Very few names are capable of eliciting the same manner of geeky nostalgia as Erector. The mere mention of the company's name brings a deluge of memories of flanges and bolts and motors. For many Americans it's on a par with the kind of nostalgia invoked by Legos. It's fitting then that the company pushes forth into the 21st century with Spykee, the Wifi and Bluetooth-enabled iPod-and-PC-compatible "spy robot."

According to Erector, Spykee is, "the first Wifi robot that moves, sees, hears, speaks, takes pictures, [and] creates video." The robot can be controlled from your PC via Wi-Fi. If Spykee detects movement while you're out of the house, he'll sound an alarm (perhaps not the most useful function when you're miles away) or send a picture via e-mail. As evidenced in the picture, the robot is also an iPod-compatible MP3 player. Users can also make phone calls with the robot using VOIP.

If you've been considering switching over to a cheap voice-over-IP, service, you're in luck: The PC Magazine networking team recently reviewed the YMax magicJack, a near-perfect consumer-level VoIP solution. Just plug the YMax magicJack into an analog phone and the USB port of a PC with broadband Internet, and enjoy crystal-clear nationwide service for less than $20.

Get the full scoop in our in-depth review.

Have you ever been on the road and had a burning need to call your mate overseas? Actually, as someone who lived in the UK for two years, I know the feeling.

OK, so that's a bit of a unique case. But what about a businessman on the road? As more and more of us interact with overseas contacts, a cheap means of calling overseas strikes me as a handy backup. Enter Raketu's SMS service, which will be announced this coming Monday.

Raketu's pitch is that you might not own or have access to a smartphone with an embedded Skype application or other VoIP application. By texting a message to the local SMS number, Raketu will connect the two numbers (which can be the mobile you're holding or a nearby landline.)

Pulver Media's Fall VON is the obese simian of voice-over-IP trade shows--at least in the US. Since Boston's only an extended Amtrak nap away, I decided to hop up here today and sniff around. First clear trend:

First, VoIP vendors loooove SMBs and are ramping up a bunch of bundles and appliances to woo all you small biz readers. The shot above is an example of an ultra-appliance from Sutus.

Earlier today we covered the Microsoft Unified Communications press conference in San Francisco.

I personally think that the technology may have a minor effect on business culture, like the effect that mobile computing and mobile phones have had on business, but to a lesser extent. If Microsoft can shift the "voice mail as email" paradigm onto the culture at large, though, I think they'll have something. (Part of my "minor" rationale is the price: as our new networking analyst Oliver Rist points out, it takes five different server platforms to run correctly.)

With that aside, Microsoft chairman Bill Gates felt that UC was significant enough to fire off a lengthy email to Microsoft employees. (As a point of reference, one of his last formal emails was in February, on secure access in a connected world.) Here's what Gates has to say, after the jump.

Here at Gearlog, we're always bumping into the PC Magazine lab analysts and reviewers, because we all work on the same floor. But the lab guys are so busy, we don't usually know what they've got going on until they find the time to post on the blogs or or publish a review on PCMag.com. So to satisfy our curiosity and yours, we're going to head into the lab every Friday and stalk the analysts for a while, to see what they're reviewing, what they wish they had time to review, and what they have to say about the latest gear and software.

So without further ado, ladies and gentlemen, your PC Magazine lab analysts:

Davis Janowski, Lead Analyst for Web Applications and Software:

Davis says he's about to take a look at the IPEVO Free.2 tethered Skype phone, which lets you record Skype conversations directly to your hard drive. "It's got a snazzy look and feel to it," said Davis "and a different design than most Skype phones."

And how do we know that? Because Skype just signed a deal with Wal-Mart on Monday.

Starting today, Wal-Mart is offering nine makes of Skype Certified hardware in the Internet and voice communications area of 1,800 of its stores throughout the country. Wal-Mart is also the first U.S. retailer to offer Skype pre-paid cards: a $20 pre-paid card, plus a second card can be used to buy a three-month subscription to the Skype Unlimited Calling Plan for just $8.85. This gives consumers three months of unlimited Skype calls to any landline or cell phone number in the U.S. and Canada.

As the world's largest retailer, Wal-Mart has to basically be all things to all people, from rednecks to road warriors (the techie kind, I mean). But just as a dad shopping with his son might wander into the HDTV aisle, a grandmother out buying toys for her grandchild might see a Skype prepaid card, and wonder what it might do for her. That's sort of how cell phones became mainstream, and how VOIP is as well.

