communications
Latest
Daily iPhone App: IM+ with Beep
IM+ is one of the top-rated Instant messaging clients in the iOS app store. It has universal device support, and a list of features that'll suit any messaging fan. Shape Services, the company behind IM +, is constantly improving its iOS app. The latest update landed today and includes Beep, a new IM+-specific messaging service. Beep will let you send instant messages to other friends and family who are running IM +. You can compare it to RIM's BlackBerry Messenger service, which lets Blackberry users message each other. The IM+ version is better than BBM because it has more features and is available on Android, iOS, BlackBerry and Windows Phone. I was able to evaluate the latest version of the IM+ app and check out Beep on both an iPhone 4S and a Galaxy Nexus. The Beep service exists side-by-side with your usual messaging services like AIM and Google Talk. While you're chatting on AIM, it's easy to switch to Beep and use IM+ to send your buddy a quick note. Beep is easy to set up within IM+, all you need is a phone number. Once you confirm your number, you're ready to start adding contacts to your Beep network. IM+ has millions of users, so you probably don't have to look to hard to find friends for your Beep contact list. The fun begins when you've added a few friends and start messaging. The interface makes it seem like you're using an IM service to communicate, but you're not. There's no login or any connection to a third-party server. All messages are sent through IM+, so you don't have to worry about racking up text messaging fees. Messages are delivered promptly, and the app notifies you when a new message is received. It supports push notifications, so you do don't have to leave the app running to receive these SMS-like messages. Each back and forth is saved in a threaded conversation which is available in your history. If you want to share a conversation, you can find it in your history and send the details via email. Besides messaging, the new Beep feature for iOS lets you send a photo, a video, or a voice note to a Beep contact. The app records the audio or video file, uploads it to a server and sends a link to the recipient who can download the file. You can also share your location with your Beep friends. I tested these location, video and audio options and found they all worked well, with the exception of the video message. The iPhone 4S recorded the video clip and uploaded it without a hitch. Within a minute, I received a download link on my Android device. No problem, except the iPhone recorded the clip as a .MOV and the Android device had no idea what to do with it. I originally thought Beep was a gimmick, but these additional messaging options make Beep much more than a novelty. After using it for a few days, I realized how nice it is to have a rock solid IM client and a rich multimedia, multi-platform messaging tool all in one app. It may not become my replacement for SMS, but it will be an app I use regularly for sending a video or audio message to someone. The biggest hindrance to using Beep is finding friends who use IM+. For me, it's easier to fire off an SMS than to identify IM+ users, add them to Beep and make sure they are online when I want to chat. Shape Services has to make it easier to find friends who use IM+ and encourage them to use the app before the service can become a usable SMS replacement. Besides Beep, the new version of IM+also includes a Rovio Angry Birds theme that you can download and install. It has a lovely wallpaper, lots of sounds and all your favorite Angry Birds characters from the game. Beep will be available in both IM+ free and paid versions for iOS, BlackBerry, Android and Windows Phone starting today. You can grab the free version of IM+ from the iOS app store. The paid version costs $1.99 and, among other things, gets rid of those pesky ads. %Gallery-142081%
AT&T blows a gasket, calls FCC report 'an advocacy piece, not analysis'
You know who's madder than hot fury right now? That guy you picked last on your recreational kickball squad. Also, Jim Cicconi, AT&T Senior Executive Vice President of External & Legislative Affairs. He's credited with penning a scathing response to the recent FCC Staff Report surrounding the proposed AT&T / T-Mobile transaction, which obviously didn't go at all in the way that the former had intended. In fact, he goes so far as to call the document "so obviously one-sided that any fair-minded person reading it is left with the clear impression that it is an advocacy piece, and not a considered analysis." And in turn, effectively teaches us that his rebuttal is equally so. As you'd expect in any legal / political throw down with billions at stake, AT&T feels that the report "cherry-picked facts to support its views, and ignored facts that don't." Hardly shocking, mind you, but it's the clearest evidence yet that the company isn't backing down from its stance. Of course, with a $4 billion break-up fee looming if this all falls apart, it's probably worth a few Hail Marys along the way. As you'd expect, Sprint also took the time to respond to AT&T's response of an FCC report, which responded to both Sprint and AT&T's initial responses. You'll find that, and perhaps other tales of intrigue, after the break.
