chat

Smartphones accounted for 59 percent of the handsets sold to U.S. consumers in the third quarter of 2011, according to The NPD Group's Mobile Phone Track.

As the phones' penetration has grown, consumers have been more likely to find themselves with an ever more versatile tool in their pockets. These capabilities have certainly contributed to the decline in once hot-selling categories, such as MP3 players, digital cameras, and portable navigation products. These companies, in turn, have sought to differentiate themselves with, for example, larger screens on car navigation products and better image quality and longer zooms on digital cameras.

Smartphones are relatively cheap because of carrier subsidization; they are almost always with us because of the desire to be available for phone calls. However, are consumers settling for a second-hand experience in leaving their specialized gadgets behind? According to recent research from NPD Connected Intelligence, most consumers would say they are not. … Read more

Skype deepened its partnership with Facebook today by adding Facebook video calling to both its Mac and Windows applications.

With the just-announced Skype 5.4 Beta for Mac and Skype 5.7 Beta for Windows, you can initiate a Facebook video call without having to open up your browser and log in to the social-networking site. Just connect your Facebook account to Skype, select a Facebook friend, and hit the Skype video call button. Your friend picks up the call directly from within Facebook. While the feature isn't exactly a game-changer, we do think it's superconvenient. Since you … Read more

IM+, the popular instant-messaging application for Android, jumps to version 5.0 today, bringing with it a revamped tablet-optimized interface, improved battery usage, and several other really nifty features.

Beyond its shiny new interface, the big addition to IM+ is its support for Android's native Share tool. Now you can select text from other apps or your browser and easily add it to an instant message through IM+. Sure, this seems like a basic feature, but that's precisely why it's a big deal that IM+ is finally getting it.

Additionally, IM+ now offers group chats for AIM, … Read more

T-Mobile USA, despite being the only national wireless carrier without the iPhone, has found a way to get on Apple's smash-hit smartphone.

The carrier today launched a mobile version of its Bobsled Internet-based calling app. The app will work on any iOS device, from the iPhone to the iPad, as well as Android smartphones and tablets.

T-Mobile is attempting to branch out of its core wireless service and dip its toes into adjacent growth areas such as Web-based phone and messaging services. The mobile app represents an expansion of its Bobsled initiative, which allows users to log in with their Facebook credentials and make phone calls, leave voicemails, and send messages for free. … Read more

This week, Donald and Eric discuss two street-legal TRON-inspired lightcycles at opposite ends of the price spectrum. Plus, we creep out on a way to perform real-time video face substitution, and the implications it will have on the future of video chat and our children. In geek news, Eric nominates an actor for Zombie of the Year and sounds off on Gears of War 3.

… Read more

Following in the footsteps of Apple's FaceTime video chat, Apple's iMessage could be the next feature to make the jump from iOS to Apple's Mac OS X.

MacRumors today points to a code string within OS X Lion's iChat software noting when messages are both delivered and read, receipts that are currently available as part of its upcoming iMessage service. The outlet notes that these particular code strings haven't appeared in previous versions of the iChat software, suggesting support for the protocol will be there when iMessage officially launches this fall.

Apple introduced iMessage as … Read more

One of the most popular and customizable third-party clients in the multiservice chat category for Mac continues to impress. It supports multiple services, including AIM, Yahoo, MSN, Facebook, Windows Live, and Google Chat. Part of what made the original Adium so attractive was the multitude of IM service options, and that still forms the core appeal of this client. The interface is smooth and lean, fitting in well with the Mac OS. The client supports tabbed browsing, encrypted messaging, and you can transfer files to your buddies, though it can be hit or miss depending on what service you're … Read more

Apple is heavily rumored to be working on an HDTV with TV subscriptions, Facebook Deals is dead, and Samsung postpones releasing the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Australia due to patent litigation.

Links from Monday's episode of Loaded:

Samsung is jumping into the instant messaging market with a new IM tool destined for a variety of feature phones and smartphones.

The Korean mobile phone maker's new and free ChatOn IM client is designed to be cross-platform, allowing users of a wide range of phones to be able to chat with family, friends, and colleagues. The service will be preinstalled on Samsung's feature phones as well as smartphones running both Android and the company's own Bada mobile OS, according to Reuters.

But it will also be available as a free download for other mobile platforms, including … Read more