Joy of Gadgets

The folks at In Store Solutions have sent me a rather interesting piece of gear for review: the Yamaha PSG-01S, which is a USB speakerphone that is compatible with Skype. When plugged into the computer with the USB cable, the operating system treats it similar to a USB headset and is recognized instantly as an audio and microphone device.

I don’t normally go with speakerphones, mostly because I don’t want to disturb people around me and I don’t want to sound bad to the other person. The Yamaha PSG-01S solves at least one of these problems. If you’re about 12 inches from the microphone or so, you sound as if you’re on a wired headset to the other person! If you’re a little farther away, you still sound like you’re on a speakerphone, but the echo is greatly reduced.

This device is peculiar in that it has an accelerometer in it. If you turn the device on its side, it beeps and the microphone portion of the device mutes. You can then just listen to the folks on Skype (or your favorite music, if you prefer). If you set the device vertical, the top of the device lights up, beeps, and the microphone is active.

As you can see, the device is brick-shaped and roughly the size of a Grande at Starbucks. It’s very lightweight, but solidly built.

There are also buttons on the side of the device. Theoretically they will go “on hook” and “off hook” for Skype, but I did not test this on a Windows machine, where there are drivers you can install that do this. On the Mac, they are inactive. However, the volume button and Rec/Mic button work on the Mac (the latter functions as a mute button).

The audio quality of the device was fantastic. Both sides of the conversation were outstanding audio quality. Considering how much I generally detest the audio on speakerphones, that’s saying something. In music playback mode, the device also sounds superb.

While I’ve said a lot of good things about this device, I personally wouldn’t buy it for two reasons. My own personal usage patterns don’t lend themselves to speakerphones, so it’s not a kind of device I would seek out in the first place. The second, and perhaps more important aspect, is the price. At $219 in the US Skype store, it’s well outside of my price range. However, if you need an excellent quality speakerphone and money is less of an object, I’d say get it.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Yamaha’s PSG-01S is the speakerphone version of a mullet (engadget.com)
• Yamaha Skype-certified USB speakerphones (ubergizmo.com)

Yes, this headset from In Store Solutions is that good. It’s also surprisingly affordable at just under $23 shipped to your door from the Skype store! I’d be buying one right now if I didn’t get a review unit.

As a long time user of Skype, I’ve used many a headset over the years. You want to use a headset so you can hear the other party better and the other party can hear you better.

The problem is that PCs weren’t always equipped to do proper sound. I remember the days of the Apple ][ with a very simple speaker that you could coax into playing music. I also remember building my first PC and having to put in a Soundblaster card!

If you've bought a PC in the past 6 or 7 years, though, you know that sound cards are pretty much standard equipment these days. Actually, they're just included on the motherboard, you rarely even buy an extra sound card these days! Unfortunately, what isn't standard is the quality of said included audio. It varies widely. Not to mention having to remember to switch between speakers and headsets.

One of the ways to eliminate any issues with onboard audio is to use a USB headset. Audio is processed on the USB device itself. It shows up as a different audio device, which you can easily switch between in applications or the operating system.

I've been using a Logitech USB Headset for a while now. It's fairly comfortable, the audio quality is acceptable. But it's not very portable. And it wasn't cheap.

The folks from In Store Solutions have made a comfortable headset that is portable, sounds fantastic, and is very inexpensive. It's quite an impressive engineering feat.

As shown, the Everyman USB headset folds up flat so it can more easily fit into your bag. It is also quite comfortable, which is also important for someone who spends a lot of time using Skype on their computer. The boom mic is not rigid, allowing you to place it in the most optimal position: at the corner of your mouth! Since the earphones unplug from the USB dongle, the headphones can also be used on your MP3 player/iPod/iPhone.

While all of those are nice features, what sets the Everyman apart from all the others is the audio quality. Both the microphone and the speakers take full advantage of Skype's new SILK_V3 codec, which operates at 12Khz. When SILK_V3 is being used along with these headsets, it's quite literally like you're in the same room with the other person. There is nothing like it! Other reviewers are saying similar things.

The headset arrives in a very compact, easy to open box made out of recyclable cardboard and paper. You open it up, plug the headset into an open USB port on your computer, and you're ready to make calls on Skype.

