The battle for your address book: Will souped up contact apps monetize the data explosion?
[Editor's Note: Below, MobileBeat advisory board member Jason Devitt explains why we should care about new innovative address books. Not only are they key to a much better user experience, but they may greatly impact the way we pay to use our phones. He also... Continue Reading
With Three UK deal, is Skype killing voice revenue for carriers?
Late last week, the internet phone service Skype announced that the UK carrier Three UK had become the first 3G carrier to embrace Skype and offer it freely without restriction.
You may ask: Who in their right mind will continue to use their regular carrier… Continue Reading
Confirmed: Skype ready for the iPhone, Blackberry
The speculation, teasing, and waiting is over. Just as GigaOm predicted, Skype, the VoIP client that lets users make phone calls through the internet, is coming to the iPhone and Blackberry. News of Skype’s smartphone ambitions was released going into this week’s mobile-centric CTIA conference… Continue Reading
Skype for the iPhone next week?
There are well over 25,000 applications now in Apple’s App Store. But there are still a few notable omissions. One of those is the hugely popular Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) application Skype. But that could change as soon as next week, GigaOM’s Om Malik… Continue Reading
Index Ventures infuses biotech and cleantech with $438.8M
Index Ventures just announced the closure of a $438.8 million fund intended to finance young biotechnology and cleantech portfolio companies. This is the sixth seed and early-stage fund the London-based firm has raised. Perhaps best know for its prescient investments in technologies like Skype, MySQL… Continue Reading
Roundup: Health sites to merge, Google may embrace traditional ads and more
Here’s the latest action:
Health site operators plan to team up against WebMD — The merger between Revolution Health Network and Waterfront Media is valued at $300 million, and should help the combined companies take on with market leader WebMD. We’ve heard that Revolution was… Continue Reading
MySpace apps: SightSpeed releases video chat
SightSpeed, a desktop-based video conferencing application, tomorrow launches SightSpeed Light (see screenshot below), a widget video conferencing app, on the Myspace application platform.
SightSpeed Light provides a Flash-based free video chat and video mail between MySpace users, but it is also integrated with SightSpeed on… Continue Reading
Roundup: FCC turns down Skype appeal, PG&E asks for more renewables, and more
FCC chair rejects opening existing wireless networks — A petition from Skype failed to convince FCC chairman Kevin Martin to force wireless carriers to open up their existing networks to outside devices and software, leaving the newly-auctioned 700Mhz airwaves as the only network opened by… Continue Reading
Roundup: Adobe’s product launches, Joost, eBay-Skype charge, and more
Here’s an (updated) summary of the latest action:
–Adobe launches online-offline media player, and Share. Other applications launch using Adobe’s AIR
–Microsoft launches Office Live WorkSpace
–Joost officially launches its online TV service
–Skype makes earn-out. EBay takes $1.43 billion impairment charge for Skype, and… Continue Reading
Lypp, offering free conference calls
Lypp is a free group calling service that works with your existing landline or cellphone number, and launches a private testing version tomorrow.
It’s a nifty service. Free conference calls. So what’s the catch, you ask?
Nothing to start off with, except for a limited… Continue Reading
Jajah benefits from Skype downage, to release Facebook application
The outage of internet telephone service Skype last week helped several companies, including apparently the Gizmo Project and Grand Central. The latest company to say it benefited is Jajah, which claims users registrations surged by 50 percent more than usual when Skype was down last… Continue Reading
Roundup: Skype’s offer, Calacanis, Acoona, Zoho, Bluebet, Tafiti, WikiScanner, more
Here’s the latest action:
Skype trying to buy back customer love — Skype is sending out notes to users saying they’ll get a week’s worth of free service. The San Jose Internet phone company says it has 196 million users and reported earlier this year… Continue Reading
Roundup: Skype for iPhone, GBox, BarCamp Block, first space hotel & more
The latest action:
Skype for iPhone — SHAPE Services, a Stuttgart, Germany-based company, known for making mobile IM clients, has announced Skype for iPhone, an iPhone-optimized Web site that allows you to access Skype via the iPhone’s browser. Om has details.
Gbox, offering digital music… Continue Reading
Roundup: Free calls via texting, Mr. Wong takes on Delicious, Facebook’s growth and more
Here’s the latest action:
Free mobile calls, via texting — An Ottawa company called bOK is using VOIP to give Canadians free mobile calls, using SMS. Here’s how it works: You send a text message with your contact’s phone number to bOK, and, just like… Continue Reading
Jajah gets $20M, and Intel patent to take on Skype
Jajah, the Internet telephone company living up to its “scrappy” reputation, has just pulled in $20 million from the venture capital arm of giant chip maker Intel and others.
This is a big endorsement for the young company, which goes up against a multitude of… Continue Reading
Roundup: The VC tax, Skype’s paid calls, Emotiv’s brain joystick
Here’s the latest action:
VCs may be vulnerable to new tax idea — Federal lawmakers are mulling a rule that would make venture capitalists pay much more in taxes. So far, venture capitalists’ profits have been classified as capital gains– and thus subject to the… Continue Reading
The Venice Project — a Skype for TV
The Skype co-founders Janus Friis and Niklas Zennstrom signed an accord with eBay when their company was acquired.
Under that accord, they can not use Skype peer-to-peer technology to launch another business in the telephony area. So that leaves video.
And once you’ve got entrepreneurship… Continue Reading