Brazil wants to build South American broadband network, says it will bring down costs
A pan-South American broadband network: It sounds rather ambitious, but that's exactly what Brazil proposed yesterday, during a meeting of the continent's communications ministers. In an address to his colleagues, Brazil's Paulo Bernardo called for the creation of "a ring of South American fiber optic networks" encompassing the entire continent. This "South American solution," he added, would lower the costs of internet and mobile access across the region, benefiting consumers and ISPs alike. "Connection costs for South American users represent on average between 35 and 40 percent of the total price of the service," the minister explained. "An Internet provider in South America pays, in the best of cases, three times more for the connection than in the United States. This situation must change urgently." Bernardo estimates that the initiative would cost about $60 million and could be completed within two years, though it'll likely have to jump through a few more hoops before nearing reality.
Ericsson-sponsored 'On The Brink' mini-film puts connectivity in perspective
Every so often, a film (or short) like this crops up. Be it from AT&T in 1993, or Microsoft every couple of years, there's just something amazing about dreaming of the future. This go 'round, we've got an Ericsson-sponsored piece dubbed "On The Brink," which touches on the past, present and presumed future of connectivity. Want an informed look at what our planet might look like once ubiquitous broadband is a reality and cats are more powerful than presidents? Hop on past the break and mash play. (After you set aside 21 minutes, not including buffering.)
Microsoft finalizes acquisition of Skype, Tony Bates shares his thoughts (video)
Well, it's finally happened -- Microsoft's acquisition of Skype has just been finalized, a little more than five months after it was first announced. Under the $8.5 billion deal, Skype CEO Tony Bates will be named president of the new Skype Division of Microsoft, and will have to report directly to Steve Ballmer. Many Skype employees, meanwhile, will stay onboard at offices around the globe, including at outposts in Estonia, the Czech Republic, Russia, Sweden, the UK, Luxembourg, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong and the US. In a post on the Official Microsoft Blog today, Bates seemed unsurprisingly enthusiastic about the acquisition, describing it as a marriage of two "disruptive, innovative, software-oriented companies." The exec was less specific about the role his company would play within Redmond's new architecture, but assured that Skype would be at the forefront of future communications initiatives across a variety of platforms. "Microsoft is committed to the ubiquity of the Skype experience – communication across every device and every platform will remain a primary focus," Bates wrote. "And we've only scratched the surface." Head past the break for Microsoft's full PR, as well as the video address from Bates.
UK 4G network auction delayed, spectrum sell-off pushed back to the end of 2012
The dizzying world of 4G speeds remains a distant prospect for Britons, with telecoms regulator Ofcom deciding to delay the auction for the next generation of mobile spectrum. It was looking to sell off two potent bands of wireless network by the end of this year, but those plans have been put on hold by some legal jostling and desk-banging from UK carriers, with the British equivalent of the FCC saying it received several "substantial and strongly argued responses." The sell-off delay might not affect any launch dates for 4G (already being tested in rural parts of the UK), as the bands up for grabs still won't be available until 2013. But eventually all of this to-ing and fro-ing will test even the Brits' stoic patience.
