facetime

Skype for iPad hands-on: New competition for Apple's FaceTime

Editors' note: This post was updated August 2, 2011, to reflect that the app is now publicly available.

Skype for iPad got off to a rocky start. It was meant to be available in the App Store in June, languished until August 1, was introduced, pullled for a few hours, and then, finally, settled in. Here's our original hands-on review from June; we'll continue using the app now that the final version is in.

The new iPad-optimized Skype client takes advantage of the tablet's larger screen real estate, making for crisp and clear video chat over Wi-Fi, … Read more

HP Slate out and about

Links from Friday's episode of Loaded:

The HP Slate is available now and we have an in-depth look at it

Google TV seems to be blocked by ABC, NBC, and our parent company CBS

The Barnes and Noble Nook will go on sale at Wal-Mart this weekend

FaceTime for Mac may jeopardize your passwords

Microsoft announces Games for Windows, a PC gaming store

Out of thin Air

Links from Thursday's episode of Loaded:

Apple announces a new lineup of MacBook Airs, updated iLife, and FaceTime for Macs.

The Boxee Box is set to launch on November 10.

Verizon is going to start selling the Samsung Galaxy Tab on November 11.

Google Docs now supports drag and drop into documents.

Facebook photos now support drag-and-drop ordering.

Facebook helps you stop stalking your ex by blocking you from their profile.

Netflix may offer a streaming-only subscription in the U.S.

Sex.com sells for $13 million.

Mobile video calling to hit 29 million users by 2015

Video calling is expected to be used by 29 million people around the globe by 2015, Juniper Research announced in a new study released today.

According to the market research firm, Apple's FaceTime video-calling feature will help jump-start the mobile videoconferencing business, but it likely won't spur a full "mass market" adoption within the next five years.

"We forecast there will be 29 million smartphone video users in 2015, but the market may be held back by a lack of interoperability between different devices," Juniper senior analyst Anthony Cox said in a statement.

It'… Read more

The 404 635: Where we fear the TerrorByte (podcast)

Jeff left CNET's New York office Friday as an ace tech reporter and returned Monday morning as TerrorByte, a hip-hop lyricist of his own creation who is dedicated to shutting down the haters--one awful tech metaphor at a time. We apologize for the sad attempts to parody Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise" using the nerdiest of storage terms. It's a rather slow news day, give us a break!

There is actual tech news to report this morning; owners of Sprint's latest Android phone, the HTC Evo 4G, will be happy to learn that the Evo … Read more

10 ways iOS 4 could shine on the iPad

I'm not the first to report this, but it's hit me hard over the last few weekends: it's getting a bit difficult to be an iPad owner amid all this iPhone 4 to-do. As if a front-facing camera and higher-res Retina Display weren't already envy-inducing, to add insult to injury the iPhone already has iOS 4, with multitasking, folders, and other features that aren't available on the iPad yet. So, after a few months, has it come to this, Apple?

There is hope: first of all, the iPad doesn't have a problematic antenna. Secondly, … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 1266: It's not the porn, it's you (podcast)

If you find that your employees are goofing off watching porn at work instead of working, does it make logical sense that you should get rid of the porn, or the employee? Exactly. Of course, the government doesn't see it that way, but they're the ones who encoded their like, 900-word mission statement into the U.S. CyberCommand shield. Sigh.

Buzz Out Loud 1265: Perfect Citizen (podcast)

On today's show, the NSA announces a new security program that's terrifyingly called "Perfect Citizen" but (at least on the surface) appears to be little more than a series of Star Trek red alert alarms. We're rightfully suspicious. Also, Flash is getting 3D, Pirate Bay is under attack, and the iPhone 4 antenna problem is a hardware issue. We knew that.

The 404 604: Where oh no, I've said too much (podcast)

Unfortunately, Natali Del Conte is still posted up in the West coast covering E3 2010, but the three of us are still in New York and today we're talking about a New York assemblyman whose mission is to ban the iPhone 4's FaceTime videochat application from the road.

New York State Democratic assemblyman Felix Ortiz wants to make it illegal for drivers to use FaceTime in the car based on the principle that "any object which distracts a driver's attention while they are driving should be banned regardless of whether it is a cell phone or … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 1244: Several fights with Adam Curry (podcast)

On today's show, Podfather Adam Curry joins us for gloves-off battles about everything from whether Apple should put out the iPhone for Verizon (Adam says no) to what Nokia used to produce (boots, turns out), and just what exactly is wrong with Nokia. Be warned, today's episode pushes the boundary of indeterminate length!