IBLOG SPACE

Plenty of other VoIP apps have managed to work in this functionality since Apple / AT&T started allowing it last year, but the official Skype app has been a notable holdout. Now, two months after Skype started doing 3G calls on Android with Verizon, there's a 2.0 version of the app for iPhone that brings voice calls over 3G at last. Mobile iPhone calls are free until August, after which you'll need a "mobile subscription." We're testing out the app as we write this and it seems to work about as well any other 3G VoIP app we've tried: passable, not revolutionary.

That's right, we're downloading the brand new Sirius XM app to our favorite, not-at-all-fragmented Android handset as we speak. Sure, we don't actually have a paid satellite radio subscription, but if you hit up the source link you can sign up for 7 days free while you multitask it up against Robo Defense on your own phone. There's no mention on the download page of specific handset compatibility, so let us know if you have any trouble running the app on that Motoblur phone your mom bought you.

Skype's PR folks have been unusually loquacious today, as they've responded to a query about whether HTC's EVO 4G would get a Skype client with a deep and meaningful forward-looking statement, underpinned by a promise of an Android app "for all consumers globally to download regardless of carriers." This universally available addition to the Market should arrive "later this year," but what's important about it is that it's preceded by a lengthy spiel about Skype's ambition to "set the bar on mobile video calling," which it also intends to do this year . Does this necessarily mean that Skype video calling is coming to Android in time for us to wish granny happy Hanukkah over video chat? No. Is it a well constructed insinuation to that effect? Hell yes

As promised, T-Mobile has now taken the white version of its BlackBerry Bold 9700 to retail. Along with the already-available black version, the 9700 goes out the door for $99.99 on contract after rebate, merely half of what the carrier was asking for the phone when it launched late last year -- and a price that makes the much lower-end Curve 8520 a less compelling buy, if we do say so ourselves. Interestingly, these guys are still selling the G1, and it goes for exactly the same price; which would you rather have?

Occasionally, we long for simpler times -- times when "handsfree" meant little more than connecting a corded earbud to your phone and calling it good. Nowadays, of course, things are a little different: Bluetooth is quite literally everywhere, headsets have their own frickin' apps, and bone conduction tech is the real deal. Take this Sound ID 510 , for example, featuring its very own iPhone app (which Sound ID made sure to get approved by Apple ahead of the actual hardware's release) that lets you control a number of settings, check your battery level, and find the set if you misplace it. To be fair, it's not the first time we've seen an on-phone companion app for a Bluetooth earbud, and something tells us it won't be the last; that's right, welcome to our frightening new reality. Look for the 510 to hit shops in early June for about $130.

It looks like those private beta rumors earlier this month were legit, seeing how Sling Media is now officially showing off its latest SlingPlayer Mobile incarnation on HTC's lovely EVO 4G for Sprint. The company is boasting that the app has the fastest load time of any version of SlingPlayer Mobile to date -- and we can't imagine that WiMAX hurts, either -- so this should be the perfect accessory to your EVO 4G purchase when the phone launches early next month. It's not clear yet what other Android devices will be compatible with the software, but we imagine Sling will be saying more soon, so stay tuned.

Of all the regionals to score a completely custom, self-branded Android device, we admit that we wouldn't have guessed that Cincinnati Bell would be in that list -- and yet the carrier managed to roll out this here "Blaze" running Android 1.6 "at speeds 86 percent faster than AT&T and Verizon." That's a pretty bold claim, but our tipster reports that he saw 2Mbps down and 1Mbps up on a phone he checked out -- not bad, all things considered. Unfortunately, the phone appears to have a rather wacky skin, which -- considering the no-name brand involved here -- might really doom the Blaze to an Eclair- and Froyo-free life. Hit up the gallery below for some shots of the phone in the wild, or march into your Cincinnati Bell store to grab one for $100 on contract.

