Skype on iPhone now available worldwide, except in Canada

[caption id="attachment_389" align="aligncenter" width="320" caption="Clever workarounds have enabled the \"Skype\" and \"Rogers\" logos to coexist on the same page"][/caption] By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla When word got around that Skype would be offering its VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) application to iPhone and later on BlackBerry users were ecstatic. Skype is a well integrated product which is mature, has gone through all the kinks and simply works well. A lot of people already use it for voice chat, for video chat and even as an instant messaging client. A lot of people already have existing Skype credits on their accounts. When the news broke that Canada was not getting iPhone Skype because of "patent-licensing" issues, users quickly found a workaround to download the app from foreign Apple app stores. More on Skype after the break. Consumers, it seems, will always find a way to circumvent a situation and get what they want. When iPhone version 1 came out, you could see numerous unlocked and jailbroken models in the streets of Toronto just weeks after the first unlocking applications hit the Internet, same thing with Skype. Canadian iPhone and BlackBerry users totally fit the demographic of Skype-savvy individuals who are likely not to replace their phone contracts but supplement them with the Skype service. This is such a useful service, specially when traveling since you can pop-in to any Wi-Fi connection and make reasonably clear voice calls for way less than what you would on roaming charges. Using the iPhone or BlackBerry you already own is a great bonus. Cripple the Device You can currently only enable the Skype voice feature using a Wi-Fi connection. You can't use the 3G data connection to make your calls (although it is expected that the new revision of the iPhone's OS, 3.0, will allow this). Last week, when the Skype application suddenly emerged from Apple's App store the buzz hit the Internet as users were marveling at being able to make Skype calls on their iPhones and iPod Touch devices. Canadian users were once more let down and excluded from being able to download the Skype application from the Canadian Apple Store. The biggest and most painful sidebar to this story was that Skype is available to every other country except Canada! What gives? Get Skype on your Rogers and Fido iPhone by following these instructions There's no doubt how popular the Skype App has been. According to a posting on the Skype website: "In under 36 hours after it first appeared, Skype for iPhone has hit the number one spot in the following countries, being the most downloaded free app in the App Store: Australia · Austria · Belgium · Brazil · Chile · China · Croatia · Czech Republic · Denmark · Finland · France · Germany · Greece · Hungary · Ireland · Israel · Italy · Japan · Kuwait · Luxembourg · Netherlands · New Zealand · Norway · Poland · Portugal · Qatar · Romania · Russia · Singapore · Slovakia · Slovenia · South Africa · Spain · Sri Lanka · Sweden · Switzerland · Taiwan · UAE · UK · USA." Left out Again This unfortunate and infuriating reality is just one in a series of high technology mishaps that has long affected the tech-smart Canadian consumers. It took well over a year for Rogers, the giant GSM telco monopoly, to offer the Apple iPhone and it did so with initially horrible data plans that seemed that they were dug up from 1992. Canadian users can only cast wistful glances across the border as Amazon's Kindle Book Reader, now on its second iteration and allegedly selling like hot cakes (although no sales figures are really ever released) is still unavailable for Canadians. I t's baffling, really. Amazon.ca, the online store, exists and Canadians have been buying physical books there for years, so why can't we buy that cool, overpriced slab of lit-tech? We think a lot of it has to do with the data plan and free wireless WhisperNet service that comes bundled with the Kindles. Each Kindle allows you to trawl the Internet for free, for life. The main purpose is to be able to buy electronic books and magazines on the fly but we think the idea of offering free data for any duration is what will never allow the Kindle to work in Canada. Of course, there is always the question of the books themselves and the Canadian electronic rights to these books but if they already sell the physical books in Canada, it shouldn't be that hard to sell the e-versions as well. Another sore spot for Canadian consumers is the inability to access is the video service Hulu.com which offers access to TV shows and movies streaming on the web via browsers. Most of the shows are available on network TV already but Hulu makes them available anytime for free while pushing advertising before letting users watch. Yes, there are workarounds to this as well but after a while it gets tiring for people to hack around a system to enjoy its benefits. That and the reality that as with most software, succeeding updates and upgrades can render your workarounds and your device useless. It would be interesting to find out what the real reasons are for the shackling of the Canadian iPhone Skype app and what these "patent-licensing" issues really are.

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Red Rocket TTC iPhone App - Review

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla One of my recent finds at the iPhone App store was the Red Rocket TTC app. A must-have for commuting iPhone owners, the $1.99 (at the Apple App store on your iPhone or iTunes). The developer describes the application in the following way. "Red Rocket puts the TTC in your pocket. It's a perfect companion to the Toronto public transit system. Find out when your bus is leaving. Plan a route with the streetcar-subway map. See routes and stops with Google Maps. Waiting for the streetcar? Use GPS to find departure times for your stop. Stay up to date with service advisories and transit news on the latest happenings in Toronto and the GTA." More after the jump Offering up real time information on route schedules, TTC advisories and Google Maps integration, the Red Rocket app can access information even without Wi-Fi or 3G connection. The application is intuitive and quick to access information, commuters can also save their favourite routes for future reference. The best part of this application is that it uses the full range of the iPhone 3G's features such as GPS, 3G or EDGE connectivity and does something really useful with them. We managed to find information on streetcar routes, projected arrival times and use the included subway map quite easily. Red Rocket is ideal for those times when you need to suddenly get to somewhere you may not be familiar with. We think it is a great example of a localized application that makes the iPhone 3G a truly valuable tool. For the $1.99 price, its a great deal. Much better than a lot of the junk that we've run across in the App store. If you use the TTC on a regular basis, have an iPhone and need to cover a lot of ground, the Red Rocket is a must have app. It will help you keep on track and give you as close to real time information on your next ride. Kudos to developer George Talusan for this truly useful tool.

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