When you consider the price: under $23 shipped to your door, purchasing this headset is absolutely a no-brainer. It will be one of the best investments you can make to improve your calling experience with Skype.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Official Skype Headset (ubergizmo.com)
• Skype Unleashes A "Super-Secret" Project: A Cheap Headset (techcrunch.com)
• USB 2.0 to 3D Audio Sound Card (phoneboy.com)
• Review: Logitech G35 7.1 surround-sound headphones (crunchgear.com)

While I admit I like the idea of a more capable Apple iPod Touch (with a built-in mic and camera), and I agree that it will be a great mobile multimedia device, I disagree with Andy Abramson’s assertion that it will be big for VoIP.

One of the use cases Andy mentions that he think will be huge is “Pre-teens who need a phone but can’t afford a contract.” First of all, the iPod Touch is quite a pricey device for most teens, whereas your typical prepaid phone is a lot cheaper. Sure, some teens will get an iPod Touch, but unless the price goes down, not as many as Andy thinks.

Once you get past the price issue, the second, more important piece of functionality is missing from the iPod Touch: SMS. This is the killer app for teens. I know, I had one staying with me for 10 days. I know there are probably services that make that happen, and with Apple’s Push Notification Sevices, realtime SMS on an iPod Touch is doable.

Even if such a service exists, how will the teens find out? Word of mouth, I suppose. Even so, most of these services require credit cards for payments, making them non-starters again for teens.

Now, I do agree that an iPod Touch with an integrated microphone would make a compelling VoIP device. The reason I don’t think it will be big? The lack of background applications. In order to make and receive calls, you have to leave an application running in the foreground. That might work for making calls–which I could see some business travelers using–but for receiving calls? A non-starter from my point of view.

It’s that time again:

FreeConferencing.com Launches: Until they do something to equalize inter-carrier compensation between most civilized parts of the United States and rural locations, services like FreeConferenceCall.com and now FreeConferencing.com will continue to exist and be profitable. By hosting these services in, say, rural Iowa, they actually make a small amount of money per minute on incoming calls. Anyway, FreeConferencing.com is a way to do a one-to-many call, complete with a web-based console to manage the call.

Vonage Trying To Act Like Mobile Phone Carriers: Vonage, the VoIP landline replacement service provider that refuses to die, is now offering a deal where you can sign up and not pay for equipment, shipping, or activation. The catch? You have to sign a two year agreement complete with early termination fees that are, according to my calculations, worse than a mobile phone contract.

iPopperz Fashion Earphones: Personally not my thing, but these are relatively inexpensive, in-ear haedphones with a number of styles, colors, and whatnot. I would consider buying the black, green, and black pair. One cool thing: they sell replacement earpads. Granted, there is a huge amount of markup there, but it’s the first time I’ve seen them available.

Bad Experience on DeFi Mobile: I briefly wrote about DeFi Mobile in October. Wasn’t sure how well the service was going to be when it went live, but someone forwarded me some correspondence to and from the company related to their experience. In short: it was bad voice quality and improper CallerID. Anyone have a good experience with DeFi Mobile?

Qwest Offering Free WiFi Nationwide: If you happen to live in an area where Qwest is your local exchange carrier and you get high speed Internet from them, now you can take it with you–sort of. Qwest has signed a deal with AT&T to provide Qwest customers free WiFi at 17,000 AT&T operated WiFi hotspots. Personally, I think it’s worth $9.95 a month for Boingo, which offers WiFi at AT&T locations and a whole bunch more!

I would expect someone like Andy Abramson to be excited about his client, Truphone, getting an application on the Apple iPod Touch that makes it possible to make VoIP calls over WiFi. Eventually, according to MarketWatch, you’ll be able to receive calls as well, though I’m not sure how that will work given Apple doesn’t allow background apps on their iPhone and iPod Touch.

However, when I look at it in the bigger picture, I go “meh.” It’s not exciting to me. Turning something that isn’t a phone into a phone is old hat. That’s been a reality on the Nokia N800/N810 for a while thanks to Skype. I’m sure you can think of other examples of this as well.

I don’t see a lot of “average” people go through the trouble of downloading the Truphone app from Apple’s App Store, getting the necessary microphone adapter from Apple, and using this to make calls versus some other method. No doubt some people will do it–perhaps people aided by geeks like me, perhaps not.

Most of the people I know can barely use their mobile phone. Anything more complicated than making a call, receiving a call, and perhaps using the camera requires assistance from someone like me. I helped my wife’s aunt over Thanksgiving with her LG Dare, never having seen the phone before.

