This flexible Keyboard & Skype dial pad with USB hub is super versatile, bendy, multimedia coolness. They claim that it’s a virtually indestructible, washable, roll-up keyboard with a Skype dial pad, built in microphone and speaker as well as having 2 USB ports.

A plus for alot of people is that, being washable, this keyboard will be very hygienic. That means less getting sick. Just wipe up any spilled liquid with a damp cloth and it’s clean. Since it’s bendable, it’s ultra Portable and easy to store. Just shove it in a backpack or briefcase. It has a bunch of great qualities for only $59.99.

Ipevo, a developer of hardware which lets users access Web services like Skype, announced today the U.S. availability of a three-in-one Skype phone. The Ipevo Trio is priced at around $80.

The Ipevo Trio combines a speaker phone, conference phone and personal handset into one unit. It can be used either in an upright stance, lying flat on a table or held in one’s hand. It’s tied into the Skype VoIP service and requires a USB connection to a host computer to be used.

If you are looking to cut down on laptop accessories while away from your home or the office, the Skype mouse will help you reduce their numbers, just a bit. It’s an 800dpi optical mouse, with two buttons and a scroll wheel. Of course it also has some cool Skype features.

The 128×64 pixel LCD display on top can display caller ID and other important info. The mouse slides open to a standard numeric keypad, allowing you to answer a call or dial a number and you don’t have to use the computer that it’s connected to. You can also use the hands free speakerphone option. Basically it allows you to be on the computer and talk at the same time.

Skype posted a news release today about “What happened on August 16“, deciding to downplay the hidden, internal software bug they had identified earlier. In the post the company identified Microsoft as the indirect culprit, blaming the issue on a “massive” number of simultaneous logins from Skype users after receiving a set of routine patches through Windows Update which required a reboot.

All of the automatic logins after the reboot cause a chain reaction which resulted in a “critical impact”, according to Skype. There was however a hidden bug in an algorithm that controlled resource allocation for the service, which reared its head in this instance and essentially caused the outage.

The press release followed up to ensure users that the issue has been resolved and the system has been improved upon to ensure they would …

According to a release late last night Skype has announced that the service is back up and running as normal. “Hello friends, Take a deep breath. Skype is back to normal,” said a press release posted on the Skype site at about 11 am GMT. This marks the end of an outage that lasted over 48 hours and affected millions of users of the VoIP phone service.

Skype, a division of eBay, says that the sign-on problems have been taken care of but the Skype presence and chat may take a little bit longer. The release stated that they will provide more details on the cause of the outage on Monday, but have only said up to this point that it was a “deficiency in an algorithm within Skype networking software”, …

Thursday was a stressful day for frequent users and especially for those who have come to be dependent on the Skype online phone network. Yesterday the service when down for much of the day, and officials are unsure how long the outages will last. According to Skype officials they have found the problem and are working around the clock to correct the issue.

“There is a chance this could go on beyond tomorrow, but it’s our hope that it’s going to be resolved,” said Kurt Sauer, Skype’s chief security officer on Thursday. “What happened today was caused by a unique set of events, the genesis of which is not entirely understood.”

The Skype service allows its users to make free phone calls through their broadband internet connections using a peer to peer network. The …

The Voiis Mini Pocket Messenger phone is one of those sweet looking pieces of sexy hardware that looks like it belongs on the Discovery spaceship seen in Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey”.

It connects with your PC via Bluetooth tech and then lets you have wireless Skype, Windows Media Player, iTunes, MSN Messenger fun while you stand within a 100 meter range of the base. It also has a built-in microphone, headphones, a 1.2-inch color display and a 3.5mm headphone slot in case you want to plug in your own choice of sonic earmuffs.

Battery life is about six hours in use (via rechargeable Lithium Ion) and about 72 hours in standby mode. If you’re always stuck in the office or home and want to be connected online all the time to your “Second Life” buddies or IMs from net friends then this …

This gunmetal gray number that you’re looking at is Buffalo’s BSKP-CU202/SV speakerphone. It’s for VoIP calls and it’s Skype compatible, but the best thing is that all the juice it needs to run comes straight from your computer’s USB port and no more than that.

Also, you don’t need any drivers to run it…yup, it’s supposedly totally plug and talk away. There is a headphone jack on the speaker’s backside so you can switch over when the conversation needs to be private. It’s also got echo cancellation technology too to reduce the background noise. The main speaker pumps out 4 watts while the two sides are 1 W each.

Buffalo just shipped it to the Japanese market and if you can find a Nippon vendor that ships to your doorstop it should cost you about $82.

via Engadget

Nokia has released their latest Internet Tablet titled the N800 to upgrade from the 770. With this hand-held device, users can easily take the internet and communications with them throughout the house or office ridding the need of a laptop to look up web pages or check their email. No traditional voice communications are included with this hand-held, but Nokia has announced a partnership with Skype along with the release of the N800. A Skype integration for this device is planned for sometime in the first half of 2007.