Daily Mac App: Adium
Instant messaging is an essential part of modern communications. On the Mac, we're blessed with the excellent iChat, but Apple's built-in IM solution doesn't connect to every protocol, so that's when we turn to Adium. Adium is a great long-standing piece of open-source Mac software. The reason it's so good is that it connects to almost every IM protocol under the sun. Gtalk, Facebook IM, Live Messenger, Yahoo, AIM, Jabber, IRC, you name it, Adium will let you chat using it. The Swiss Army Knife of chat clients, Adium not only lets you connect and chat, but does it in a very customizable, yet Mac-like way. You've got Growl support, plugins, a menu bar icon, sounds, notifications and alerts for every action and a highly recognizable icon, even if it doesn't scream "chat" to you at first glance. Setting up Adium couldn't be easier. Select the desired protocol, plug in your login details and you're good to go. Your buddy list is downloaded from the respective sites and blended together in one list. You can sort by protocol or create your own groupings. Cross-protocol chat isn't possible for those that don't have interoperability, but that's no fault of the chat client. Adium is purely text-based, there are no built-in options for video or audio chat at the moment, but you can send files for protocols that support file transfer. Adium is available for free from the Adium team's site, and works great on almost all versions of OS X including Lion. If you've got friends spread across a plethora of IM protocols, let Adium simplify things and get you chatting to them all from one great client.
Sprint in alleged talks to acquire Clearwire, cablers huddle 'round for some LTE pie
'Tis the season for patent disputes and wireless industry takeovers, or so a recent glut of moves would indicate. Shedding a little light on Clearwire's recently announced allegiance to LTE, Bloomberg is reporting that the company's currently in talks to sell its business to Sprint, and perhaps secure the funding it so desperately needs for a network build out. According to several insider sources, the third place wireless carrier's considering a joint investment (amongst other options) with Comcast, Cablevision and Cox, that would give the cablers a bundled high-speed, wireless broadband competitive advantage, and Sprint an LTE boost in its battle against AT&T and Verizon's rival 4G networks. None of the players in this rumored takeover have yet to comment on the purported transaction, although the business gossip has had quite an uplifting effect on Clearwire's shares. While we can't speculate as to the veracity of the claim, we know one thing for sure -- that LTE network's not gonna build itself.
Bay Area transit operator cuts cell service to thwart protest, activists abandon cause for Angry Birds
It looks like not even good old civil disobedience can survive without decent reception these days. In a seemingly successful attempt to shut down a protest of BART -- the Bay Area's answer to a subway system -- operators pulled the plug on cell service to multiple train stations, leaving would-be activists without a major organizing tool. The demonstration would have been the second in as many months in response to the shooting of a man by transit police. Officials had this to say in defense of the disruption: A civil disturbance during commute times at busy downtown San Francisco stations could lead to platform overcrowding and unsafe conditions for BART customers, employees and demonstrators. BART temporarily interrupted service at select BART stations as one of many tactics to ensure the safety of everyone on the platform. That didn't seem to sit well with some, as the cutoff has lead to a campaign by hackers, comparing the system to former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who disconnected the country's internet during its recent revolution. It may have a ring to it, but muBARTek does seem a little much, don't you think?
Facebook announces Messenger app for on-the-go contact (Updated)
Facebook has announced Facebook Messenger, a dedicated app for Facebook messaging. It's already possible to send messages and chat within the standard Facebook app for the iPhone, but this new app hopes to streamline the process by putting the focus squarely on the chat interface. Messages can be delivered through both notifications and texts, and you'll have the ability to message back and forth with people in your iPhone's Contacts list in addition to your Facebook friends. Texts, chats, emails, and messages are consolidated in the same interface. Facebook hopes this will go a long way toward streamlining communication with your friends, particularly when trying to co-ordinate plans with large groups of people -- something that traditional email, SMS, and even the standard Facebook app's messaging interface all make much clumsier than necessary. Facebook Messenger is not yet available on the App Store as of press time, but it should be showing up sometime soon. It will be a free download, but you'll obviously have to be a Facebook member to get full use out of the app. Update: Facebook Messenger is now available on the App Store.
