw Acer reveal a handful of new products that aren’t anything like its traditional laptop or desktop offerings.

It's called the Iconia, and it looks like a laptop, but it's more like a dual screen touch sensitive tablet.

Try Google Chrome to Win $500 Newegg Gift Card

Try Google's way of browsing the internet to win some money towards computer goods.

Even though there are web standards, not all web browsers are created equal. The great part is that you can try all the different browsers for yourself and pick which works best for you. Thanks to the lovely pricing model that is free, there is no penalty of having a buffet of browsers from which to choose.

iOS Rage Shootout: iPod 3G vs iPhone 4 vs iPad

John Carmack Says the iPad is More Powerful Than the Xbox and Wii

If you have an iOS-enabled device and you like games, you should check out Rage Mutant Bash TV for the iPhone, iPod touch or iPad.

Dell Inspiron Duo Now Shipping December 15

If you've been eyeing up that converting Dell Inspiron Duo, then you'll be pleased to know it's now on sale and shipping in just a couple of weeks.

We got a good eye-full of the Dell Duo two weeks ago when Dell let us spend a couple of hours studying the ins and outs of the machine. Though we found out an awful lot of things about the computer, shipping date was not one of them. We knew first half of December but other that that, we were in the dark.

Well, someone over at Dell has switched on the lights since then. Those of you who preordered the Duo will be glad to know that its now listing a ship date of December 15 – you should get your new computer in time for Christmas!

Pictured: Motorola's Tegra 2 Smartphone

Last week reports of a Motorola device powered by Nvidia's Tegra 2 did the rounds. Further cementing the likelihood that Motorola plans to launch a smartphone packing the chipset are photos of what purports to be the device itself.

A tipster has sent the following two images to several websites and claims they are photos of the Tegra 2-powered Motorola Olympus. The dual-core phone does exist (Motorola confirmed it a few months back) but up until now very little was known about the device.

Thermaltake Chassis Has Top-Mounted HDD Dock

This chassis allows the user to hot-swap 3.5-inch and 2.5-inch drives without the need to open the case.

Monday Thermaltake announced the all-black DOKKER, an affordable PC mid-tower case sporting a top-mounted HDD single bay docking station. This dock allows the end-user to hot-swap a 3.5-inch or 2.5-inch SATA drive without the need for additional hardware and software. How cool is that?

This Concrete PC Case is a Work of Art

Industrial but elegant.

That blinged-out IdeaPad we saw earlier is flashy, but flashy isn't everyone's cup of tea. For those who enjoy a more industrial look (and only plan on moving their computer with the help of Žydrūnas Savickas), we've got the Concretronic from modder and Best Case Scenario forums user D.Heiße.

D.Heiße's creation is definitely special, but when you read how he did it, it becomes even more impressive. D.Heiße made the case using a single layer of concrete, which he accomplished by fashioning a complex frame out of steel sheeting and welding rods. The mod is D.Heiße's entry for a mod contest that asks that finished entries have PSU visible to the user. For this reason, the plexi-glass windows you see in the photos were also included in his custom-made framing.

Soon You Can Diagnose Your STD With Your Phone

No more embarrassing trips to the health clinic, hurray!

There are a lot of pointless gizmos and gadgets out there but we wouldn't consider a USB STD tester to be one of them. The Guardian reports that boffins at the University of London are developing a self-testing device that will bring the convenience of those pee-on-a-stick home pregnancy tests to an STD test. However, unlike pregnancy tests, this fast and private home STD test would rely on electronics to deliver the news. The subject would pee or spit on a computer chip, much like a USB stick, and then plug it into their phone or computer to receive their diagnosis.

Samsung Shows Off Flexible AMOLED Display

Samsung's flexible AMOLED display is sexy and stunning.
Over the last few days, Samsung has mainly been in the news for its latest addition to the Galaxy S family, the Samsung Continuum. However, while the Continuum wasn't exactly breathtaking in the excitement department, another AMOLED creation from Samsung has caught our attention.

At FPD International 2010 this week, Samsung demoed a 4.5-inch flexible AMOLED display. SlashGear reports Samsung's display is possible because the company has developed a manufacturing process that allows the plastic substrate to withstand the 350-400 degree temperatures involved when assembling the various AMOLED layers.

