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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: Skype

Skype stories: 25 news summaries

1 - 20 of 25 Stories | 1 2 Next >>

(Newser) - AT&T has had a change of heart—perhaps prompted by an ongoing FCC inquiry into competition—and will now allow iPhone users to connect with Skype and other Internet phone services over its 3G wireless network. Previously, AT&T had allowed such services in only a limited capacity—through... More »

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iPhone Skype phone service AT&T iPhone applications Google Voice

On Net Neutrality, Feds Go With Google, Against ISPs

Proposed new rules wouldn't allow bandwidth-hogging services to be blocked

(Newser) - Consumers stand to benefit under a proposal, coming Monday, from the Federal Communications Commission that would mandate so-called net neutrality, forcing Internet service providers to treat all Web content equally and not restrict access to sites and services that take up more bandwidth. The Obama administration is siding with the... More »

 Skype Sale in Doubt  
 as Founders Sue eBay 

Techies alleges copyright violation costing them $75M a day

(Newser) - The founders of Skype are suing eBay and the investor consortium buying the Internet phone company, accusing them of copyright violation, reports the Wall Street Journal. The suit is only the latest bump in eBay's disastrous ownership of Skype and may complicate the planned $2 billion sale. Janus Friis and... More »

 EBay to Unload Skype for $2B 

Private investors bring end to auction site's troubled ownership

(Newser) - EBay is selling Skype, the audiovisual chat service it calamitously bought in 2005, to a group of private investors, sources tell the New York Times. Although the price is unknown, eBay recently said it wanted about $2 billion for the the company, which is expected to pull in $600 million... More »

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private equity Google eBay Skype IP telephony technology companies Marc Andreessen

COMMENTARY

Why One Mom Drew the Line
at Skype

Technology that brings us together can pull us apart, she writes

(Newser) - Today’s world of cellphones, tweets, and texts makes it possible to stay constantly in touch—but where do we draw the line between contact and privacy, connection and independence? When it comes to family intimacy over distance, that question comes into sharp relief, Peggy Orenstein reflects in the New ... More »

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cell phones privacy communication Skype texting Twitter women's issues

 EBay to Spin Off Skype 
 in IPO Next Year 

Company aims to end 'marriage from hell' through stock offering

(Newser) - Ebay plans to end its uneasy relationship with Skype by offloading the ill-fitting acquisition through an IPO early next year, Bloomberg reports. Analysts say the move could raise up to $1 billion for eBay, depending on how much equity the auction powerhouse wants to give up. The company declined to... More »

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eBay IPO Skype telecommunications stock offering

(Newser) - The European wunderkinds who gave the world Skype have been approaching private equity firms in an attempt to buy their creation back from eBay, the New York Times reports. Niklas Zennstrom of Sweden and Janus Friis of Denmark sold the Internet phone service for $2.6 billion in 2005,... More »

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eBay VoIP mergers and acquisitions Skype telecommunications

Skype Expands
to iPhone, iPod
Tomorrow

Internet phone
service plans May
Blackberry launch

(Newser) - Skype is launching service for the iPhone tomorrow, expanding its popular internet phone operation from computers to the lucrative mobile market. Users of iPhones as well as iPod Touches—which have wifi but no cell connection—will be able to make free calls to fellow Skype users and pay for... More »

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Skype Could Hit iPhone
as Soon as Next Week

Voice-over-IP firm may announce its client at CTIA Wireless

(Newser) - Skype is putting the finishing touches on a version of its VoIP client for the iPhone, and may debut it as soon as an industry conference next week, GigaOm reports. Skype is looking to the mobile market to keep growing as its PC usage starts to plateau. Skype already offers... More »

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iPhone software Skype Voice over IP telephone iPhone applications mobile phones

 Skype Rolls Out 
 New Biz Service 

Internet calling company aims to boost revenue

(Newser) - Internet calling company Skype is introducing new software for businesses that lets workers on corporate phone systems make calls using regular office phones instead of computer headsets, the Wall Street Journal reports. Domestic and international calls to cellphones and landlines will start at 2.1 cents a minute, and computer-... More »