AT&T users in New York City suffering partial phone outage (update: restored)
We've been inundated with a flood of tips from Big Applers this morning, and we just confirmed ourselves -- a large sect of AT&T users in New York City aren't receiving calls. Even the ones who aren't just holding it wrong. It seems as if outgoing calls operate just fine, but folks trying to dial in are greeted with eternal ringing. As in, it doesn't even go to voicemail. We're assuming the engineers at Ma Bell are all over this as we speak, but be sure to let us know how wrecked your Big City life is due to this in comments below. Update: Right on cue, AT&T pinged us to say everything should be back to normal. The formal quote is below: "Wireless voice service has been restored and is back to normal now after a software issue occurred during routine maintenance which caused some customers on Long Island and in parts of Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan to experience voice service disruptions this morning. We apologize for any inconvenience to our customers." [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Clearwire adding 120Mbps 'LTE Advanced-ready' technology to its holdings, restates commitment to WiMAX
Is it really fall? We can't say for certain that this is what Dan Hesse was referring to when he told us face-to-face that something spectacular would be coming our way a bit later in the year, but Clearwire definitely just announced its intent to add "LTE Advanced-ready" technology to its 4G network. In what'll likely go down as the most shocking mobile news this side of the proposed T-Mobile / AT&T merger, America's biggest WiMAX fan has finally caved to the realities of the next-gen wireless war: LTE's winning, and it's picking up all sorts of steam. Verizon Wireless has been building out LTE at a breakneck pace, and soon enough, Ma Bell (and presumably, T-Mob) will be following suit. According to the bizarrely worded release, Clearwire will be leveraging "deep spectrum resources and an all-IP network to meet long-term mobile broadband demands." Translation? An "unmatched LTE network" capable of serving current and future wholesale / retail customers. We're told that the initial LTE rollout will target "high-demand areas of current 4G markets," taking advantage of existing 4G infrastructure in order to reduce expenditures. For those curious about transmission rates, you can look forward to download speeds exceeding 120Mbps (or so it says). In a telling quote, Dr. John Saw, Clearwire's Chief Technology Officer, confesses: "This is the future of mobile broadband. Our extensive trial has clearly shown that our 'LTE Advanced-ready' network design, which leverages our deep spectrum with wide channels, can achieve far greater speeds and capacity than any other network that exists today. Clearwire is the only carrier with the unencumbered spectrum portfolio required to achieve this level of speed and capacity in the United States. In addition, the 2.5GHz spectrum band in which we operate is widely allocated worldwide for 4G deployments, enabling a potentially robust, cost effective and global ecosystem that could serve billions of devices. And, since we currently support millions of customers in the 2.5 GHz band, we know that our LTE network won't present harmful interference issues with GPS or other sensitive spectrum bands." No doubt, that closer there is a direct shot at the dilemmas faced by LightSquared -- a company that Sprint curiously just inked a partnership deal with. It's hard to envision how this unholy love triangle's going to play out, but the company's making it quite clear that its LTE network will be "LTE-Advanced-ready," enabling it to have a leg-up on the laggards here in the States. The dirty little secret in all of this is that Clearwire's still waiting on "additional funding" to fully implement its LTE desires, which involve the use of multicarrier, or multichannel, wideband radios that will be carrier aggregation capable. As you'd likely expect, the company closed with a restatement of its support to the existing WiMAX network, but it's practically a guarantee that you've seen the last expansion effort on that one. In case you've been looking the other way, Clearwire hasn't produced plans for a new WiMAX market in all of 2011. Now you know why.
Move over Skype, calling from Gmail now supports 38 languages and cheaper calls
Kon'nichiwa, hola, and bonjour says Google, as it expands Gmail calling to support a total of 38 languages and four currencies including Euros, British pounds and Canadian / US dolla dolla bills y'all. The calling feature allows Gmail users to call landlines and mobile phones from within their Gmail browser for next to nothing, making the email center a one-stop shop for IMs, emails, video and voice calls. The year-old service is lowering its call rates to $0.10 per minute to mobile phones in the UK, France, and Germany, $0.15 per minute to Mexico, and $0.02 per minute to any number in China and India. Calling landlines is even cheaper -- which would be fantastic if you actually knew someone that still used one. The expanded language support and cheaper calls adds another piece of ammo to Google's arsenal as it goes head-to-head with Skype (which charges $0.18 - $0.25 per minute for calls to UK mobile numbers), after the company conveniently partnered with Google+'s arch nemesis for calls from within the social network. But hey, at least those late-night arguments won't cost the former nearly as much as it once did.