Alright, you can go ahead and book up your June 2nd with other plans, because we've just heard straight from T-Mobile that the Garminfone has been confirmed for a June 9 launch "at select T-Mobile retail stores, select authorized dealers, and online" for the same $199.99 after $50 mail-in rebate on contract that we'd already known. We'll admit, we'd secretly been hoping that T-Mobile would've wowed everyone and dropped the launch price by $50 or $100 considering its midrange specs and the fact that you'll have to drop an astounding $250 in-store to take the thing home, but it's not to be; in a few months, perhaps?

Being completely unable to keep a popular device in stock is a great problem to have, we suppose -- but considering that Verizon Wireless' Lowell McAdam believes he could sell "twice" the number of Droid Incredibles that he has available, that's got to be a bit of a bummer if you're one of the company's bean counters (or a would-be buyer, for that matter). In a talk at a Barclays Capital conference today, McAdam made it clear that component shortages were to blame for the high-end Android handset's general unavailability -- specifically the Samsung-sourced AMOLED display, which is seeing duty in more phones all the time and will likely be in short supply for a while yet. At the present, new buyers need to wait until at least mid-June to get their Droid Incredible if they order online, and the Nexus One's brief inventory situation is very likely related; since Samsung is using a ton of AMOLED displays in its own devices, doesn't this all seem like

After taking a look at this launch deck for T-Mobile's myTouch 3G Slide , it's becoming more obvious than ever that T-Mobile is taking the myTouch brand very seriously -- it's not just about a product, it's about an ongoing line of devices that all prescribe to the same socially-connected principles. In fact, with the effective loss of Sidekickto Verizon now that the ex-Danger team has thrown its weight behind Kin, you might even argue that the myTouch line is being positioned to take over where Sidekick left off, and that's evidenced when you see that they're referring to myTouch as a "franchise" throughout these slides

Samsung has just let the cat out of the bag regarding its top of the line Galaxy S , which is set to make its global debut in Asian markets this June. Unsubsidized, this 4-inch beastie will cost you S$1,098 (or around $775), which might be a little on the steep side, but then this is one of only a pair of Super AMOLED handsets on the market and Samsung makes the other one. And in case you want an alternative closer to home, Amazon's German portal is now listing the Galaxy S for pre-order at €649, which works out to about the same price. The best news from today, however, is probably Samsung's official confirmation that the phone will be getting anAndroid 2.2 upgrade at some point in its future. No specifics are given as yet, but we'll take our Froyo whenever and wherever we can get it.

Little iriver has long been one of our favorite companies when it comes to innovative product design. Unfortunately, the Korean outfit responsible for about half of all digital audio players sold in its home country has all but disappeared from the international stage. Today it returns with the jointly developed LG-LB4400 musicphone. As the name indicates, LG is the muscle behind the cellphone internals (and apparently the industrial design) whereas iriver contributed the media player and UI elements. Specwise, we're looking at a 2.8-inch WQVGA LCD display, 3 megapixel camera, DMB TV, Dolby Surround Mobile, and support for a wide range of audio codecs including FLAC and APE

If you want to know what Google meant by "more retail availability" for the Nexus One when it talked aboutspiking its first-party phone store, take a good, hard look at our brave new world here. Independent retailer i Wireless has started offering a number of Android devices in the past few days, including the Nexus One -- a product that's still extraordinarily difficult to find outside of Google's own site, especially since none of the American Big Four carriers intend to offer it directly. It turns out that i Wireless is an authorized T-Mobile affiliate, so they're selling the phone for $299.95 on contract after rebate -- a good bit more than the $179 Google charges, but in return, it looks like you can select just about any plan T-Mobile offers (Google restricts you to the Even More 500 plan to get the subsidy). We think we already miss the old way of getting these things.

Another in AT&T's parade of June 6 launches, the Rugby II follows up -- yes, you guessed it -- the originalRugby, a rugged clamshell from Sammy that's been in the carrier's lineup for well over a year now. It's got push-to-talk compatibility, 7.2Mbps HSDPA, a 2 megapixel camera, Video Share support, voice processing tech from Audience (the same company that handled the Nexus One's noise reduction circuitry), Bluetooth, and microSD expansion -- standard fare to be sure, but probably just right for the outdoorsy-type workers that'll undoubtedly be carrying it. It'll be available the first Sunday in June for $129.99 after $50 mail-in rebate.