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TECH REVIEW

Google Voice Buggy
but Brilliant

Impressive new VoIP service could soon sideline Skype

(Newser) - Google's new VoIP service could be more of a "life-changing experience" than a mere Skype substitute, Larry Magid writes in CNET. Google Voice—currently only available to former GrandCentral users but expected to soon cause sleepless nights for the whole telecom industry—offers users a single number to which... More »

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Google cell phones VoIP Skype telecommunications Google Voice

Skype Plans Voicemail-to-Text Service

Users will fork
over 25 cents
per message

(Newser) - Internet-telephone firm Skype will offer a service that converts voice messages into texts in any one of four languages, the company plans to announce today. But at 25 cents per text message—and with long voicemails running up to three texts—users’ costs could add up. And if a poor... More »

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Internet communication telecom text message Skype voicemail

 Skype Pushes Video Calls 

Version 4.0 will make seeing who you're talking to more integral

(Newser) - The newest version of Skype is designed to make video calls easier and more widespread. Skype 4.0, which begins public testing today, detects bandwidth and attached devices to make it simpler to use a computer to add video to calls, Reuters reports. Skype's president says that the resolution of... More »

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Internet telecom Skype VOIP IP telephony

Skype Launches $9.95 Plan
for Unlimited Foreign Calls

Flat rate covers calls
to 34 countries

(Newser) - Internet calling system Skype is introducing a plan for unlimited overseas phone calls for $9.95 a month, CNET reports. The plan includes 34 European and Far Eastern countries, along with Australia and New Zealand—but the deal is limited to landlines except for calls to cell phones in Canada,... More »

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FCC Boss Nixes Bid to Open Up Wireless Networks

Systems already 'open enough,' he says

(Newser) - The head of the FCC has rejected a request from Skype to open up wireless networks to outside devices, AP reports. The Internet phone provider wanted wireless operations included in a 1968 FCC decision that required AT&T to open up its network beyond its own devices that paved the... More »

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FCC wireless Verizon Skype telecommunications Michael Copps Kevin Martin wireless industry networks

Apple's iPhone Rules Restrict Competition

Banning of VoIP, browser bundling echoes antitrust cases

(Newser) - Apple’s iPhone software development kit is facing criticism from net neutrality and antitrust critics, Computerworld reports. Apple has indicated that voice-over-IP programs like Skype will not be allowed on the iPhone’s AT&T network, as its a direct competitor for AT&T’s voice service. Comcast, Computerworld points... More »

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Flash Attack Could Turn Routers Into Zombies

Experts say online criminals could exploit UPnP to hijack routers

(Newser) - Security experts have demonstrated how attackers could use Flash software and the Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) protocol to hijack their home routers, reports PC World. Users exposed to a malicious Flash file could have the servers they're trying to reach changed remotely and secretly, meaning a fraudster could redirect... More »

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online fraud Skype instant messaging hackers computer security routers Adobe Flash

MySpace Battles Facebook Buzz to Stay on Top

Site rolls out new services, expands abroad

(Newser) - Facing competition for buzz and advertising from much smaller but much-hyped Facebook, MySpace has big plans for expansion. The free-form social networking site's founders want to transform it into a one-stop portal where users can check email and get news. The site is also unveiling new services, expanding overseas, and... More »

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social networking MySpace Facebook Skype multiplayer games

New Era at eBay Includes Absent CEO, Turmoil

Auction site leaning on Skype, other new services for renewal

(Newser) - Online auction site eBay is sailing into new, perhaps troubled waters, reports Wired, as users write angry letters to newspapers, its CEO-in-waiting--John Donahoe--disses the site as a flea market, and CEO and founder Meg Whitman follows the campaign trail behind presidential hopeful Mitt Romney. Yet, in a down market, its... More »

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UK Provider Unveils Skype Mobile Phone

Free calls over the Internet for users in five countries at launch

(Newser) - British mobile phone provider "3" is unveiling a handset which lets users make free calls over the Net using Skype. The phone won't let you use Skype to make cheap calls to any phone number, like you could over the Internet, but still represents a new level of availability... More »

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1 - 20 of 25 Stories | 1 2 Next >>