Samsung has taken the lens cap off a set-top camera called the inTouch which opens up a world of Skype calling and web browsing to those with older HDTVs.

Running a tweaked version of Android 2.3, it upgrades the functionality of your TV with apps including YouTube and Google News and Weather, plus big screen web browsing.

The camera even comes with its own palm-sized QWERTY keyboard remote for bashing out emails during the Corrie ad break.

Turns your old gogglebox into a Google box

Installation promises to be a doddle, as once perched atop its TV throne it simply requires connection to a Wi-Fi network and its HDMI cable plugged in the back of the TV. It has an internal microphone and speakers so there are no messy peripherals to contend with.

It's also home to a USB port so you can quickly slot in photos and bore your family and friends with the full unedited version of your snaps from your trip to the steam museum, then upload the least unpopular ones straight to Facebook.

The camera itself is a 3MP unit which delivers 720p HD video and can be tilted up and down within a 30 degree range so grandma doesn't just see the top of your head.

The InTouch looks like a handy addition to an older set, but if you're looking for the full Google TV experience, check out Lenovo's 55-inch Google TV which is the first to run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

The Samsung inTouch is out in March for $199.99 in the US, with no details of a UK release yet.

Skype has just released a new beta version for Windows which includes a host of Facebook features, including Facebook chat integration.

The Skype 5.5 Beta doesn't allow you to call your Facebook friends, but does allow you to chat with them from within Skype, rather than having to log in to your Facebook profile.

There's also a new Facebook Contacts tab in the software, which is populated with all your Facebook friends, obviously, and lets you comment and 'Like' statuses on the social network.

Video poke

Rumours that Skype has been working with Facebook to integrate video calling into the social network's services have been milled for months, but we're yet to see that functionality.

In October last year, Skype introduced the Facebook news feed and the ability to call friends' mobiles and landlines from within Skype, but it's online video calling between Facebookers that will be the killer feature.

However, now that Microsoft has bought Skype, it's likely that the company will be keen to utilise (and monetise) Skype's video calling prowess elsewhere in its business.

On the face of it, Microsoft's purchase of Skype seems insane.

Skype's had a For Sale sign on its windscreen for ages, and both Facebook and Google had been spotted peering at the mileage, kicking the tyres and looking for dents.

It seems that Microsoft saw them, decided it wasn't going to be outbid, and started with an opening bid of "all the money in the world".

It's the biggest purchase Microsoft has ever made, eight and a bit billion dollars for a service eBay bought for two and a half billion and subsequently sold for two billion. Does Microsoft have more money than sense?

Phones and Facebook

Microsoft isn't stupid, and it's not going to throw around eight billion dollars for a laugh. So what's it up to?

There's been some speculation that Microsoft wants to combine Skype with Kinect, but while the prospect of an unholy Xbox Chatroulette makes me laugh - and more sensibly, I can see the appeal of connecting Kinect users to Skype's enormous user base - anything Xbox is a sideshow here.

It's about two things. It's about phones, and it's about Facebook.

Phones first. Speech is moving to voice over IP - it's why Google has Google Voice, and it's why Apple has FaceTime - so buying Skype gives Microsoft a proven and popular VoIP service for consumers (it already has one, Lync, for businesses). Having Skype on every Windows Phone handset could help sell a lot of phones.

It's important for corporate phones too. Merging Skype and Lync could make Microsoft's offering more tempting for big enterprise customers, many of whom use Skype's conferencing features, and merging Skype and the enormously popular Windows Live Messenger system could be a good move in the consumer market.

A winning position

And Facebook? Don't forget that Microsoft owns a stake in Zuckerberg's business. Integrating Skype with Facebook would be a win-win situation for Microsoft and Facebook alike, with the former gaining access to Facebook's massive user base and payment system and the latter getting a voice and video system without having to spend any money building it.

