talks

If you're looking for one less thing to clutter up your Gmail space, GTalk can be one of your bigger offenders if you're using it to communicate often with friends or colleagues. Just taking a look at my own personal Gmail account, I'm kind of shocked how many threads there are for conversations I've had in the past year. On my work account I like to keep logs in case I need to reference instructions, facts, or quotes from people I've talked to. However, on my personal account I don't need to keep track … Read more

Michigan State Police have deputized a new sort of law enforcement officer in the fight against drunk driving. Talking urinal cakes are now in residence in bars and restaurants around the state.

The cakes have a motion-activated audio track where a lady tells the restroom user, "Hey! Listen up. That's right. I'm talking to you. Had a few drinks? Maybe a few too many. Then do yourself and everyone else a favor. Call a sober friend or a cab. Oh, and don't forget. Wash your hands."

"Not only do we want to turn some heads and get people talking, we hope everyone takes the message to heart," said Michael L. Prince, director of the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning, in a statement about the project.… Read more

It's no secret that Instagram is a fantastic photo-sharing app. One thing it doesn't do, however, is let you converse privately with user Instagram users. If you have friends on Instagram you'd like trade comments with that won't be seen by the rest of the Instagram community, give iPhone app InstaTalks a whirl.

… Read more

When the smartphone craze first started, the thought of being able to stream a movie or TV show while commuting into work or waiting at the airport was simply a dream. Screens were small, coverage was spotty, and it was hard to find shows you actually wanted to see. Fast forward to today, and streaming content on the go is genuinely good.

We rounded up seven apps that provide a great streaming experience on your Android device, whether you're sitting on the couch with solid Wi-Fi or out and about with a 3G or 4G connection. Here they are. … Read more

TalkTalk closed off access to file-sharing Web site The Pirate Bay yesterday, after being told to do so by a High Court in April.

"TalkTalk can confirm that it is blocking access to The Pirate Bay (TPB) following a court order to do so," the company said in a statement today.

The move makes TalkTalk the penultimate company from April's court order to block the file-sharing Web site. BT will be the last company to put the block in place, expected imminently. Sky, Everything Everywhere, O2, Be Broadband and Virgin Media have already put blocks in place … Read more

I don't mean to be a hater, but if the National Geographic Talk Abroad Lite weren't attached to the Talk Abroad international cell phone SIM card, I'd have to wind caution tape all around my review.

So why wouldn't you run from this handset, given my less-than-glowing recommendation? Its two saving graces are the travel plan that gives you a U.S. and U.K. number, so friends and family can always reach you while abroad, and the fact that for an unlocked phone, its $59.99 price tag is extremely affordable.

Let's face it, … Read more

The lady who fell into Lake Michigan while texting pales into deep insignificance in comparison to this.

Mr. Bean is but a mere construct of fiction when compared to this.

For here we have a Chinese girl, deeply committed to her cell phone conversation, when suddenly she disappears without even, it appears, a scream.

Yes, push didn't even need to come to shove here. One minute she was chatting away merrily. The next, she was headed toward Atlantis.

Of course, we wouldn't be smiling at her expense if she had been seriously hurt. The Telegraph reports that, after … Read more

Phone calls can turn into long, drawn-out conversations once you land on a tangent or 10. This is why a lot of people use texting as their primary way of communicating when they just want to share a quick thought or piece of info. Unfortunately, a lot of emotion can get lost on a text message. The person on the other end might take something seriously that was supposed to be a joke.

Voxer is a great app for people who prefer sending a quick voice message over a text. The app is available for Android and iPhone, and can … Read more

AVSOFT's Digital Talking Parrot is strictly for fun. This free screensaver simulates a talking parrot, but like the real thing, Digital Talking Parrot can learn, remember, and repeat what you teach it. You can edit its vocabulary or record words using your system microphone. The program can run as a screensaver or standalone app.

Digital Talking Parrot installs conventionally, though the installer did offer several extras, including one tool we had to deliberately decline to keep from being installed. Unlike some screensavers, Digital Talking Parrot also has its own Start Menu folder, complete with dedicated uninstaller. The program's … Read more