This development changes one of my earlier thoughts today. I had a guest video appearance on the TechVi show where we discussed the partnership between Google and Verizon Wireless. At that time, I said that Verizon may concede the iPhone to AT&T for good and just go with a very open approach on Android — an approach that will include Google Voice. With AT&T’s countermove, all bets are off for Verizon to use Android as a total hedge.

Regardless of future plans, I’m hoping that AT&T goes whole hog and allows streaming media service apps like Slingbox Mobile as well as VoIP. That may be asking for too much because the bandwidth for audio and video is surely more than audio alone.

Regular readers know that I couldn’t do without Skype. The voice over IP service has been a daily staple in my routine since early 2005. Since I use it so much, I’m a perfect candidate to test out new Skype accessories like the FREETALK Everyman USB headset I have on loan. I was initially skeptical because of the headset’s low, $22.88 price tag. But as they say, the proof is in the pudding. After using the Everyman headset for Skype over the past few weeks, it’s easily worth every penny and then some. Have a quick look — and listen — to the audio quality.

The iPod Touch is a great audio player, but so much more. The inclusion of the iPhone OS on the Touch turns the iPod into a phone without the phone bits. That means good web surfing, email and the like, all due to the inclusion of Wi-Fi.

A competing device would have to do all the things the iPod Touch can do, and just as well, but there is one area that could be exploited to make it better — VoIP. Sure the iPod Touch can do VoIP, but it requires additional accessories and Apple doesn’t promote the function. This lack of promotion for VoIP is likely due to Apple’s partnerships with phone carriers on the iPhone side. Carrier partners wouldn’t like it if Apple started pushing the iPod Touch, no carrier contract required, for making free (or cheap) VoIP calls.

If a company would make a gadget that focuses on VoIP, it could be promoted heavily as a “Skype in your pocket” device. Skype (or the equivalent) could be included on the device along with the components to exploit it. A device like this, coupled with good media playing capability, could give the iPod Touch a run for its money, I believe.

These thoughts come to you from a longer article I wrote for our subscription research site, GigaOM Pro. Check out that article for my full analysis of what such a competing device must have, and who is in a position to make one. Please feel free to comment on this idea here; I am interested in your thoughts.

The app is web-based and all you have to do is visit s4palm.com on your Pre mobile browser. This takes you to a Skype login page, and once you’ve logged in, you can Skype away. This is not a Skype app; it is strictly run in the Pre’s browser. It uses SkypeOut minutes to make calls and supports both text and audio chats to Skype contacts.

The program is free to use for 10 days and a lifetime fee of $9.99 gets you continued usage of IM+.

An effective way to collaborate with co-workers remotely is through desktop sharing. One of the two workers, the host, invites the other to share his or her desktop for collaboration. The remote worker sees exactly what the host is doing on the local computer. This is good for a number of tasks — among them being computer support, design work, and collaborating on documents.

Skype makes sharing a desktop remotely as simple as pushing a button in the call window. In just a few seconds, the host’s desktop pops up in a window on the remote user’s screen. This window is resizable, up to the resolution of the host’s screen. Resizing the window is done with crisp resolution, no matter what size is used.

The shared desktop is updated in real time, which Skype does with almost no lag at all. The remote user can follow the cursor of the host on the screen, and see exactly what he or she is doing at any given moment. This is true collaboration; it is just like looking over the host’s shoulder to see what he or she is doing.

Yesterday, Kevin and I had a 30-minute collaboration session to work on two documents. We needed to jointly contribute to the editing of a Word document and an Excel spreadsheet. Kevin suggested that we go the Skype desktop-sharing route, and it was a great decision. Kevin shared his desktop with me, and we talked about the changes we wanted to make. I could watch the work unfold in real time in the window displaying Kevin’s desktop across the country. We accomplished in 30 minutes what would have taken us hours going back and forth via email. This collaboration made it seem as if we were in the same room working together, which in a way we were.

Today I collaborated with Simon of WebWorkerDaily. We needed to work on something together, and he rang me up via Skype. He shared his MacBook screen with me (pictured above), and we got our work done quickly. The Skype desktop sharing provided me with a remote window that was just as resolute as Simon’s screen, and I was able to follow everything that happened on his computer. We chatted while working on his computer, and it was a great session.

This was true remote collaboration, as I am in Houston and Simon is in the UK. That’s the beauty of Skype’s desktop-sharing method. The sharing, coupled with high quality audio chat, is outstanding for getting things done. I was impressed with the lack of lag in displaying the host’s screen. At times, it was hard to tell I wasn’t looking at my own desktop.

I have tried many different tools for collaborating remotely, and I must say that Skype’s implementation of desktop sharing is the best by far. It has been consistent in quality, and I’ve experienced no issues yet. Throw in the bonus of it being free, and Skype has created a winner.

Push notification is the feature enabled in 3.0 that addresses the lack of multi-tasking on the iPhone. Some users of Skype on the iPhone are pitching a fit on the Skype blog that this “little” feature is not included in Skype 1.1. If any program needs push notification, then Skype is certainly it, as you can’t just run it all the time to the exclusion of all else. I guess your Skype buddies have to call your mobile number to tell you to switch to Skype to save money. Yes, that must be it.

This new version adds two features that users have long requested: file sharing and SMS texting. Skype is available in either a version to install from a PC or a downloadable CAB file for installation direct from the phone.