Assuming Microsoft doesn't mess it up - alienating key Skype engineers, offering to pay for the whole thing in Microsoft Points - a successful acquisition of Skype and integration between it, Windows Phone, Windows Live, Lync and maybe even Xbox Live could be very interesting indeed.

8 billion dollars is a lot of money, but if Microsoft gets it right it could prove to be one of the smartest - and most successful - investments the firm has ever made.

Facebook and Skype are reportedly back in talks about offering web-based video calling.

The two companies originally began talks on the subject last year, but these seemingly came to nothing further than Facebook integration in Skype.

According to Bloomberg, two sources 'familiar with the discussions' have confirmed that video-calling talks are back on.

Ugh, video calling

While some of us rue the day Apple decided to put its magical marketing might behind video-calling with its FaceTime app, many people see it as the next big thing and a Facebook/Skype tie-in would see the social network's 500 million users able to video call each other to their hearts' content.

Facebook released the following statement regarding the rumours: "Last year, we announced the integration of Facebook in Skype, so people can keep up to date with their Facebook friends through News Feed in Skype and even call and SMS their Facebook friends on any phone from Skype.

"With regards to any further integration, we don't comment on rumor and speculation and have nothing to announce at this time."

Following leaked images online that suggested that a Facebook voice calling service is imminent, the social network has invited press to attend an event next Monday at which it is planning to make a 'major announcement'.

Rumours that this might finally be an official announcement relating to a partnership between Skype and Facebook – which we originally reported on back in September 2010 – are flying around.

"Call me on Facebook"

A number of Facebook users have already flagged the fact that there appears to be a new "call" button that shows up when viewing other people's profiles, hence the reason why voice-calling via Facebook seems a likely announcement to expect next week.

TechRadar has contacted both Skype and Facebook and been quickly served with 'no comments' on these rumours.

A Facebook spokesperson told us: "We don't comment on rumor and speculation and have nothing to announce at this time."

Either way, something big and potentially interesting is brewing in the Facebook camp, whether or not it turns out to be voice-calls or a Skype partnership (involving some form of Skype integration into Facebook Chat).

Will voice-calls be the latest addiction to Zuckerberg's plans to turn Facebook into a "modern messaging system"?

TechRadar will of course be at the announcement next Monday to bring you all the news as it breaks.

Skype recently launched its video-calling service on Apple's iPhone, with the leading VoIP operator subsequently recording a record number of users this month.

Skype had over 27 million users signing onto the service at the same time earlier this week at peak hours, around two million more than it usually gets at such times.

Qik deal announcement

The bump in user figures also follows Skype's recent announcement that it has acquired video streaming service Qik.

Research firm Telegeography recently reported that Skype users used around 102.5 billion call minutes in the past year, which basically means that around one in five international calls was made over Skype during this time.

Skype suffered from a whole 24-hours of downtime late December 2010 – something of a PR disaster for the company.

However, the VoIP giant now seems to have smoothed over those problems, with the recent iOS and Qik announcements certainly helping to improve its image amongst users.

Skype has reportedly paid $100 million for mobile video streaming service Qik.

Skype has officially announced the news at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week.

Qik (pronounced Quick, not Kick!) has recently partnered with mobile big-hitters such as Sprint, T-Mobile, Nokia, and Samsung.

Qik is also the preferred video streaming option for many Google Android users - hence the rapid growth in user numbers over the last year.

Quick Qik growth

Qik has grown rapidly from 600,000 users at the start of 2010 to over five million at the end of last year, so it's clear to see why the streaming service is a valuable acquisition for a VoIP vendor such as Skype.

TechRadar has contacted Skype's UK office for confirmation of the terms of the deal and for more info on what this might mean for British mobile phone users.

Here are a few choice facts that Skype has told us to date about the deal:

• Skype today announced it has entered a definitive agreement to acquire Qik, a provider of mobile video software and services that enable individuals to capture, instantly share and preserve great moments on video from anywhere.

• The acquisition of Qik helps accelerate Skype's leadership in video by adding recording, sharing and storing capabilities to our product portfolio.