Turn Your iPad into a Netbook for Under $150

Turn your MID into a kind-of netbook.

iPad or netbook, iPad or netbook? The former is more expensive and it's considered a very casual device because of its OS and the fact that its touchscreen keyboard isn't exactly conducive to productivity. Still, there's something to be said for touchscreen displays and the iPad is awfully sleek. If only you could mash the two together for some kind of super-device netbook. Well, you actually can, as long as you're willing to spend more money and don't mind sticking with iOS.

U.S. iPhones Hit by Same Alarm Glitch as Europe

Did you wake up late this morning?

Last week, word got out an iPhone alarm clock glitch affecting European users. The glitch was said to be an issue with Daylight Savings Time and resulted in iPhone alarms going off an hour later than they were supposed to. This past weekend, Apple warned that the same issue could affect U.S. users.

Is In-Flight Wi-Fi Now Threatened by Terrorists?

Bomb scare turns renews questions of wireless devices while in flight.

In-flight Wi-Fi is a modern wonder. In an age where electronics are suspiciously inspected in airports, getting to access the internet while at higher than 30,000 feet seems like a small miracle. That's why Virgin America is one of the preferred ways to fly here at Tom's, but sadly the wonders of Wi-Fi on a plane could be threatened by paranoia over terrorism.

Dell Staff Get Win Phone 7 to Ditch BlackBerrys

Microsoft made headlines back in July when it gave out over 90,000 Windows Phone 7 phones to its staff. Now it looks like Dell is taking a leaf out of Redmond's book while supporting its own product at the same time.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Dell has revealed plans to move its 25,000 employees over to its own line of smartphones, giving them all Windows Phone 7-equipped Venue Pros in exchange for handing in their BlackBerrys.

Leak: ''Iconic'' DROID Pro to hit on November 18

A leaked Verizon document has let the cat out of the bag on when we can expect to see the Motorola DROID Pro.
Dubbed a BlackBerry killer, the Motorola DROID Pro was first talked about at the beginning of October. However, though Verizon piqued our interest with the announcement of the QWERTY keyboard-equipped DROID, the network didn't mention a release date other than "the coming weeks."

Is This 3D Mouse The Future of PC Gaming?

This "mouse" features a seated ball that can manipulate the position of a 3D object.

Axsotic's 3D-Spheric-Mouse could be the next step in PC peripherals. Although the company is currently promoting the mouse as a tool for professional 3D animators, it could possibly change the way PC gamers play their favorite FPS titles or how consumers maneuver through Windows, OS X, Ubuntu or other operating systems.

58-inch GIANT iPhone Table: Big Enough For You?

That SMS icon does look a little outdated...

Is the iPhone's 3.5-inch screen feeling a little too puny to you? What about an iPad? Still too small?
Then maybe it's time to look at this 58-inch version of the iOS device. No, it won't fit in your pocket, but it'll fit inside your house.
This is Table Connect, which interfaces with the dock connector port of an iPhone 4 or iPhone 3GS (older devices not supported due to the slower processors) to blow up the iOS interface to massive proportions.

Huntkey PC Chasis Offers Radiation Protection

This chassis could help prevent acne and hair loss!

Last week Huntkey Enterprise Group revealed its new SHIELD chassis slated for a global launch. The big deal behind its upcoming PC case is that it supposedly protects the end-user against radiation generated by PC components. This means the chassis could possibly reduce acne, balding and infertility--three side effects associated with PC-generated radiation.

Why Auto-Brightness on iPhone, Android is Awful

The auto brightness settings don't work so well on these so-called "smart" phones.

In a controlled environment, like your office, you can set the brightness of your display how you want it and it'll be good for most of the time (unless you're lucky enough to have an office with giant windows). Smartphones, on the other hand, are constantly in a state of travel and will be under various different light conditions, varying from pitch darkness when you're hiding under a cardboard box to when you're under the blasting rays of the sun. For this reason, automatic brightness is an important feature of smartphones.

Apple Passes RIM; Now 4th Largest Phone Vendor

Apple has surpassed RIM to become the number four phone-maker in the world.

Apple only entered the cell phone market in 2007 but it didn't take long for the company to make a name for itself with the iPhone. Now, three years later, Apple has officially passed BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion to become the number four phone vendor worldwide. RIM currently sits at number five on the list.