Skype Software S.a.r.l

One accessory category that always seems to stir up reader interest is wireless webcams. We've seen our share of them over the last year: the Stem Innovations iZon (US$129.95), the iBaby Monitor ($199.95), and the WiFi Baby 3G ($279) among others. Lorex, a manufacturer of a number of security cameras, has joined the fray with the $299.99 LW2031 Live Connect Home Video Monitoring System. What makes this system so different from any other webcam I've reviewed recently is its integration with Skype. You actually set up a Skype account for the webcam, and then make a call to that account to view your webcam feed. Most other webcams either have a way to be viewed directly through an app or have a website that you can visit to see your feed. Using Skype as an intermediary is quite smart -- many people already use the app on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and PC, and are familiar with the steps required to make a video phone call. The camera itself is similar to many of the webcams that we've reviewed here on TUAW. It requires an external power connection (in this case, through a mini-USB port), has infrared LEDs for night viewing, and uses Wi-Fi for connectivity to the world. The camera features a fixed focus and cannot be swiveled remotely, but you can add multiple cameras to a specific installation. That multi-camera capability means that the Lorex system comes with something that is unique among many home video monitoring systems -- a wireless gateway. The gateway requires its own power plug and must be connected directly to a home router. In my testing, I connected it directly to an Apple AirPort Extreme. Setup of the Lorex system was fairly straightforward. Once the camera and gateway were plugged in and powered up, I launched Safari and clicked the "Open all bookmarks" button. Clicking on the Bonjour (zero-configuration discovery) icon, I immediately saw the Lorex gateway appear on a list of devices. Double-clicking the gateway icon brings up a configuration website allowing you to set the time zone and Skype name of the device. Once the configuration is complete, you can use Skype to call the gateway. The IM area at the bottom of the Skype screen shows the connection being made, and then the image appears. At first, the image is usually quite pixelated, but it clears up after a few seconds. Lorex Read More

It's January 6th, 2012, and today marks the end of the TUAW Best of 2011 awards. This was a massive undertaking, with 25 separate categories all requiring their own nominations and voting from our readers. We've learned some lessons for next year's event -- start earlier, watch for astroturfing in the nominations, drop some unpopular categories -- and the Best of 2012 will be even better. The editorial staff here at TUAW agreed with many of the reader picks, but we had our own opinions on some others. We want to thank all of the thousands of TUAW readers who took time to consider their favorite accessories and apps, nominate them for an award, and then vote in the competition. Without further ado, here's the full list of winners as well as our picks for the TUAW Best of 2011: Editor picks: 13" and 11" MacBook Air, 13" MacBook Pro Peripheral or Accessory: OWC Data Doubler and OWC Mercury 6G SSD Editor picks: Magic Trackpad, OWC Mercury Extreme Pro SSD Editor picks: Mophie Juice Pack Air, Mophie Juice Pack Powerstation, iChair Editor picks: Apple Smart Cover, AViiQ Smart Case,Twelve South BookBook, ModulR System, OtterBox Defender Editor picks: Apple TV, iCade, Mophie Juice Pack Powerstation Read More

The nominations are in, and the poll is ready to go! The TUAW Best of 2011 awards are all about you -- the readers -- and what you think is the cream of the crop of Apple or third-party products and software. To vote, select one entry from the top nominations made by readers. We'll be announcing the winner in just a few days. Vote early and often! TUAW is asking for your votes for the best iPad social networking app of 2011. Once again, we got only a few nominations in this category, meaning that most readers may use their iPhones more than their iPad for their social networking. In addition, several readers nominated apps that run on the iPad but are not designed specifically for the platform -- they've been disqualified. As a result, I took a quick poll of a number of tech writers and bloggers to get their take on iPad social networking apps. The nominees are: You have a couple of days to vote, and the winners will be announced on January 3, 2012. Let the voting begin! What is the best iPad social networking app of 2011? Read More