Now granted, not everyone has an iPhone, or an iPod Touch. Apple does make it dirt simple to get apps onto the handset. I’m sure the smart guys at Truphone guys have also done a brilliant job of making this application dirt simple to use, much like they’ve done on the Nokia handsets.

I am struggling to see the market for this. It might seem like there is with 300 Million applications downloaded from Apple’s App Store. However, what percentage of Apple’s iPhone/iPod Touch user base have actually downloaded an application and installed it? How many Apple iPhone and iPod Touch users are actively using third party apps on their devices? My gut says not nearly as many as people are thinking.

The other niggling question is: of the people that download Truphone’s iPod Touch application, how many will turn into paying users instead of just using the free features of the application?

I would love to be wrong and have this be a mainstream game changer. I’d love to see more people using VoIP, but I’m having trouble seeing how this vision will work. Can anyone help clarify it for me?

Related articles by Zemanta

• Turning the iPod Touch into a phone
• Truphone enables WiFi phone calls on iPod Touch
• Truphone Turns iPod touch Into iPhone
• Truphone for iPod Touch: Accessing Skype Contacts and Social Media
• Did You Know Your iPod Touch is a Phone?
• Your Own Free iPhone Via An iPod Touch?
• Wireless turns iPod into a phone

I haven’t done one of these posts in a while–6 weeks to be exact! I am doing three weeks worth here and will get the other three weeks posted later on. That should get me caught up

Meanwhile, I am on the home stretch before vacation, where I won’t be doing much online at all. I’m actually looking forward to the break!

• Fax Over IP == FAIL! (From The VoIP Weblog)
• Might Mid-Band Ethernet Make Copper Competitive With Fiber? (From The VoIP Weblog)
• Welcome to Vonageland (From The VoIP Weblog)
• What Is Iotum Up To? (From The VoIP Weblog)
• Real VoIP? Is There Fake VoIP Out There? (From The VoIP Weblog)
• No Such Thing As Free Calls (From The VoIP Weblog)
• Where Computer-Based VoIP Fails (From The VoIP Weblog)
• My, How Cheap Flash Drives Have Become (From On Storage and The Gadgets Weblog)
• iCall Brings You VoIP on the iPhone (From The VoIP Weblog)
• Blinded By The TRI-L Light! (From The Gadgets Weblog)
• Skype 4.0 Beta: All About Video (From The VoIP Weblog)
• VoIP Providers One Step Closer To Proper 911 Access (From The VoIP Weblog)
• Can You Video Conference With 9 People At Once? (From The VoIP Weblog)
• New Sponsor For Creative Weblogging: AIM Call Out (From The VoIP Weblog)
• William Shatner On iotum’s Free Conference Service (From The VoIP Weblog)

Now that my house is finally starting to cool off from today’s record-breaking heat (about 90F, 32C)–yes, we’re getting air conditioning–I can get around to my weekly roundup post.

I didn’t post as much this week. I’ve spent the past couple of weeks fighting off the various illnesses that the rest of my family seems to have had for the past several weeks. I also just need a break from cranking out posts!

The post list this week:

• Telegraph and Telephony (From voip.com/blog)
• Mama and Papa Time (From The VoIP Weblog)
• Back Before There Was 911 (From voip.com/blog)
• TRITTON TRI-BH200 AX Micro Bluetooth Headset (From The Gadgets Weblog and The Mobile Technology Weblog)
• Connecting Long Distance Calls, Then And Now (From The VoIP Weblog)
• Can You Still Get An Operator (From voip.com/blog)
• Giving VoIP It’s Own Country Code (From The VoIP Weblog)
• Video Transmission In 1927 (From voip.com/blog)
• Cable? DSL? It’s All Shared, Part 1 (From voip.com/blog)
• Nimbuzz Not Buzzing To Me (From The VoIP Weblog and The Mobile Technology Weblog)
• Cable? DSL? It’s All Shared, Part 2 (From voip.com/blog)
• Voice 2.0–Just Like Voice 1.0 With APIs (From The VoIP Weblog)
• No Shock Verizon Wireless Chose LiMo Over Android (From The Mobile Technology Weblog and The Wireless Weblog)
• What’s VoIP Like On A T1? (From voip.com/blog)

We’ve come to the end of another week of posts. It looks like I’m going to continue to crank out these posts, mostly because the automated methods to do this aren’t as attractive and, quite simply, don’t work that well.

