Mobile Stew

Skype and 3 launched 3G data card, which enables subscribers to make cheaper VoIP calls.

Currently the card is priced at £ 39.99 and is bundled with the special
starter pack provided by skype which includes Skype software, a Skype
headset and a Skype starter voucher.

Users hoping to get the card at the cheapest price - £ 39.99 will have to opt
for the Web and Office 512 package priced at £45 per month. However users will
get half a Gb of data bundled in each month.



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Nate Anderson of Ars Technica has written an interesting article that highlights how difficult it can be for Government agencies to track Skype calls.  Governments are worried about the rise in encrypted VoIP conversations,such as those made with Skype, and they're seeking ways of extendingtheir wiretapping power to the Internet.

I hadn't considered this issue before.  All Skype traffic is automatically encrypted end-to-end withoutrequiring any user intervention, and this encryption is posing aproblem to authorities who need (or want) to listen in on conversations

More:  Is Skype a haven for criminals?

The much awaited and biggest of its kind,  3GSM World Congress 2006 has kicked off today. 3GSM 2006 is being held in Barcelona this year and is being attended by every major wireless, mobile, telecom related companies.

So, what to expect from this big event? There are plenty of new and interesting technologies, exciting services and hottest gadgets to make their debut.
Some of the themes talked about last year will surface as products this year, including HSDPA  mobile phones, dual-mode handsets supporting both GSM and Wi-Fi technologies, handsets capable of receiving broadcast TV signals. Mobile TV, MVNOs, mobile search and discovery and the road map to 4G will be some of the hottest themes at this event in Spanish metropolis, according to many industry experts.

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Om Malik has spotted that Vonaage has just filed for an IPO.  I might get a copy of the SEC document as I'm sure it will be interesting to see how they plan to spend the millions they intend to raise.  So far, despite spending millions on marketing the company is still losing cash at an amazing rate - last count $190 million over the last 9 months.

Hopefully, they'll spend some cash on customer service......two weeks later and I'm still trying to cancel my account.

More:  Om Malik, Mark Evans

I called Vonage to cancel my account last Friday, and was told that someone would get back to me to sort things out.  a week later I still haven't had a call, so I called them again today only to be told that there was a note on my records that I wanted leave and that they would call me as soon as they had cleared their backlog.  The guy on the phone was actually quite rude and almost had a go at me for chasing them up.

I have a sneaky feeling that they will never call me to close my account, so I've just added a fictional credit card as my payment details so that the payment will fail next month.  Lets see if that gets their attention!...

I've been doing a review of my finances over the last month or so.  No item has been spared, no matter how small, and I noticed that I was hardly making any calls with my Vonage home phone.

I had a quick look around to see if there was a way to connect my DECT home phone to Skype and I found the uConnect VoIP Converter. This great little device will plugs into a USB port and can connect to any home phone, allowing me to make calls both to Skype users and SkypeOut calls using my handsets.  So, I've made the switch to Skype as there's no monthly service charge, and the international rates, which I need to call my folks in Jamaica, are just as cheap....

I'm loving my Xbox360 headset.  I've started using it to make 'phone calls' to my friends. Although it can be a bit fiddly making a call as I have to be in front of my TV to make or accept a call, I love the fact that once the call is created I can wander around the house effectively handsfree (I tuck the controller in my pocket) as the range of the wireless controller is sufficient for my whole flat.

What would be great if some smart Alec came up with a "caller id" module that plugged into the memory card slot that would display who was calling and would allow me to accept a call.  Now that would be amazing. 

Nokia have stated that they plan to launch phones with built-in SIP clients in the first half of 2006.  This would allow mobile users to make VoIP calls, potentially for free, depending on which VoIP service is used.  Unfortunately for all of you Skype users, Skype uses a proprietary protocol, so you won't be able to access your account.

In a move I think to appease the mobile networks, Nokia also said that users won't be able to roam between a mobile network and a WLAN/VoIP network i.e. you won't be able to switch between both types of networks and charging models whilst in-call.