If you’re planning to travel this weekend, Skype may have a nice gift for you. The popular VoIP service is offering free Wi-Fi access in select airports across the U.S. thru December 27th. More precisely, a free hour of Internet access will be available in more than 50 airports using Skype WiFi. To get started make sure you’ve downloaded the latest version of Skype for Windows or Skype for Mac, or have downloaded the Skype WiFi app on your iOS device. Once you’ve signed in with a valid Skype ID, check your wireless network connection to see if you are in a supported hotspot. It’s that simple. You can see the list of airports from this page at Skype’s website and learn more about Skype WiFi from here. Hopefully it will soon be available for other mobile devices, not just those made by Apple… Finally, Skype encourages its users to tweet with the hashtag #freeskypewifi and tell them how free Skype WiFi made your travels a little more enjoyable. Dusan has been using smartphones since their introduction and is now following the latest trends in the industry. The "convergence" is what he's most excited about, and writing about it is the next logical thing to do. He thinks that using a smartphone is what everyone who cares about their time should do. In addition to his interests in mobile phones, Dusan also loves to experiment with the latest web and mobile 2.0 services. The idea of accessing and managing your information from any device no matter where you are simply amazes him. Whether it's an online to-do list, note taking service or a video sharing social network, he's there to try it out. He admits though, he's still searching for the ultimate web-based organizational tool, which "sings" perfectly with the mobile PIM application. Dusan used to run SymbianWatch.com which later became part of IntoMobile. He lives in Serbia, South-East Europe, from where he edits the site on a daily basis. Read More

Oft nachgefragt: ein Beitrags-Update über meine ‘Homescreens‘. Seit März 2011, als die letzte Aktualisierung dieser Artikel-Serie erfolgte, hat sich die eine oder andere App verschoben, geändert und aussortiert. Der derzeit aktuellen Stand ist an dieser Stelle festgehalten. Vielleicht finden an diesem Montag ja speziell frische 4S-Käufer, die einen ersten Grundbedarf an Software benötigen, die eine oder andere Anregung. Ich persönlich ziehe jede individuelle Empfehlungen allen generischen ‘Hitlisten’ vor. Genau deshalb soll mein privater Einblick auch nicht alleine bleiben: Wer Screenshots oder Tipps von seinen verwendeten Apps in den Kommentaren kundtun möchte, ist dazu herzlich eingeladen. Zwei Anmerkungen noch: Die zwei benutzten Hintergrundbilder gibt es hier und hier. Auf meinem Standby-Screen befinden sich dieses und dieses Bild. Außerdem führe ich zwei Ordner mit ‘Review’-Software, die ich mir für dieses Blog noch genauer anschauen möchte. Da diese Programme (noch) keine Empfehlungen sind, verbleiben sie für diesen Artikel ohne Erwähnung. Außerdem verstecken sich in den iPhone-Ordnern: Delivery Status touch (3.99 €); Dropbox (kostenlos); eBay (kostenlos); iCab Mobile (1.59 €); Skype (kostenlos); WeatherPro (2.99 €); Tumblr (kostenlos); Verbs (0.79 €); WhatsApp (kostenlos); PayPal (kostenlos); Analytics Pro (4.99 €); Boxcar (kostenlos); Articles (2.39 €); Instapaper (3.99 €); Facebook (kostenlos); Kicktipp (kostenlos); Flickit Pro (3.99 €); 360 Panorama (0.79 €); Lab (0.79 €); Halftone (0.79 €); Instagram (kostenlos); Finnish English (2.39 €); Evernote (kostenlos); Reeder (2.39 €); CrashPlan (kostenlos); Meine Freunde suchen (kostenlos); Shazam (kostenlos); Synonymwörterbuch (19.99 €); iSSH (7.99 €); Handoff (1.59 €); Screens (15.99 €); Google+ (kostenlos) und AirPort Dienstprogramm (kostenlos). Außerdem verstecken sich in den Ordnern: Evernote (kostenlos); iOutBank (9.99 €); Pages (7.99 €); iSSH (7.99 €); Dropbox (kostenlos); iMovie (3.99 €); Skype (kostenlos); Numbers (7.99 €); Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery (3.99 €); Bumpy Road (2.39 €); Cut the Rope (1.59 €); Emberwind HD (1.59 €); Groove Coaster (2.39 €); The Last Rocket (2.39 €); Contre Jour HD (2.39 €); ShadowGun (3.99 €); Comic Zeal (5.99 €); Flipboard (kostenlos); Kindle (kostenlos); Tagesschau (kostenlos); Wired (2.99 €); Zeit Online (kostenlos); Big Picture (2.39 €); Color Splash (1.59 €); Instagallery (1.59 €); Instamap (1.59 €); PhotoSync (1.59 €); Remote (kostenlos); Boxee (kostenlos); iCab Mobile (1.59 €); Simplenote (kostenlos); Air Display (7.99 €) und PDF Expert (7.99 €). * Alle Affiliate-Links (Danke!) führen direkt in den App Store. Read More

