As much as I attempt to minimize cable clutter, I rely on wired headsets over Bluetooth for VoIP. A wired model provides equal if not better audio fidelity, without worrying about connectivity issues and a charged battery. My current work-provided headset got pretty banged up in my backpack recently and the mic’s become flaky. So, I just ordered this Logitech USB headset from Buy.com for $23 shipped (and after $10 rebate). I obviously can’t vouch for quality yet, but it looks comfortable and has a glowing red light.

As I mentioned a few days ago, I was stationed next to the Fring gang at CTIA. And I found the iPhone hidden in the BizDev guy’s pocket a little suspicious given they didn’t support the platform. Well, as of today they do! Fring is a mobile multi-IM client, and one of the few multi-IM clients to include Skype voice chat. So, the first thing I did after installing this on my jailbroken iPhone was give Kevin Tofel a call via SkypeOut (using WiFi). Kevin reports he heard me OK with a little echo of his own voice and, for the first half of the call, I heard him OK as well. For the second half of the call, his voice was garbled unfortunately. But hey, this is a beta client and it looks very promising. We also tried AIM<->.Mac text IM, which worked fine. The new message audio alert is a little too high pitched and glaring though.

(Thanks, Todd!)

In my old age, I’ve become much more selective in the conference schwag I choose to fly home with…

At the Sprint press event featuring Samsung, I performed a Rock Band guitar duet with NPD analyst Ross Rubin and all attendees left with a stereo Bluetooth headset (MSRP $80). I’m not sure how MagicJack makes money selling their VoIP device at only $40 a pop with unlimited US calling, but I was willing to take a review unit as I’m still searching for the right voice solution. Once I’m done checking these out, we’ll give them away here on the site.

On the software side, a Yahoo booth minion updated my Nokia N95 to Yahoo! Go 3. And the Fring folks convinced me I need their multi-IM client for mobiles, which includes voice chat. (Both are free.)

Lastly, while I can’t say the in-booth oxygen or alcohol bars do much for me, I appreciated Real’s blue M&Ms around lunch time. Cisco was also there in my time of need when I grabbed a Linksys pen in passing.

Ah, the Ojo Video Phone. Engadget posted the rumor that the phone and service have now gone kaput. And I can confirm it. After two plus years, the Ojo in my living room has finally reached the end of its run.

Because I work for Motorola, I became the proud owner of two Ojos back in late 2005. This was right before Motorola gave up on the product and turned it back over to WorldGate, its original manufacturer. I was the coveted demographic for the video phone, a new parent and daughter of new grandparents, all with broadband connections. And despite a few hiccups here and there, we would have made a fantastic case study. Until last week, we used the Ojos regularly. My two-year-old has literally grown up seeing her grandparents on the phone every few days. Now it looks like we’ll have to default to webcams, a sorry substitute.

So why didn’t the Ojo survive? There are many, many reasons.

1. No interoperability. You could only talk to an Ojo from another Ojo.
2. An original retail price of $1,600 for a pair of Ojos, plus a monthly fee. (Price came way down later on)
3. Timing. As widespread as broadband is, there are still quite a few grandparents without it or without the tech savvy to do more with a broadband connection than check email. Maybe in five more years.
4. Routers. It was virtually impossible to make the Ojo compatible with every router on the market, which means a lot of customers could not get their Ojos to work at all without another new piece of hardware.
5. Wired connection. The Ojo only worked with an Ethernet line, and while being tethered wasn’t a big deal (you could still move the Ojo around for different perspectives), finding a place to put the Ojo within Ethernet reach was. We ran an Ethernet cord up from our basement, through a vent to our living room.

Some time soon I believe video will become an expected, add-on feature for all of our phones. And then we’ll probably hook them into our TVs for big-screen display. And then we’ll be able to interact with the video, marking up our screens like any WebEx presentation. And more, and more, and more. It’s all coming.

Just not for the Ojo.

I had assumed the lawsuits would ultimately kill Vonage… And while they still might, as part of our moving prep, I made the decision to proactively kill service. My 2.5 years with them has been somewhat rocky, including poor customer service and call quality issues. Complaints from folks on the other end of the line is what finally led me to this decision.

In Vonage’s defense, I’ve really appreciated the voicemail->email feature and their pricing was extremely competitive. However, our multiple cell phones and SkypeOut should be sufficient going forward. If not, for the first time in years, we’ll consider going back to a reliable Verizon landline. (more…)

The press has had a field day with Pudding Media’s new VoIP offering. In a nutshell, the company lets you make VoIP calls for free if you let them listen in and provide targeted ads. Since many folks have already written about the horrific Big Brother implications, I thought I’d take a different approach to the news. Here are the “contextual” ads I imagine when I think of the Pudding experience…

Mari on the phone: “My daughter was really cranky yesterday afternoon. She had a massive temper tantrum and threw herself down on the hard floor…” Note: my daughter is a perfect angel and would never actually do this.

Imagined Pudding ads:

Child harness! Easy. Safe. Keeps you in control.

Softest rugs you’ll ever find! 3% off now through Sunday.

Are you having trouble coping? Ask your doctor if Prozac is right for you.

(more…)

I made a brief mall detour this AM to spend a few minutes with Bose QuietComfort headsets and see if Apple has those new iPod on display (nope). While there I noticed a Vonage booth going in. The cabinets are bare and the store rep is still waiting for his broadband connection, but it was pretty interesting (and surprising) to see them making this retail push. If you’re familiar with the DC area, Vonage plans to have a presence in Montgomery Mall (above), Tysons Corner, Potomac Mills, and White Marsh.

(more…)

One of my parting gifts as Netgear’s CES Blogger In Residence was a WiFi Skype phone. But wait. There’s more! They also provided me with their new dual-mode Skype phone. Believe it or not, there’s only so many Skype phones I can use. So one lucky reader is taking the WiFi model home.

Quick summary… What I like: Wireless handset with Skype - no computer needed. What I don’t like: Battery life and lack of web browser (to sign on at Starbucks). I loaned Kevin Tofel of jkOnTheRun the phone who has written a more thorough review.

Here’s how ya win: Leave a comment linking to something we wrote in January, 2007 and tell us why you selected that as a notable topic. No two submissions can use the same post. I’ll pick a random winner sometime next week.

Update: Good news for the winner who also connects at Starbucks… A beta firmware update allows T-Mobile Hotpost authentication.