Skype for iPhone - App Available Today

For months, Skype has teased consumers with the launch of its popular net-based VoIP phone service for Apple’s iPhone mobile platform.

Well, it’s finally here. Tuesday, March 31, 2009, Skype is finally available and you can download Skype for iPhone now through the Skype website and directly from the iTunes App Store.

The Skype iPhone app is free and will allow users to make free calls using Wi-Fi to other Skype users as well as make calls to traditional landline phones at a reduced price. A version for the BlackBerry will be available sometime in May.

The one major drawback to the Skype for iPhone app is that you can not place calls over cellular networks, just through Wi-Fi. This means you are at the mercy of the strength, or weakness, of your Wi-Fi connection. However, you will save money by avoiding AT&T’s traditional wireless network. You can still chat or view who’s online through the cell phone network though.

Skype’s VoIP app for iPhone looks much more like iPhone apps than it does its desktop Windows counterpart. This is great if you love iPhone apps, but will disappoint anyone who is in love with the traditional Skype 4.0 for Windows. It has five convenient tabs at the bottom to organize and display your contacts, chats, calls, call history and your profile. You do gain the iPhone’s ability to filter your contacts, including filtering them alphabetically or by who’s online. You also gain the ability to take a photo within Skype to use as your avatar or pull one from the phone’s camera. Some features available on the desktop version not available on the iPhone app are full-featured conference calling, SMS, video, file transfer and voicemail. However, expect to see some of these great features added to the next version of Skype for iPhone.

iPod Touch users can also enjoy Skype, but they will need to purchase common laptop accessories such as a microphone, or headsets with an embedded mic to talk.

Skype for iPhone is yet another useful app built for the iPhone and other mobile phone devices. It seems like every month there is some new gadget or software that brings us to the next level in technology. Electronics seemingly make our lives easier and help us work and communicate more efficiently.

New Apple Mac Pros

Earlier this month, Apple unveiled the latest version of the Mac Pro desktop, which features several new technologies and design elements, including Intel’s “Nehalem” Xeon processors. Consumers have the choice of either a 2.66GHz quad-core system or 2.26 GHz eight-core system. Both models deliver unsurpassed graphics options and up to twice the performance of last year’s standard Apple Mac desktops. With that being said, anyone involved in professional digital media production work—such as video editing, 3-D graphics or advanced mathematical calculations—should take advantage of the Mac Pro’s new powerful system architecture.

Just like previous generations, the latest Mac Pro is still one of the most attractive desktops on the market, thanks to its sculpted aluminum chassis and best-in-class design. Nonetheless, there are some minor changes to the exterior that are worth mentioning. For starters, the two FireWire 400 connectors from earlier models have been replaced with backward-compatible FireWire 800 ports. The other difference is that a pair of new video ports has been added on the graphics card, which includes dual-link DVI and mini DisplayPort outputs.

Of course, inside the Apple Mac Pro is where all the major changes have been made. The interior is divided into separate compartments for the various hardware parts. The optical drive and power supply are hidden behind sliding trays that are attached directly to the motherboard. Both models feature a 640GB hard drive, five USB 2.0 ports, and an 18x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD-RW/CD-RW).

Apple has also improved the design of the tower’s memory and the expansion card slots. Now you can easily remove the CPUs memory portion of the motherboard to make any necessary upgrades or repairs to the Mac Pro desktop. The memory controller is now on-chip, delivering up to 2.4 times the bandwidth and cutting memory latency up to 40 percent. Plus, users can still purchase the Applecare Protection Plan, which gives you three years of phone service and three years of warranty coverage. All in all, they’ve made some great improvements. Even though it comes with a premium price tag, this new Apple Mac desktop just might be worth it.

Intel Processors – Price Drops and New Releases Coming Soon

According to sources at motherboard manufacturers, compiled by DigiTimes, Intel is rumored to drop prices by 10%-20% on several desktop processors on April 19th and July 19th.

In addition to the price reductions, the report also releases that Intel plans to launch new desktop PC processors on May 31st.

Here’s a full list of the price drops and new processor releases:

April 19th Price Drops:

• Core 2 Quad Q8400 (2.66GHz) for $183
• Core 2 Quad Q8400S (2.66GHz) for $245
• Core 2 Quad Q9300 from $266 to $213 (19.92%)
• Core 2 Quad Q9550S from $369 to $320 (13.28%)
• Core 2 Quad Q9400S from $320 to $277 (13.44%)
• Core 2 Quad Q8200S from $245 to $213 (13.06%)

May 31st New Releases:

• Core i7 975 (3.33GHz) for $999
• Core i7 950 (3.06GHz) for $562
• Core 2 Duo E7600 for $133
• Pentium Dual-Core E6300 for $84
• Celeron Dual-Core E1600 for $53

July 19th Price Drops:

• Core 2 Quad Q8300 from $183 to $163 (10.93%)
• Core 2 Duo E7500 from $133 to $113 (15.04%)
• Pentium E5400 from $84 to $74 (11.90%)
• Pentium E5300 from $74 to $64 (13.51%)
• Celeron E1500 from $53 to $43 (18.87%)

April, therefore, looks like a great month to buy desktops since desktop PC processor chips are being reduced and desktop computers will coincidentally be reduced as well in order to make way for desktops with the new processor chips. Buy HP desktops in April and you may very well get 13%-20% off! If you’re priority is saving money, then April would be a great time to buy desktops. However, if new, improved technology is your priority then wait until May for the latest and greatest desktop PC processors!

Edit Your Digital Photos- For Free!

Many graphic editing programs such as Adobe Photoshop can be quite pricey. And if you’re not a professional photographer or a graphic designer, many of these programs applications will go unutilized. If you are an amateur photographer and just want do minor editing to your photos, there is a great freeware out there for you.

It’s called the Free Picture Resize Starter, and this freeware does much more then simply resizing you photos. Zooming, cropping, rotating, sharpening, softening, and changing the color contrast and brightness are some of the other options offered by the Free Picture Resize Starter. With an easy to navigate toolbar and preview options, this freeware is almost error proof. Editing digital photos has never been so easy.

So get out there and start using your digital camera to capture life’s moments before they slip away. Before you know it your digital photo frames will be full of customized personal photos for you to cherish.