You've overclocked it and hacked it to run OS X and Android, now you can return your N900 to its native Maemo 5 OS with the launch of a version 1.2 software update. The V10.2010.19-1 bump now available in the UK (global on Wednesday) packs several enhancements including face-to-face video calling, improved Ovi Maps, and a better email experience with bundled Facebook IM Chat and the ability to accept or decline event invitations from the inbox. You'll also see a number of new games when the Ovi Store switches over on Thursday. And after much speculation, Nokia's also admitting that MeeGo will not be officially supported on the N900 once the Intel / Nokia OS is device ready. Nokia will continue to support the core Maemo OS, however, as demonstrated by today's update. Regardless, we're sure that the N900's active fan-base will deliver a MeeGo update outside of official channels, especially since the N900 is already being used as a platform for ARM-based MeeGo dev

Well this can't be tremendously surprising. Apparently American Beauty director Sam Mendes is in the process of putting together a series of commercials for Apple's next iPhone, which according to a tipster is being referred to internally as the Mammoth / N90. Besides that tip (with a handful of juicy details), a trusted source has confirmed to us that the ads will feature at least one spot where a mother and daughter are having a video chat conversation using the new front-facing camera that's been spied on the face of that iPhone floating around Vietnam and Northern California. Adding weight to this story, a cursory search on Twitter revealed that there's at least one actress who is up for a role in the "f***ing apple commercial" in New York, and another fellow who is auditioning for spots in California. We don't know much more than that, but we're fairly confident that this confirms video chat is coming to the next iPhone, and that that said iPhone

Well, this is intriguing: Walmart just officially announced that it'll be selling the 16GB iPhone 3GS for $97 starting Tuesday, a full $100 off the regular price. Given the high probability that Steve Jobs will introduce the thoroughly-leaked next-gen iPhone when he gives the WWDC 2010 keynote on June 7th, the price cut seems like either an attempt to clear out remaining inventory or a way to slide the 3GS down the line to replace the $99 8GB iPhone 3G -- a move which would corroborate some whispers we've heard today that the 3G is no longer being shipped to stores. Either way, the 3GS just got a lot cheaper, which is never a bad thing, but we'd still say potential iPhone owners should wait a couple weeks and see what's coming next.

We're in an interesting position with Windows Phone 7 . We still don't know what devices will be running the OS nor indeed exactly when they'll be launching, but despite that we've already had the opportunity to spend quite a bit of quality time with not one but two separate versions of Microsoft's mobile revolution. And now, if that weren't enough, we've gained access to a series of detailed architectural documents about the OS courtesy of tweakers.net and HTCPedia.com , documents that detail everything from ringtones to device drivers. It's a couple-hundred pages of generally menial stuff, but there are quite a few nuggets of gold to be found in here, and we've dug them out just for you. Click on through, and let's see what we've got.

Look, Samsung , we understand that "Messager" is probably trademarkable in ways that actual English words are not -- but it seriously still looks like a typo to us every time we type it, just as the original Messager did almost two years ago. Anyhow, the new model is distinctly different (and cooler) by swapping out the numeric keypad for a full 2.6-inch touchscreen with TouchWiz. It also gets a 2 megapixel camera, Blueooth, voice recognition, and microSD expansion up to 16GB, and it's available today for $49.95 after mail-in rebate in "black and vibrant eye-catching blue" (you be the judge on that one).

Android 2.2 and Flash 10.1. A perfect combination for combination for a little Hulu on the go, right? Not quite, as Hulu has decided to block videos (for legal reasons) when it detects a mobile device, but it turns out there is a surprisingly simple workaround. As Absolutely Android explains, all you have to do is make Hulu think you're using a desktop browser, which can be done simply by entering "about:debug" in the address bar and switching the UAString setting from Android to desktop. The only downside to the trick is that you'll now also get the full desktop version of the Hulu site (and any other site, until you switch it back), and there's a better than decent chance that Hulu will close this loophole before you can finish your first episode of Kojak.

