Category: Software

  • Skype 2 – I See You!

    Skype, who was only recently acquired by eBay, announced today it is adding high-resolution picture phone features to its free telephone replacement service.

    Version 2.0 of the Skype software aims to make it easier for customers to sign up and use its phone-over-Internet services, which are free on computers and offer low per-minute charges when calling conventional phones.

    I’ve been back using Skype myself recently, trying out their conference call features which, even on Eircom’s low u/s, works pretty good. The video function will no doubt finally bring about a use for those web cams so many people have knocking about their computer desks gathering dust.

    In addition, Six Apart, one of the top makers of Web blog software based in San Francisco, has agreed to embed links to Skype as an option for millions of users of Six Apart’s Typepad blog service, the two companies said.

    The beta version of Skype 2.0 is now available, keeping in mind that its still beta, but their is a “shiny” new version on the way 😀

  • Windows Mobile 2003 to Windows Mobile 5 anyone?

    I’m a serious stickler for upgrading things.

    12 months ago I purchased a Motorola V300. Not content with the phone I had seen as everyone was buying them up last summer I decided to take a bit of action and so tore apart my V300.

    By tearing apart my V300 I mean buying new casing, transferring the internal workings of the phone to a V525 body, replacing the antenna and upgrading the camera, fitting new lights and flashing the firmware on the phone to upgrade the software end of the phone to a V600, thus unlocking more memory, a video camera and the rest. Yes folks, the V300 is the bastard offspring of the V600 – cut down in price, cut down in size but secretly – secretly – they’re the same phone.

    I’m doing the same with the XBOX. Not content with something standard, I’ve ordered a ModChip, borrowed some soldering gear and I’m going to transform the innocent XBOX into a sweet multimedia console as opposed to games console.

    Now its in me to get a way to upgrade from Windows Mobile 2003SE to Windows Mobile 5.

    Let me draw your attention to the Windows Mobile Team Blog which makes for some interesting reading.

    Then there was this….

    The h6300 and hw6500 product lines are significantly more complex products that function on mobile operator networks. Mobile operator networks require stable product performance in order to maximize quality of service for their end-users. In some cases in order to maximize service performance with the new operating system, hardware changes are required. Hardware modifications to on the h6300 and hw6500 are not planned; therefore HP will not provide MS Windows Mobile 5.0 on the iPAQ h6300 and hw6500 models

    Followed by this dated September 26th….

    In conjunction with the unveiling of its first Windows Mobile 5.0-enabled handhelds today, Hewlett-Packard today confirmed that the company does not have an upgrade to Windows Mobile 5.0 scheduled for its iPAQ hw6515 communicator. Citing minimum hardware requirements for Windows Moile 5.0, the company also said that it had not scheduled upgrades to the latest version of Windows Mobile for any products beyond its hx2000 and hx4700 ranges of iPAQ handhelds

    And finally this little ditty from engadget which might well suggest there is light at the end of the tunnel.

    I don’t like waiting. I don’t like making people wait. I sure don’t like people keeping me waiting. But I’m a patient guy.

  • Can you be confident in Windows Vista?

    Microsoft, Microsoft, Microsoft.

    Vista. Longhorn. Vista. Longhorn.

    Which would you have preferred? In the techie computer sense of the person that exists within me, I’ve already had a Longhorn bootscreen replace my XP Pro boot screen for the last 18 months or so. First my laptop had it. Then it was the desktop theme for Longhorn and now my desktop has it.

    If I’m not careful I’ll end up with a beta version of Vista before too long and that will be the end of that!

    What amazes me though is one of the taglines, that Windows Vista will breed a whole new level of confidence to the experience of using your computer. So does that make you confident in what your computer can do, or is Windows Vista supposed to turn you into a Microsoft Guru overnight?

    To quote…

    the fundamentals of the operating system free you from worrying about security, reliability, and managing your computer. You are in control.

    When has any good Windows user been free from worry about security or reliability or actually managing your computer? What really interests me though is this whole ‘fast on and off’ routine they are proposing. Vista, so it seems, will start up within 2-3 seconds, and shut down in the same time… as good as a TV they say. Windows XP was supposed to be super-fast loading and exiting, but over time users actually realise that giving Windows the cold-shoulder and holding in the power button for 5 seconds is actually more effective.

    Breeding confidence. Is that the new thing now is it? I’m still waiting Microsoft….