Broadband claims another: France Telecom putting the kibosh on Minitel
'Tis a sad, sad day for fans of all things retro. In a developed nation dominated by high-speed connections, near-ubiquitous 3G and sub-$€300 computers, it's more than a little astounding that the Minitel is just now being axed by France Télécom. Originally, the aforesaid machine was ordered by the French government in the 1970s "as part of an initiative to get people to share information and, eventually, reduce the consumption of paper." In a bid to rapidly increase adoption, the terminals -- complete with a monochrome screen and bantam keyboard -- were actually doled out to denizens free of charge, with access billed on a per-minute basis. It obviously required a phone line, and things were kept understandably simple; users rarely did more than shop for train tickets, check the occasional bank account and peruse the phone directory. Astonishingly, France's precursor to the internet still raked in €30 million in revenue last year, but the time has finally come to push existing users onto more sophisticated solutions. As of June 30, 2012, "the Minitel will die." 'Course, the service itself will be the only thing shuttered -- those memories are bound to last a lifetime.
Skype comes to Facebook, and Facebook comes to Skype (update: available now!)
It ain't the first time Mark Zuckerberg has taken the stage to announce... something, but today's shindig is resulting in "something" that's a bit more exciting for the average user. As rumored, the world's most notable VoIP service is set to become exceedingly integrated with the world's most notable social network. Skype has just thrown up a teaser page for v5.3 for Windows (and v5.5 Beta), noting that Skype and Facebook will aim to provide "the best of both worlds." Zuck is primarily announcing three main things today: group chat, a new way to chat ("an easier way to find someone who is online") and Skype-enabled video chat. Oh, and the tiny, tiny fact that there's now 750 million Facebook members. What's notable is just how easy it is to fire up a group chat (or send transcripts to group members who miss out) and get a video call going using your existing Skype contact list. A single click is all it takes, and we're told that it'll be rolled out to everyone "over the next few weeks" in 70 different languages. The new chat design will be scalable based on your browser size, and the company made a point to mention that it'll be listening closely to user input in order to iterate as it moves forward. Tony Bates stepped up to the plate, and noted that over 300 million videocall minutes a month are going through Skype, and at peak times, over half of its traffic is video. He also noted that the technology behind it was "tough" to construct, but somehow it managed to hammer this whole thing out in around six months via joint development. There's also talk about future "paid products" in due time, and it's strikingly clear that this partnership isn't going to fade anytime soon. If you're looking to take a dive yourself, hit up the source links below for the Windows applications, and wear that F5 button out over at Facebook's homepage if you're more of the "in-browser" type. Oh, and if you're curious about mobile -- video chat isn't active on that front yet, and Mark's not spilling any details on "when." To quote him on a question of time tables: "We'll see." Update: Those on the web can get started right now. Of note, this forces open the familiar chat bar, so it doesn't much look like you can hide from "those people" while attempting to find folks on Skype. Sadly, we're also seeing that doing so can add loads of Facebook contacts to your Skype program, and there's no real way to see that it's happening until it's too late. Clever, Mark. Update 2: We've spent a little time with both of the new options, and you can read up on our impressions here!
Skype gets Congressional approval, will help Representatives stay in touch with the common people
Look, Capitol Hill is a nice place to be, okay? There are interns eager to please, lobbyists keen to buy you dinner, why would you ever want to leave? Unfortunately for US Congressmen and women, the schleps who elected them insist on getting face time with their supposed representatives, which means a regular schedule of commuting getting in the way of some critically important foot massages and aromatherapy treatments. Never fear, though, Skype has come to the rescue. Microsoft's latest acquisition has scored a stamp of approval from the House of Representatives, permitting Congresspersons to use it to interact with constituents, attend virtual town hall meetings, and collaborate with other members of the House. All fun-making of lawmakers aside, this strikes us as a step in the right direction and Skype promises that it's done its homework on keeping communications secure. Let's hope so.