So that LG Vu Plus we'd tipped for a June 6 release has just gone official, and needless to say, it's not your daddy'sVu. The most notable change is the addition of a landscape slider QWERTY keyboard, but one of the Vu's hallmark's -- support for AT&T's FLO-based Mobile TV service -- carries over for $9.99 a month with a free 7-day trial subscription. It's got a 3-inch capacitive touchscreen, 7.2Mbps HSDPA, a 3 megapixel autofocus cam with video recording, AT&T Video Share compatibility, and microSD expansion if the phone's internal 50MB just aren't cutting it. Look for it to hit shelves for $149.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate

If you're still hanging on to the hope that Windows Mobile is going to serve you just fine in the coming years, LG and Verizon have at least one more option for your phone needs -- and it's running 6.5.3, a first for a US carrier launch. Enter the LG Fathom , a 1GHz touchscreen device with a 3.2-inch screen, slide out QWERTY keyboard, WiFi, a microSD slot (for up to 16GB of storage), and a 3.2 megapixel camera. The device will be available for pre-orders on May 27th, with a street date of June 3rd, and will run you $149.99 after a two year contract and $100 mail-in rebate.

Hearing Google say that Android 2.2 would be filtering out to the Nexus One in short order was no huge shock -- after all, it's Google's first smartphone. But for those who purchased Motorola's first heavy-hitter since the RAZR, it looks as if they'll be close behind in enjoying the spoils. According to a Motorola spokesperson quoted at Slashgear (full statement is past the break), the company is expecting the original Droid to get Android 2.2 "in the near future," though he / she wouldn't go so far as to provide specifics beyond that. Better still, the same person stated that Motorola is excited about Froyo in general, and it's "looking forward to integrating it on [the firm's] Android-based devices as [the software] is made available." We hate to read too deeply into anything, but "device s " sure gets our digits tingling.

Lucio has revealed his dream of emulating Dunga by lifting Brazil's sixth World Cup on 11 July in South Africa. Dunga, who is now coach of Brazil, captained the Brazil side that were crowned world champions in 1994, and Lucio is determined to follow in his coach's footsteps. "I remember a lot of the 1994 cup, and Dunga lifting the trophy. From that moment I started to dream of being in the team one day," the defender told correspondents from Brazil's Globo network. "He was an inspiration for me. Dunga is an example of dedication and discipline. That is an image that I will never forget." Dunga and his team are drawn alongside North Korea, Ivory Coast and Portugal in Group G and will kick off their World Cup campaign against North Korea on 15 June.

At least 14 people have been injured after a stampede at a pre-World Cup friendly between Nigeria and North Korea in a Johannesburg township, South Africa police have confirmed. The incident occurred outside the Makhulong Stadium in Tembisa, east of the city, where the two teams were wrapping up their preparations for the finals. There was a crowd surge once the stadium gates were opened with several people knocked to the floor and trampled as fans sought to get into the 12,000 seat arena. Authorities closed the gates but another surge started once they were re-opened. One police officer was also among the injured, but further details are still being investigated. Colonel Eugene Opperman of the South African Police Services (SAPS) told Press Association Sport: "There was definitely a stampede, but it happened on the outside of the stadium and not the inside. "We have 14 civilians that are injured and one policeman. There were no deaths." Entry to the friendly game was

Tim Howard has hailed Wayne Rooney as the best striker in the world but believes the United States' own forwards can trouble England in their World Cup opener. Howard has first-hand experience of Rooney from their two years together at Manchester United before he moved to Everton in 2006 after the signing of Edwin van der Sar. He has immense respect for the 24-year-old who is pivotal to England's hopes of doing themselves justice in South Africa during the next month. But Howard has also been impressed with the current USA front pair of Edson Buddle and Robert Findley who looked sharp during the weekend victory over Australia in Johannesburg. Howard told Press Association Sport: "I get asked if I am looking forward to facing Wayne Rooney. I don't think I ever look forward to facing Wayne Rooney. "He is the best striker in the world and has enjoyed a fantastic season. "He is a fantastic player, so I'll be very careful what I say! "But we also have Eds