The Universal Service Reform Act of 2007 is much like the Universal Service Reform Act of 2006. Or the Universal Service Reform Act of 2005, for that matter. This week, House Energy and Commerce Committee Members Rick Boucher (D-Va.) and Lee Terry (R-Neb.) introduced the 2007 version, which would essentially require VOIP providers to pay into the Universal Service Fund.

The USF is one of those service charges that appears on your telecom bill each month. If you live in a major city, then the USF is a tax you're paying to help fund rural telecommunications providers, who have to build out more cable/DSL/optical trunks/cell towers to serve a far less dense customer population. If you live out in the boonies, however, it's a subsidy to help keep your telecommunications costs down.

Essentially, the bill would ask customers of VOIP providers, such as Vonage and SunRocket, to pay into the fund. On the other hand, the USF would be expanded to help push broadband out into rural areas as well. Obviously, KeepAmericaConnected.org, which is backed by rural telecoms companies, supports the bill.

Since I'm a member of the liberal media, I'm sort of forced into supporting this as well. All kidding aside, however, my wife's maid of honor currently lives in a farm deep in the wilds of Alabama, where many real-world commodities (food, shopping, gas, neighbors) are limited. Adding broadband won't change that. However, wiring a house with broadband also allows them to also participate in the global community, which I can't help but think is a good thing.

For those times when you absolutely need to make a Skype phone call and use your computer and still save a USB port, there's the USB Skype Mouse. The Skype Mouse doubles as a USB Mouse and a USB Skype Phone connected to your computer, and claims to switch seamlessly between the two when the mouse is used as a phone. To switch to phone mode, the top of the mouse opens up to reveal a number pad and LCD screen that you can use to make and receive calls. The mouse claims to seamlessly integrate with Skype and several other VoIP services, and even supports functions like hands-free dialing, speakerphone, and multiple ring tones. When in mouse mode, the 800 dpi optical sensor on the bottom offers mousing precision.

These creatures may look like just a toy, but they actually serve a practical purpose, albeit in a fun and silly way. The Verballs--five in all--are actually handsfree speakerphones for use with Skype and other VOIP services. When a call comes in, their horns light up and they wave their hands around. And once you accept a call, the Verballs move their mouths whenever your caller speaks--just like a badly dubbed movie!

You can also use Verballs to listen to MP3s (via the built-in speaker), download ringtones, use text-to-speech software and more. Choose from Mr V, Striker, Boss, Britney and Baby. (Britney, Mr. V and Slick are pictured on the left.) Each go for $39.95 on Firebox.

Boy howdy, we love us some Skype (even if we're a bit sad to see the whole free thing go), and the new beta of 3.0, released yesterday, and reviewed by PC Magazine a few weeks back, makes things all the sweeter. If there's one thing that might possibly be able to make the service even better, it would be the ability to break free the shackles of our PCs, and Skype it up at one of our friendly neighborhood hotspots, for a little cappuccino action, or even--gasp--some sunshine, courtesy of our beautiful WiFi-enabled parks.

PC Mag has taken a look at two of the first PC-free Skype handsets, and wasn't especially impressed by either Netgear or Belkin's maiden offerings. Early adopters might want to consider plunking down the cash, but everyone else might want to wait until round two.

Mvox Technologies, Inc is at the DEMOFall '06 conference this week to demonstrate its Mvox Duo, dubbed the world's first wearable Smart Communicator.

When I first heard of the Mvox Duo, I just thought it was a bluetooth headset. I soon learned that it's so much more than that. It's a cell-phone headset & VoIP headset, hands-free car kit, and mobile conference speakerphone all in one!

Pepcom held its Holiday Spectacular media event in New York this week, and the usual collection of reporters showed up for free food, free drinks, and an early look at gadgets and technologies that will be on sale in the coming months. The vendors that participate rarely announce anything really big at these events, but it is a good opportunity to schmooze. The open bar attracts all sorts of geeks. You see old-school tech journalist from print publications (Computer Shopper, PC Magazine, CMP, Wired), and also the new generation of bloggers from sites like Engadget, the Tech Filter, and Listening Post. Think of it as Rick’s Café for the tech set (although people hardly ever get shot trying to smuggle letters of transit). 

 

That said, these events aren't always pretty. One inebriated journalist dumped a tray of food on my shoes while I was talking to a helpful Plantronics representative about the company’s new Bluetooth headsets. Worse still, the guy just walked away without so much as an apology. Fortunately, a good (if somewhat intimidating) Samaritan tracked the offending party down and made him both apologize and clean the tartar sauce from my shoes. (That stuff stains!) Thus refreshed, I continued on. Here's the coolest stuff I saw.