• Both Qik and Skype have a common culture and understanding of enriching communications and sharing with video, across any device, anywhere.

Skype has launched its video-calling service for the Apple iPhone, a week earlier than many expected – with more announcements from the VoIP specialist due at CES 2011 in Las Vegas early next month.

So if you have an iPhone 4 and want to make Skype-to-Skype video calls with others (either on their iPhones or PCs/Macs) then you can grab the latest version of Skype's iOS app from iTunes today.

The video calling app will work over Wi-Fi or 3G, although initial tests show that the video quality and stuttering on 3G video calls are somewhat compromised when compared with the smooth flowing moving images on Wi-Fi.

Significantly better video-calls

"Video calling significantly enhances the user experience of Skype for iPhone, which is one of the top five free iPhone apps in 2010 according to Apple," said the company.

"Now, users can make and receive free Skype-to-Skype calls, call mobiles and landlines around the world at very low rates, and now share more moments together with video on Skype for iPhone,"

The new Skype for iPhone app will also work with the with the iPhone 3GS, and iPod touch 4th generation with iOS 4.0 or above – although obviously only allowing the caller to send video from the single camera on the back of the phone or iPod in those cases.

iPod touch 3rd generation and iPad will both be able to receive video calls, but not send them, due to the lack of video-shooting capabilities on those devices.

Skype from phone to PC

Most excitingly, for many Skype users, video calls can now be made between your PC or Mac laptop or desktop and your iOS device.

Your desktop client will need to be Skype for Windows 4.2 or above (or Skype for Mac 2.8 and above) – plus the app will also work with other desktop clients and devices such as Skype for Linux and the Asus-manufactured standalone Skype Videophone.

The Skype for iPhone application is freely available to download from the Apple App Store – for more head to www.skype.com/go/iphone

Skype is expected to make an announcement about bringing its video-calling service to the iPhone at CES 2011 in Vegas next month.

A keen-eyed Skype user spotted a mistakenly posted help document that revealed Skype will finally be bringing its video calling to the iPhone.

Video calling goes primetime

Engadget noted that Skype has been telling everyone that it'll be making a "series of video-related announcements" at CES next month.

Skype reps are set to participate in a panel at CES entitled "Video Calling Gets Ready for Primetime."

This in addition to the 'Skype on iPhone' help document that was posted early all points towards a major mobile VoIP announcement on the way in Vegas.

No word on Skype's plans to launch its video-calling on other platforms such as Android or BlackBerry.

However, we will be on the ground in Vegas next month to bring you the official word from Skype regarding the future of mobile video calling.

Facebook and leading internet telephony provider Skype are said to be looking at a major partnership, according to emerging reports.

Reuters claims that Mark Zuckerberg's social-networking website Facebook is in talks with the VoIP-provider, looking at ways of integrating their services.

Skype up Facebook friends

The news emerged initially from the Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed sources claiming to be familiar with the matter.

The deal would let Facebook users sign into Skype via their Facebook Connect accounts, according to the Journal's source.

Users would also be able to chat with all of their Facebook friends from within Skype.

Skype's latest 5.0 version is expected to feature the improved Facebook functionality, and is due to be released within weeks.

TechRadar has contacted both Facebook and Skype for further updates on the matter.

Skype is a godsend for those families with members dotted all across the UK, or across the globe, in many cases, with the latest news that Skype is set to support video-calling for up to ten people at the same time sure to please many users.

The latest beta of Skype 5.0 for Windows introduces the new group vid-chat feature, with no word on when Mac users will get the same as yet.

"The second beta of Skype 5.0 brings a number of changes both outside and in – most importantly, you can now make group video calls with up to 10 people," the company announced on its website.

"It also welcomes in a fresh new look, as well as increased stability and better quality when making group video calls."

Sleeker, neater, crisper

The latest version of Skype is, we are informed, "sleeker, neater and crisper than before," and adds another new feature called Skype Home.