If the word “beta” doesn’t bother you and want some screen-sharing action on your Windows PC, go have a look-see at Skype 4.1. Version 2.8 for Mac already had the screen-sharing option, so this is new for the PC. Now you won’t be able to remotely interact with a fellow Skyper when sharing a screen, but this feature is useful for showing someone a doc, file or other object on your desktop. The latest beta version also restores the birthdates of your contacts and allows for the import of contacts from Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo and AOL.

Thanks for the tip, Dave!

Normally I use my USB headset to make sure the audio quality is good enough for the call, but today I wanted to go with an easier solution. I use Skype on the MacBook and I decided to use the Bang & Olufsen headset for the iPhone. I plug it into the audio out jack on the MacBook and the jack passes both input and output. This means the headset works as well with Skype on the MacBook as it does on the iPhone for calls. It’s much more comfortable for long calls than the bulky USB headset, so give it a try if you have a good audio headset. Thanks to Kevin for the idea.

Now I’m sure that there are other notebooks this will work on other than MacBooks, so no slamming. It’s what I have so I know it works with the MB.

T-Mobile Germany is following AT&T’s path by also prohibiting Skype use over 3G but extending that ban to WiFi hotspots they operate. That’s right, T-Mobile Germany is prohibiting the use of Skype over any network they own, 3G or otherwise.

The reasons, say T-Mobile, are purely technical rather than economical. A spokesman for T-Mobile told German media that the company has been in fact blocking all VoIP applications over its mobile network for two years.

“There are two reasons for this – because the high level of traffic would hinder our network performance, and because if the Skype program didn’t work properly, customers would make us responsible for it.”

The people behind the world’s leading VoiP application are not impressed. Skype’s general counsel, Robert Miller, has called the decision “an April’s Fool joke at the expense of Skype users in Germany”.

“What amazes me is that Skype is the number one download on the App Store in Germany, and yet the country’s dominant telecom operator has already made it known that it would block the use of Skype on iPhone (and on BlackBerry), both for its mobile network customers, and at its Wi-Fi hotspots” Miller wrote on the company’s blog.

This donnybrook is going to get worse with Skype set to release shortly on the BlackBerry platform. The wider it gets spread the more active these carriers are going to be to block its use. It’s also unsettling to see Skype being blocked by anyone over WiFi. That’s a good reason to call for a boycott, if you ask me.

(via apc mag)

This morning James and I got a chance to test out the new Skype for iPhone client. My impressions are that Skype nailed the implementation for voice. I’m wondering if Skype’s newest in-house audio codec has much to do with the voice quality. No matter how they did it, the sound quality is very impressive. Of course, the main limitation right now is that you can only do voice calls over WiFi and not on 3G. For our call this morning, I shared the Internet connection from my Mac to my first-gen iPhone by setting up a WiFi network. It’s drop-dead simple and since I’ve already received a few emails asking how to do this, here are the simple steps on a Mac. I don’t have a PC with me so I can’t detail exactly how to do this in Windows, but it’s not any more difficult on that platform. Here are the steps:

1. In System Preferences, open the Sharing Folder.
2. Click the Internet Sharing service (not the checkbox in front of it) and configure the options on the right. Here you simply pick the connection you want to share (Ethernet, 3G, etc…) and make sure the AirPort option is checked.
3. Click the AirPort Options button to name your network and add a password.
4. Check the Intenet Sharing service.
5. If you keep the AirPort icon in your Mac Menubar, you’ll see it change to indicate that it’s now sharing your connection over the custom WiFi network.
6. On your iPhone, simply connect to the WiFi network you created on the Mac. That’s it!

This easy process shouldn’t take more than three minutes, but I’m allowing you two extra ones just in case. This is also illustrates why I’m not the ideal customer for a 3G router. Using software, I can easily replicate the same functionality and create a wireless hotspot to share a 3G connection. Yes, my computer has to be on for this to work; that’s not required for a hardware-based router, but my computer is nearly always on to begin with. For me, this is a better solution and far less expensive since those routers can cost $200 or more. Plus, I don’t have to carry an additional device.

It’s been all over the web today that Skype has been officially released for the iPhone. It would be remiss of us to neglect covering such important mobile tech news and what better way to cover it than to show it in action. In this video I call Kevin who is goofing off hard at work in Las Vegas in preparation for the CTIA show tomorrow. In the video you’ll see and hear first-hand how clear the calls are using Skype on the iPhone and also find out what Kevin is doing out on the Strip at 4:30 in the morning.

On a related note, Om Malik points out that his breaking news last week has been confirmed: Skype is coming to the iPhone shortly. Skype calls on the iPhone will cost 2.1 cents/ minute and will only be possible over WiFi. No 3G for you.

This rumor deals with an official Skype app for the iPhone.  Skype has been possible on the iPhone through TruPhone and Fring for a while now.

The best one in my book is the ability to share files with chat-mates, something that Skype has long been able to do on other platforms. This makes it a simple effort to send files from any Windows Mobile phone to any Skype contact on any platform. The other new feature is the ability to send text messages using Skype’s low rates thus avoiding roaming charges when abroad.

Grab your copy of the new beta here.

Once you have Skype Access going just find a compatible hotspot and the first 10,000 minutes for all users combined is absolutely free. The promotion requires you to have a Skype account and each free session must be 30 minutes or less.  The promotion period ends March 23rd so you’d better get your Skype on.