• Plantronics Audio 910. Before I was so rudely interrupted, Jennifer at Plantronics managed to show me the new Audio 910. It comes with a USB adapter so you can pair both your PC and your cell phone with the same headset, perfect for switching between VoIP and cellular phone calls.
• Logitech MX Revolution. Logitech was showing off its new MX Revolution mouse, which not only feels great in the hand but has this sweet scroll wheel that can whip through spreadsheets with thousands of lines in seconds. (Take a look at our hands-on review.) The company also had some cool NDA products behind a curtain, but I can’t tell you about those yet... Seems like Logitech is really padding out its peripherals line with iPod accessories.
• TiVo Series3. There's been a lot of debate, both on staff and online, about TiVo's offer to let “lifetime” subscription owners with Series1 and Series2 boxes migrate their accounts to the Series3 for a $199 fee. That seems pricey to me, but most of the TiVo subscribers I know say it's a great deal.
• MovieBeam Player. MovieBeam is presenting itself as the low-cost provider of HD content, especially when compared to $1,000 prices for Blu-ray players. There is no new hardware for the MovieBeam, but the nationwide rollout continues. It goes live in Cincinnati, OH in a few weeks. The price of the box is down to $99, which is pretty compelling.
• Nikon D80. The camera looks fantastic, and the company assures me our review unit is in the mail. It better be, guys, because Canon just got us the Rebel XTi and it looks just as impressive.
• Belkin Sport Commander. Sure, everyone has an iPod, but pulling it out on the ski slopes, or even in the subway, can be risky. Belkin already has tons of iPod controllers and accessories on the market, but the Sport Commander is the first to use Eleksen’s patented electro-fabric technology. Using fabric is a lot more flexible, and comfortable, than hard plastic. The wireless controller is ultra-geeky, but Belkin manages to make it sporty too.
• Micro Mosquito. It isn’t particularly high-tech, but the $70 Micro Mosquito turned a lot of heads. This little plastic whirly bird had attendees transfixed. With a 30-foot range and controls that take just a little getting used to, it could be a hot toy this holiday season.

 

The next Pepcom event is in just a few weeks, but it is timed to coincide with the DigitalLife show at the Javitz. Between working at the PC Magazine Digital Village, walking the floor for the Best of Show awards, and recording the Gearlog Radio podcast, I will probably have to pass. Still, I am sure some eager Gearlogger will find the time to stop by for the free booze and food.

 

Dan Costa is the Consumer Electronics Editor at PC Magazine and a cohost of Gearlog Radio; check back every Thursday (err, sometimes Friday) for his take on the world of consumer electronics.

 

 

 

 

I just tested Skype for Pocket PC again, and got my best results ever: call quality that's only slightly worse than talking into a tin can at the bottom of a well, relayed via satellite from Iraq.

I've used the Pocket PC version of Skype on three or four devices now, and I'm always amazed at what a foul dog this program is. Echoes? Check. Static? You bet. Device slowdowns? De rigeur. Clear conversations? Not on your life. Never mind that the thing only works through wired headsets, killing off twenty-five years of the trend of holding up phones to your ear, but neglecting to anticipate Bluetooth.

Go onto the Skype support forums and you'll find a bunch of Skype fans desperately trying to sew a silk purse out of this thing: "It works using Build 42, but not Build 41, as long as you open Internet Explorer first, propitiate the rain gods, and hold your phone upside down." Forget beta - is there a letter before alpha?

Skype's attraction is low cost international calling. But there are other solutions which leverage the ease of use and quality of service of the actual voice cellular networks, yet lower your per-minute international charges, such as drugstore calling cards and Rebtel. I imagine there are also a few desperate cheapskates out there who want to make ordinary domestic calls without signing up for as many cellular minutes as they need to use. But the cost is just too high in terms of installation headaches, battery burn and awful, awful, miserable quality.

I'm not against all VOIP. Vonage gets the formula right: make it look and work just like the good ol' phone network. I've never cottoned on to those PC softphones like regular Skype -- do you really want to rely on the legendary stability of Microsoft Windows for your phone service? But I see analyst Davis Janowski chatting on his PC all the time, so I assume it works OK in terms of voice quality.

But not the Pocket PC version. It may be free, but it's not worth the price.

I have been slow to get on the Skype bandwagon, much to the annoyance of my sister down in Australia, but I am going to have to take the plunge soon. One thing that would make it a lot easier would be a device like the VIVO Voice Key ($60). This little box sits between your plain old telephone and your PC and lets you place and take Skype calls just like ordinary calls. Of course, you have to have a Skype account and install some software from VIVO, but it sounds like it makes calls a lot more like, well, phone calls. There are other skype adaptors out there, but the Voice Key looks pretty promising.

[[Found on the TechFilter]]