Skype Home lets you follow your contacts' mood messages, set your profile picture and mood message and receive account notifications and learn more about using Skype.

Fancy testing Skype 5.0 out? You can download it now.

Via: blogs.skype.com

If you're anything like me, you saw Google's new Gmail voice calling service and thought this: voice calls? How quaint!

The Gmail users who use the new service will be making voice calls, but they won't really be voice calls: like Skype, Google Voice uses Voice over IP to send voice data in much the same way servers send Web pages, MP3s or emails.

It's not a voice service; it's a data service whose data just happens to be voice. And that means Google's service is yet another nail in the coffin of the humble telephone call, something that's not so much dying as building up a mountain of milk bottles at its front door.

Phones have never been so numerous, and yet we're barely using them as phones. They're iPods, or video players, or Twitter clients, or games consoles. According to the New York Times, people are using phones for pretty much anything except making calls. While 90% of households have mobile phones, the number of minutes being used isn't increasing accordingly.

More data on phones

What is increasing, though, is data use. Text messaging increased by 50 per cent last year, and in 2009 the amount of data used by mobile phones surpassed the amount of data used for voice calls.

I'm surprised it took so long. I barely use my phone for voice at all - although that's partly because it's an iPhone, so making calls isn't exactly its strong point - and when I look at my remaining voice minutes the number has more digits than a lottery winner's cheque.

I'd much rather have a data-only tariff, with voice calls transmitted via Voice over IP, treated like any other data use and deducted from my monthly bandwidth limit.

That's where it's going, but I doubt it'll be cheap. The phone companies agree that data is the future, but they're not too happy about it - which is why in recent months they've all started to remove the word "unlimited" from their data plans.

It's also why they're all rather unhappy with the idea of Net Neutrality - which, interestingly, is something Google doesn't think should apply to wireless networks either. With voice revenues in free-fall and data use exploding, don't be too surprised if the networks launch an all-out assault on net neutraility. Talk is cheap, but the cheaper it gets the more likely we'll pay for it in other ways.

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Google is reported to be working on a service which will allow free phone-calls from within Gmail in the US, with free calls within the US and Canada and very low-cost international calls rumoured to be part of the plan.

Google has not commented on the rumours to date.

CNET broke the news, with some pretty convincing screenshots from the purported Gmail phone service to back the story up.

A new VoIP service?

It is unclear whether the new feature would be an extension of Google Voice or an entirely new offering.

The user interface in Google's new service is said to be similar to Google Voice, but Google Voice is not a VoIP service.

Also, users of the new Gmail phone service will not be required to have a Google Voice account.

The phone-calling service is claimed to be launched from within a Google Chat window, near the lower left-hand side of the Gmail page.

The Google Operating System blog, was first to hint that such a service was on the way to Gmail earlier in June this year.

"Google is always testing new features and products, but we have nothing specific to announce right now," a Google representative said.

Sky has officially opposed plans for VOIP service Skype to trademark its bubble logo, with Sky fearing that consumers may get it confused with its own.

Skype is currently trying to trademark the bubble design in European Union, Norway, India and Brazil, something it needs to do before it floats on the Nasdaq later this year.

Skype is obviously trying to secure the trademark sharp-ish, so having Sky coming in to flummox its plans will be frustrating for the company.

In a statement Skype said about the importance of the logo: "We regard our brand as one of our most valuable assets. The unlicensed use of our brand by third parties could harm our reputation, cause confusion among our users, and severely undermine the value of our brand in the marketplace."

Name checking

Skype will be hoping that despite the opposition, it will be able to secure the trademark – something it has already done in the likes of Switzerland.

If its appeals are not met, then Skype will find it difficult to stop third parties using its name, which means that its monetising opportunities would be limited.

Just this year we have seen the company teaming its branding up with a number of TV manufacturers, including Samsung, Panasonic and LG.