Manchester United's owners will have to take tens of millions of pounds out of the club every year to pay off their expensive loans. In a programme to be screened tomorrow night, BBC's Panorama says the Glazer family's debts total more than £1.1billion - £700million tied to Manchester United, £388million on mortgages for their First Allied shopping mall business in the United States and £66million tied to their Tampa Bay Buccaneers NFL team. The Glazers say they are comfortable with the situation and that their assets total £2billion. But investment analyst Andy Green, who investigated the Glazers' finances for Panorama, believes the Glazers have no option but to raid United's coffers to pay off the payment in kind loans - PIKs - which total £220million. These PIKS carry a 16.25% interest rate and unless any payments are made these loans will spiral to £600million by 2017. Green, a United fan, told Press Association Sport: "This is not meant to be scaremongeri

Didier Drogba has undergone successful surgery on his broken arm and will link up with his Ivory Coast team-mates. Drogba sustained the injury in Friday's friendly against Japan following a heavy challenge from opposing central defender Tulio and was immediately sent for an operation in Bern. Ivory Coast Federation spokesman Roger Kouassi announced today the surgery was a success - although a time frame for the striker's return remains sketchy, with the Elephants set to open their World Cup campaign against Portugal on June 15. Kouassi said: "His recovery has been very encouraging. "It is suggested that, at this point, all signs are good and there are many hopes." Drogba is key to Ivory Coast's hopes of progressing out of Group G, which also includes Brazil, North Korea and Portugal. The African Player of the Year scored 37 goals in all competitions for Chelsea last season and his absence would be a major blow to coach Sven-Goran Eriksson.

Peter Crouch believes Wayne Rooney can inspire England to World Cup glory and become the best player on the planet in the process. The Manchester United striker heads in to the tournament with the expectations of a nation resting on his shoulders. A spectacular season at club level, which brought 33 goals, has helped to cement his standing as one of the best all-round frontmen in the modern game and silence those who questioned his ability as a leading marksman. It is hoped he will now be able to transfer that form onto the international stage, with England looking to him to lead the way. Tottenham ace Crouch is tipped to be the man to start alongside Rooney when England get their World Cup campaign up and running against the United States on Saturday. "It is massive for us to have someone in such great form going into the World Cup," Crouch told The Sun. "He has always been fantastic. A top-class player. People are saying he needs to play with another striker. "But

FIFA have insisted the stampede before the game between Nigeria and North Korea should not heighten safety fears for the finals themselves. Fourteen fans and two policemen were taken for treatment following a surge to gain entry to the match at the Makhulong Stadium in the township of Tembisa. After expressing their sadness at events, FIFA were quick to point out the world governing body were not responsible for the organisational chaos which ensued less than a week before the finals get under way. A statement read: "FIFA and the Organising Committee (OC) of the 2010 FIFA World Cup have been informed by the South African Police Services (SAPS) about the incidents which have taken place on the occasion of the friendly match between Nigeria and Korea DPR. "FIFA and the OC would like to first wish a prompt recovery to those who have been affected by these incidents. "In addition, FIFA and the OC would like to reiterate that this friendly match has no relation whatsoever wit

Rafael Nadal became only the second man to win five or more French Open titles after beating Robin Soderling 6-4, 6-2,6-4 at Roland Garros. The Spaniard saved his best performance of the tournament - and arguably of the season - for the only man who had ever beaten him at Roland Garros. The 24-year-old's victory came in two hours and 18 minutes, ended any doubt over his status as the king of clay, gave him his seventh grand slam title and will see him overtake Roger Federer as world number one tomorrow. Time and again, Soderling thought he had Nadal where he wanted him on Philippe Chatrier Court today. But the second seed would almost inevitably make him play one more shot or produce a sensational winner as he emulated his 2008 feat of winning the title without dropping a set. Much had been made in the build-up of the impact of the weather, and storms were forecast. But the match began in bright sunshine, which would have pleased odds-on favourite Nadal. Soderling, who avenged his