In addition, the Nokia N800 sports a built-in webcam to facilitate online video conferencing through the little device, and it can be configured to automatically connect to known WiFi hotspots or through Bluetooth 2.0 connections to a mobile phone. It contains a full QWERTY keyboard that displays on the 4.1 inch touch screen which …

On Wednesday, Skype announced a new rate plan for U.S. and Canadian consumers of its SkypeOut service. The new Skype Unlimited Calling plan is a paid annual subscription service that will affect the SkypeOut service within the U.S. and Canada, while Skype to Skype calls remain free.

The Skype Unlimited Calling plan will cost $29.95 per year and allows registered users to make 12 months of unlimited SkypeOut calls to any phones within the U.S. and Canada.

Skype is offering a promotion for people who sign up for the Unlimited Calling plan before January 31, 2007. These customers will get a discounted introductory rate of $14.95, as well as a bonus offer of 100 minutes of SkypeOut credit for making International calls and over $50 in discount coupons for purchasing Skype-certified hardware.

With Skype’s current promotion, calls within the US and Canada free until December 31, 2006, at …

Skype has released the beta version of Skype 2.2 for Windows Mobile which now supports smartphones powered by Windows Mobile software, as well as more Pocket PC devices, including those using lower-power processors.

Sporting a familiar look and feel, this latest iteration of Skype software further extends Skype use beyond desktop or notebook computers and is key to Skype’s mobility strategy. Consumers can enjoy free Skype-to-Skype calls, with support for SkypeOut, SkypeIn, voicemail and call forwarding anywhere in the world where they have high-speed wireless internet access.

One-click Skype access lets users view and call contacts easily. The software also includes an enhanced SkypeOut dial pad and an enhanced today screen with presence status and event notification of missed calls, new chat messages and voicemails. Users can have multichat sessions using animated emoticons and an enhanced contact list features avatars and mood messages.

Skype …

Belkin has announced that its Wi-Fi Phone for Skype now allows you to make Skype calls using the Boingo Mobile Wi-Fi internet access service.

Boingo Wireless is a global provider of Wi-Fi Internet access through the Boingo Roaming System. The Boingo network consists of 60,000 hot spots in more than 60 countries worldwide. Hot spot locations can be found in airports, hotels, cafes and other public places, including metropolitan hot zones.

You will need to sign up for a Boingo Mobile Unlimited account to take advantage of the Skype service on the Boingo Wi-Fi networks. Boingo unlimited gives you unlimited access to Boingo hot spots for $7.95 per month.

Measuring about 4.5″ x 2″ x 5/8″ (11.5cm x 5cm x 2cm), the Belkin phone is about the size and weight of an average open-faced phone. The phone interface is uncomplicated and the Skype functions …

ASUSTeK Computer Inc. has announced that the ASUS TeleSky telecom adapter will now be available with the M2N/TeleSky and the P5B/TeleSky motherboards.

The TeleSky adaptor transforms your ordinary house phone into a multi-functional Skype phone. The adaptor allows you to make both traditional PSTN and Skype VoIP calls using your existing home phone.

As illustrated in the following diagram, the system works by having one jack connected to the house phone and the other linked to the ground telephone line. The TeleSky adapter then switches the house phone connection between PSTN and VoIP networks as necessary. Consumers will be able to use the house phone to perform Skype functions such as SkypeIn, SkypeOut, Skype Conference, call waiting, speed-dial, and 3-way telephoning.

The motherboards will be available from ASUS for both AMD (M2N/TeleSky) and Intel (P5B/TeleSky) platforms.

RTX has introduced the DUALphone 3088 as the first cordless dual phone for Skype that does not require a computer. The DUALphone can be used as an ordinary telephone using your landline operator Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) as well as for calling via Skype – without a PC.

The wireless functionality of the phone is provided by DECT, which is known for high reliability, low cost, and no interference problems. The base station for the phone connects to the broadband router and phone line.

In addition to freeing users from their PC, the DUALphone incorporates a simple Skype interface and includes nearly all Skype voice features for which Skype software is known. The new DUALphone 3088 has a color display and an operating time of more than 10 hours of talk time as well as up to 140 hours at standby. The phone …

Gennum Corporation today announced the release of the nXZEN VoIP headset, the newest device in its family of Bluetooth products. The nXZEN VoIP headset combines Gennum’s nXZEN 5000 extreme noise-cancelling Bluetooth headset with the new nXZEN USB audio dongle into a Skype certified solution.

“As communication options continue to expand, with Skype and other broadband telephony providers gaining a substantial user base, the demand for wireless VoIP headsets is growing” said Gora Ganguli, Senior Vice-President and General Manager, Gennum.

The nXZEN VoIP headset system is a snap to setup as the nXZEN dongle eliminates the need to install Bluetooth drivers directly on one’s PC. The headset allows call, answer/terminate, and last number redial functions up to 33ft(10m) from the PC. The headset provides a full seven hours of talk time with 100 hours of standby.

Gennum is a Canadian designer, manufacturer, …