This seems to be the start of a big expansion plan for the company. That's if it can appease BSkyB somehow.

Mobile voice app Fring sparked a war of words with Skype this week, claiming that the VoIP service was "refusing to allow Fring to restore connectivity to Skype."

In a vitriolic statement, Fring said that: "Skype's anti-competitive ambush comes in the wake of Fring's mobile video calling on iPhone 4 launch, which continues to set the standard in rich mobile internet communication."

No truth

Not one to wait by the wayside and watch its name sullied by a competitor, Skype has contacted TechRadar to explain its side of the story and try and clear up some of the statements that have been reported.

"Skype has been in discussions with Fring regarding our belief that Fring is breaching our API Terms of Use and End User Licence Agreement," notes a Skype statment.

"Skype is disappointed that an amicable resolution was not possible. There is no truth to Fring's claims that Skype blocked them, it was their decision and choice to withdraw Skype functionality."

Protecting brand and reputation

The statement continues: "Skype encourages openness and supports developers to build products that work with Skype in accordance with our various API licences.

"In this case, Fring violated Skype's terms by misusing the Skype software in ways which it was not designed for and which does not scale to meet consumer demand."

Leaving the hardest punch for last, Skype also explains: "Just this past weekend Fring had to pull down Skype support for their iPhone video client which further damaged the Skype brand and disappointed consumers yet again.

"Skype will rigorously protect its brand and reputation and those companies that do not comply with our terms will be subject to enforcement."

Skype has been in the VoIP business since 2003, Fring in the mobile business since 2008. It will be interesting to see which company saves face in what is turning into a rather messy split.

Panasonic has announced an innovative new download service, which allows users of its Viera Cast TVs to stream and download movies from the cloud.

Acetrax is the company behind the VoD app which is now available via Panasonic's Viera Cast web portal.

At launch there are around 20,000 titles available and three of the major studios have signed up. These are: Paramount, Warner and Universal.

Acetrax is billing the service as something which is going to take the likes of Sky, BT and Virgin, with Leslie Golding, CMO of Acetrax, explaining:

"Connected TVs such as Viera Cast enabled Panasonic VIiera TVs will change the way in which customers will buy and consume movies in much the same way as we saw with music downloads.

"What sets Acetrax apart is its ability to offer Hollywood movies as well as content from local partners across Europe that is tailored and specific to them."

As there are now hard-drive capabilities on Panasonic's TV range, the service is based purely in the cloud and has a digital chest system.

Up in the clouds

You can log into the service from four different machines and each movie you buy will come with a DRM-wrapped download that you can watch on your PC or Mac.

Prices are dependent on how new the movie is, but you are looking at £10.99 to buy a new title – which is stored in an online archive and can be accessed at any time – and £3.49 for renting.

Currently the service is only available with the latest range of Viera Cast TVs from Panasonic (the G20 range and upwards) but the company is looking to offer Acetrax through its Viera Cast Blu-ray machines this September.

Movies that are ready now to download include:Star Trek, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and Up In The Air.

The rise of the smartphone will see mobile voice over internet protocol (VoIP) calls rise dramatically from 15 billion minutes in 2010 to a massive 470.6 billion by 2015, and potentially damage traditional mobile operators in the process.

Juniper Research suggests that VoIP – including services like Skype – will go through explosive growth in the next five years, with mobile service providers likely to suffer.

Of course, with mobile servers getting rid of unlimited data packages, they are already beginning to mitigate the potential damage through 3G networks, but VoIP through WiFi could well bite into the amount of calls made through the existing phone infrastructure.

Several flavours

"There are several flavours of mobile VoIP," said Anthony Cox, Senior Analyst at Juniper Research.

"WiFi mobile VoIP is potentially the most damaging of all VoIP traffic as it bypasses the mobile networks altogether.

"We forecast that mobile VoIP over WiFi will cost operators $5 billion (£3.35bn) globally by 2015."