US funds shadow networks, builds 'internet in a suitcase' for repressed protesters
Whether a repressive government, a buggy DNS server or a little old lady is behind your internet outage, it can't be much fun, but the US government sympathizes with your plight if you're dealing with reason number one. The New York Times reports that the US State Department will have spent upwards of $70 million on "shadow networks" which would allow protesters to communicate even if powers that be pull the traditional plug -- so far, it's spent at least $50 million on a independent cell phone network for Afghanistan, and given a $2 million grant to members of the New America Foundation creating the "internet in a suitcase" pictured above. It's a batch of mesh networking equipment designed to be spirited into a country to set up a private network. Last we'd heard, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had pledged $25 million for just this sort of internet freedom, and the New America Foundation had applied for some of those bucks -- see our more coverage links below -- but it sounds like the money is flowing fast, and in multiple directions now.
Skype goes down globally again, Microsoft starts wondering if it bought wisely
Uh oh, Skype's experiencing its second big outage in the space of just a couple of weeks, as we're hearing reports from the UK, Netherlands, and yes, even Bulgaria, claiming the online communications service is down. Our own Skype clients are currently unable to move past the "Connecting..." status note, both on Mac OS X and Windows 7. While we've confirmed it in Europe, the issue seems to be affecting people all over the world. Nonetheless, Skype believes only "a small number" of us have been hampered by whatever's ailing it, and further details should be available soon. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] Update: Our comments indicate issues are also being encountered in Spain, Portugal, Italy, Australia, Japan, Malaysia, Brazil, Belarus, and Croatia, among other places. Notably, we've also heard reports of Skype functioning in the UK, so it's not down universally -- that supposedly small number of affected users must simply be spread out very sparsely across the globe. Update 2: Skype is now saying that the "situation is improving," and we have also confirmed that the service is back up in at least some places where it was down before.
Skype goes down globally, investigation underway (update: restored)
There's a pretty widespread outage of Skype going on right this minute, judging by the explosion of tweets relating to it. It's not universal, as we've been able to log in and use the internet communicator for both text and video chat, but something's definitely gone wrong. So far, we've noticed our OS X machines are ticking along just fine, but our Windows computers are not. Importantly, we had to upgrade one of our Windows desktops to "break" Skype, which indicates it could be a fault contained in the latest version, but then again, it could have simply been just a case of terrible timing. The iPhone and Android apps look to be unaffected, but skype.com is down and out. Skype is on the case right now and will have more details for us "soon." [Thanks, Manthan] Update: Skype has a solution for bringing tech savvy users back online. It requires deleting the shared.xml file, instructions for which are available for Windows 7, XP and Mac OS X (so yes, Apple computers have been bitten by the same bug too). A simpler fix is said to be in the works as well. Update 2: Looks like Skype is back to normal now. Phew! Update 3: If you're still experiencing issues, a Windows software update is now out and a Mac update will follow tomorrow.
Bill Gates considers Skype 'a great purchase' for Microsoft, helped make it happen
The aftermath of Microsoft's announcement that it'll buy Skype for $8.5 billion was filled with speculation about why the price was so high, who Microsoft was bidding against, and who inside Redmond was the driving force behind such a large expenditure. At least one of those queries has been demystified today, thanks to Bill Gates asserting himself as "a strong proponent at the board level for the deal being done." Microsoft's Chairman of the Board expressed his enthusiasm for gobbling up Skype in an interview with the BBC -- one which UK residents may see in full at the iPlayer link below -- and concluded that "it's a great purchase that a lot of innovation will come out of." Adding his support to Steve Ballmer's already public excitement about the Skype takeover, Bill stresses that "the importance of software is higher today than ever," while also predicting that video conferencing is set to become much better and bigger than we've yet seen. We've got our webcams at the ready, Bill!