French Open champion Francesca Schiavone has joked she will have to buy a new house to host the party she plans to hold. Schiavone could certainly afford an upgrade after being handed a cheque for £927,000 for two weeks' work, a quarter of the amount it had taken her 12 years to accumulate previously. And the 29-year-old earned every penny on Philippe Chatrier Court against Samantha Stosur in one of the best Roland Garros finals in recent memory. Despite her historic achievement, Schiavone is not expecting a ticker-tape parade when she arrives back in Milan but plans her own celebration with family and friends, many of whom drove 10 hours across Europe to watch her yesterday. "I want to go home to mummy and daddy," she said. "This is my goal for the moment, because usually we have a good dinner or good lunch, 10 people. "Now I think I have to buy a new house - bigger - for 50 people. "I can't feel what's happening in Italy. "But for me it is a

India's tennis ace Leander Paes and his Czech partner Lukas Dlouhy lost the French Open final on Saturday. In line for a second successive title, the defending champions ran out of steam and lost 5-7 2-6 to their second seeded opponents Daniel Nestor of Canada and Nenad Zimonjic of Serbia in a 65-minute contest at Roland Garros. The third seeded Indo-Czech duo failed to convert the two breakpoints that came their way in comparison to their rivals who converted three of the four breakpoints that they earned. "It has been a great two weeks and I'm happy to be in the finals for the second successive time. I would like to thank Lukas for making it happen and sticking with me," said Paes, who won the title in 1999 and 2001 (both with Mahesh Bhupathi) and then with Dlouhy in 2009. Dlouhy, on his part, credited the opponents for playing terrific tennis and said hopefully next year they would regain the title. "They were just too good today. Hopefully me and Leander will

Former chairman of selectors Kiran More in an exclusive chat with espnstar.com slammed the Indian team selection for the Asia Cup. By Rajarshi Gupta The Indian selectors, not for the first time, managed to raise some eyebrows after announcing a 15-man squad for the Asia Cup to be played in Sri Lanka this month. Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar , who had wished to be rested to recuperate from an injury, got his way, while Yuvraj Singh found his name missing from the final list. Though the chairman of selectors Krishnamachari Srikanth played down any omission, Kiran More lashed out at the current panel for dropping one of India’s middle order stay. “I don’t understand why Yuvraj was dropped in the first place. That couldn’t have happened on cricketing grounds. In fact, I believe he should have gone to Zimbabwe, maybe even as a captain. “Are the selectors even thinking of the 2011 World Cup? This selection goes beyond me.” More said, he was not happy with the side despite the usual suspec

Cracking the whip on non-performers, national selectors axed the struggling duo of Yuvraj Singh and Yusuf Pathan and rested veteran Sachin Tendulkar from India's 15-member squad for this month's Asia Cup cricket tournament in Sri Lanka. Tendulkar had sought a break to spend time with his children, while Yuvraj and Yusuf's ouster was on the cards after a series of disappointing performances in recent times as the selectors laid stress on form and fitness. Flamboyant opener Virender Sehwag, who was laid low with a shoulder injury and missed the Twenty20 World Cup, returned to the squad while wicket-keeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik and leg-spinner Amit Mishra were axed. "Sachin Tendulkar requested the Board not to consider him for the Asia Cup, as he wanted to spend time with his children, in view of the hectic cricket season ahead," BCCI Secretary N Srinivasan claimed in a statement after the selection meeting which lasted close to two hours. 20-year-old Jharkhand bats

England bowled out Bangladesh inside a session for a second time to claim an emphatic innings and 80-run victory in the second npower Test at Old Trafford. Click here for SCORECARD Following on 203 runs behind this afternoon, the tourists slumped to 123 all out and a 2-0 series loss with a sorry display. Steven Finn was the pick of the England bowling, following up a five-wicket haul in the first Test at Lord's with five for 42. Most of his good work came after James Anderson had set the tone by removing dangerous opener Tamim Iqbal , scorer of a scintillating century on Saturday, second ball of the innings. Anderson, making the most of seam-friendly conditions after a delayed start, went on to claim three for 16 in a superb opening spell. Mahmudullah was the only Bangladesh batsman to offer any resistance, clubbing five fours in a briefly entertaining 38 but it could not mask the tourists' deficiencies. Tamim's opening partner Imrul Kayes departed with an identical scoreca