The post list this week:

• Let’s Go Down To The Party Line (From voip.com/blog)
• Scan Your Network For SIP Devices (From voip.com/blog)
• Amazon Web Services Lowers Transfer Prices (From The Web 2.0 Weblog)
• Phones Sound Different Worldwide (From voip.com/blog)
• MRCP and Text-To-Speech (From voip.com/blog)
• iSkoot Updates Symbian Software, Handles Security Incident Well (From The Mobile Technology Weblog, The Wireless Weblog, and The VoIP Weblog)
• Nokia N95 8GB NAM (From The Mobile Technology Weblog)
• Sponsored Post: cellity A Hot App According To GetJar (From The Mobile Technology Weblog)
• GoMadic QuadCharge Univeral Charging Station (From The Mobile Technology Weblog and The Gadgets Weblog)
• VoIP Over The VPN (From voip.com/blog)
• AT&T Offers Unlimited Prepaid Data (From The Mobile Technology Weblog and The Wireless Weblog)
• Ring Voltage Booster II (From The VoIP Weblog and The Gadgets Weblog)
• Sponsored Post: cellity Launches freeSMS Application on Facebook (From The Mobile Technology Weblog)
• How Rotary Phones Affected Area Codes (From voip.com/blog)
• Give Your Mobile Phone That Old Time Feel (From voip.com/blog)

I feel like I wrote too many posts this week. I did a fair amount of cross-posting this week, which ends up being good for my pocketbook. However, I feel pretty spent. I just want to curl up and watch South Park. Especially this episode about Over Logging (On).

Here’s what I got out this week:

• Flashphone: If You Can See A Web Page, You Can Use It (From voip.com/blog)
• Thomson’s Symbio Cordless DECT VoIP Phone (From The Gadgets Weblog)
• Truphone SIM Cards Coming Soon (From The VoIP Weblog, The Wireless Weblog, and The Mobile Technology Weblog)
• Listening In? Give Me A Break! (From The VoIP Weblog)
• Symbio DECT Cordless VoIP Phone By Thomson (From voip.com/blog)
• audioengine AW1 Wireless Adapter (From The Wired Home Weblog, Tech Without Wires)
• Why Do FM Transmitters Suck? (From Digital Music, Tech Without Wires, and The Gadgets Weblog)
• VoIP Deices Are Not Fun To Configure (From voip.com/blog)
• Ooma’s Still Alive. So? (From The VoIP Weblog)
• Apple ][gs Turned Laptop (From The Republic Of Geektronica)
• Fring Now Native on iPhone (From The VoIP Weblog, The Mobile Technology Weblog, and The Wireless Weblog)
• Distributing VoIP Throughout Your Home, Part 1 (From voip.com/blog)
• Distributing VoIP Throughout Your Home, Part 2 (From voip.com/blog)
• Trixbox Goes 2.0, Gets More Hands Off (From The VoIP Weblog)
• Distributing VoIP Throughout Your Home, Part 3 (From voip.com/blog)
• What Is A Phone, Anyway? (From voip.com/blog)
• Black and Decker Pocket Power (From The Gadgets Weblog)

It was nice to be at home after all the VON.x partying last week. Got a couple of new toys–one to play with (Nokia N810) and one to review (a PBX from Talkswitch). I also spent some time cleaning my newly working pinball machine. This evening, I replaced all the rubbers and gave the playfield a polish. Now I just have to wait for my pinball repair guy to come out and fix the other things that are still broken with it.

I did a little bit better on posts this week versus last week, as you can see below:

• FWD’s Global Communicator Project (From The VoIP Weblog)
• Jangl Adds Another 8 Million Profiles Via PerfSpot (From The VoIP Weblog)
• The Ultimate MPU For Old Bally/Stern Pinballs! (From The Gadgets Weblog)
• Qik, Digg This Story! (From The VoIP Weblog)
• Rumor: Pulvermedia Closing Up Shop? (From The VoIP Weblog)
• Zemanta: Blogging Made Easier (From The Republic Of Geektronica)
• Digging Out The IP Phones (From The VoIP Weblog)
• Skyfire To Start Beta (From The Mobile Technology Weblog)
• Will VoIP Providers Be Given Equal Access to 911? (From The VoIP Weblog)