Bury the hatchet

Juniper suggests that we will see traditional mobile operators 'bury the hatchet' and forge partnership with VoIP services, echoing Verizon's deal with Skype in the US.

"Even though a major operator, 3UK, touts the benefits of mobile VoIP, it will take some time for many operators, particularly in emerging markets, to accept it, since it represents loss of control over their own networks," adds Cox.

We're relatively certain that mobile networks will come out smelling of roses, regardless of the changes.

Skype has finally added 3G calls to its iPhone app, although the service will only be free to iPhone users for a short while, with plans to charge users from August.

Skype 2.0 is now available for download or update over on the iTunes App Store. So you can now make Skype calls on the go, wherever you are. (Well, providing you have a solid 3G signal, of course!)

But Skype needs to make some money, just like the rest of us, so the free 3G calls will only be trialled through till August.

TechRadar has contacted Skype in the UK to find out more about the plans for launching this new service in August and also to ascertain exactly how much the "small monthly fee" is going to be for Skype-to-Skype calls after August.

What's new in Skype 2.0?

Still. For now, it's free. So fill your boots! What's new in the latest version? This is:

- Call using your 3G connection. Skype-to-Skype calls on 3G are free until at least end of August 2010, after which there will be a small monthly fee (operator charges for data will still apply).
- Near CD-quality sound for Skype-to-Skype calls using wideband audio (SILK codec) on iPhone 3GS and 2nd generation iPod touch.
- Enhanced call quality indicator.
- Improved start-up time.
- Fast access to the dial pad from iPhone home screen.

Google has made a substantial cash offer to buy up VoIP firm Global IP Solutions, prompting speculation about what the search giant has in store for the company.

Google has been tight-lipped about the proposed acquisition, merely saying in a statement that: "The web is evolving quickly as a development platform, and real-time video and audio communication over the Internet are becoming important new tools for users.

"GIPS's technology provides high quality, real-time audio and video over an IP network, and we're looking forward to working with the GIPS team at Google to continue innovating for the web platform."

Bring out the GIPS

Google has laid down an offer of $68 million (£47 million) and while this needs to be approved by 90 per cent of GIPS board, it is likely to go through.

Speaking about the link-up, Emerick Woods, Global IP Solutions CEO, said: "With Google's global reach, scale and widely recognized leadership, we are confident that our existing customers will continue to be fully supported while we continue to enhance and extend our products and technology at Google."

Those existing customers include Yahoo, who uses the tech in its messenger service.

While Google isn't being forthcoming about what it will use the tech for. Google already offers video chat through Google Talk but just last month Global IP Solutions announced to developers that its tech could be used to develop Android based VoIP clients.

Coincidence? We very much doubt it.

Skype's new beta finally launched this week, with the option to host group video chats for up to five of your Skype contacts being the most interesting new feature of the service.

All of your contacts that you wish to bring into your group video chats must also have the Skype 5.0 beta installed on a Windows PC for it to work. Mac users are promised a similar service later in 2010.

Bringing families together

"With the latest version, you'll be able to bring the whole family together for a chat, for lunch, or even for a birthday," notes a post on the Skype blog.

"You'll be able to spend quality time with your best friends, planning a trip, or even hosting a book club. And you'll be able to meet with colleagues from across the world without leaving your desk.

"Once you're all set up, it's easy to start a group call – just use the Add button to invite people into the conversation, and click the Video Call button.

"Group video calling is just one in a set of new premium features you'll see us roll out during 2010. We haven't set prices for these premium features yet, but rest assured that we're still absolutely committed to bringing you free voice and two-way video calling."

Group chatting test

There are already competing VoIP services such as VoxOx and ooVoo that offer group video chats as options, but Skype is by far the most popular internet telephony company to launch such a service to date.

You can check out the Skype 5.0 beta for Windows and a preview of the brand new version of Skype over at the Skype website.

And if you want to get involved in group video chats you can download the new version of Skype now and encourage all your Skype contacts to do the same.