By Leanna Lofte, Tuesday, Sep 27, 2011 | Skype for iPhone has received an update, and with it, brings Bluetooth support as well as a new UI, enhanced video, and ads for those who do not have Skype credit. Call, video call and instant message anyone else on Skype for free with Skype for your iPhone or iPod touch. Update includes: Skype is available on the iPhone for free. Have an app you’d love to see featured on TiPb? Email us at iosapps@tipb.com, tell us about your app (include an iTunes link), and we’ll take a look. Read More

by Qik has rolled out its premium live video-streaming product to all Android users. Qik Premium builds on the free Qik video service by adding a few extra features: unlimited video downloads and storage, sending and receiving video mail anytime, automatic video syncing with your computer through Qik Desktop, HD as well as 3D video recording on devices that support it, and priority customer support via a dedicated email. Qik Premium is free for the first 30 days and $4.99 per month thereafter. The new app is available in the Android Market, and it’s also available for the iPhone [iTunes link]. Qik was acquired in January 2011 by Skype for north of $100 million. Read More

Skype has launched an app called Skype WiFi that allows users to pay for wi-fi internet at over 1 million locations, using credit on their Skype account. stuff reports. Read More

by You can now use Skype credit to pay for Wi-Fi access on your iPhone or iPad. The Internet phone giant launched “Skype WiFi” in the Apple store Wednesday, an app that allows you to connect to more than 1 million Wi-Fi hotspots around the world — and only pay for the minutes you use. Unlike hotspot services such as Boingo (which powers Skype’s mobile Wi-Fi service), which require a day pass or a monthly subscription, Skype Wifi [iTunes link] charges Wi-Fi users by the minute. Access rates start at $0.06 per minute, but may be more depending on the provider. The service has previously been available for laptops under the label “Skype Access.” Why would anyone want to pay for Internet if they have a mobile phone with a data plan? In a blog post about the new feature, Skype suggests it might be useful for avoiding data roaming charges abroad. We might add that it’s extremely helpful when your iPhone’s 3G signal is weak, and you just want to download that one vital email. If you find mobile access to pay-per-minute Wi-Fi tempting, you can try the app for free this weekend — August 20 and 21 — for 60 minutes. Read More

Posted 08/17/2011 at 12:01pm | by Adrian Hoppel Skype WiFi for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch arrives today, available immediately as a free app from the Apple App Store. The app, formerly known as Skype Access, allows you to go online with your iOS device at over 1 million Wi-Fi hotspots around the world, including hotels, airports, train stations, convention centers, bars and restaurants. Skype WiFi allows you to pay-per-minute while you are connected, so if you are looking to check your email or make a quick VoIP call, you can do so without buying an hourly or day Wi-Fi pass. Access priced through Skype starts at $.06 a minute, and you are only charged for the minutes you are connected. You'll will need to make sure there is some credit in your Skype account, though. It looks pretty easy to use the app, too. According to Skype, all you need to do is: - Go to the App Store and download the Skype WiFi app- Open the Skype WiFi app for iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad- Sign in with your Skype account details or visit Skype.com to create a new account- Tap Go Online and you're online! - Once you've finished, just tap Disconnect The Skype WiFi app is available now at the Apple App Store. Adrian covers daily news as well as the weekly  column for MacLife.com. You can follow him on , if you want to. Tags: Read More