telephones
Communicate
10:30AM Angus Kidman | No-one likes hanging on hold and pressing endless keys to get a service problem resolved. iHateHolding is a user-generated collection of tips for skipping the phone menus and getting to an actual staff member. More »
iHateHolding Gets You A Real Person On The Phone
10:30AM Angus Kidman | No-one likes hanging on hold and pressing endless keys to get a service problem resolved. iHateHolding is a user-generated collection of tips for skipping the phone menus and getting to an actual staff member. More » 
Communicate
11:47AM Angus Kidman | The exemptions for survey forms and charities might ruin your day when you’re working at home, but new data suggests that the Do Not Call register has been a success in cutting back on unwanted telephone spam. More »
Do Not Call Violation Complaints Declining
11:47AM Angus Kidman | The exemptions for survey forms and charities might ruin your day when you’re working at home, but new data suggests that the Do Not Call register has been a success in cutting back on unwanted telephone spam. More »
Communicate
3:00PM Angus Kidman | Skype this week has added SIP support, essentially meaning that it’s possible to integrate Skype calling with a business PABX. Potential VOIP call rates aside, a big selling point being pushed by Skype that companies can add a “dial us” link to their sites and allow customers to call them (for free) while maintaining their given telephone infrastructure. Personally, I hate this kind of click-to-call feature — my first step after a Skype install is to disable the Skype Firefox extension, which otherwise mangles phone numbers every time you encounter them online. But I’m frequently not a representative human being. Would you like the ability to call companies via Skype direct from their site, or would you prefer a focus on other modes of communication? Share your preferences in the comments. More »
Would You Make A Skype Call From Your Browser?
3:00PM Angus Kidman | Skype this week has added SIP support, essentially meaning that it’s possible to integrate Skype calling with a business PABX. Potential VOIP call rates aside, a big selling point being pushed by Skype that companies can add a “dial us” link to their sites and allow customers to call them (for free) while maintaining their given telephone infrastructure. Personally, I hate this kind of click-to-call feature — my first step after a Skype install is to disable the Skype Firefox extension, which otherwise mangles phone numbers every time you encounter them online. But I’m frequently not a representative human being. Would you like the ability to call companies via Skype direct from their site, or would you prefer a focus on other modes of communication? Share your preferences in the comments. More » 
Skype Launches Unlimited International Calling
4:00AM Adam Pash | Popular VoIP application Skype has introduced a new unlimited international calling plan for a measly $9.95/month [AU - that seems to translate to $12.95 in Aussie dollars, if I read the Skype site correctly]]. That means unlimited calls to any land-line phone in 34 supported countries, including the majority of Europe, Canada, China, and Japan. Additionally, Skype’s $3/month unlimited calling plan for the US and Canada is still in play, along with a $5/month Unlimited Mexico plan. The Unlimited World plan does not cover cell phones in all areas, so you may want to verify that your international calling location of choice is covered. As always, Skype-to-Skype calls remain free. Skype Subscriptions [via AP] More »
Make Skype Calls from Your PSP
6:00AM Adam Pash | If you liked the idea of making VoIP calls on your iPod touch or iPhone, but all you’ve got in your go-bag is a Sony PSP, DIY web site Instructables steps through how to run the popular VoIP application Skype on your PSP. This PSP hack feature isn’t new by any means, but the Instructable is detailed and easy to follow along with. We don’t have a PSP to test this at Lifehacker HQ, so if you’ve setup Skype calling on your PSP, share your experience in the comments. How to use Skype to make PSP as PSP phone [Instructables] More »
Get Your GrandCentral Number Today
6:00AM Adam Pash | US-centric: If you’ve been dying to try out the one-number-to-rule-them-all phone service GrandCentral, but have been stymied by their move to a closed, invite-only beta following Google’s acquisition of the service, you’ll be glad to know that GrandCentral has opened up to users of Google’s Blogger. If you’re still undecided about whether or not GrandCentral is for you, check out our extensive review and gallery of GrandCentral. If you’ve been a user of GrandCentral since we first posted about it, let’s hear how you’re liking it in the comments. Thanks Jason! GrandCentral Signup through Blogger Invite [GrandCentral] More »
Top 10 Telephone Tricks
4:00AM Gina Trapani | When getting things done involves making phone calls, you want to spend the least amount of time and money on the horn as possible—and several tricks and services can help you do just that. With the right tones, keypresses, phone numbers, and know-how, you can skip through or cut off long-winded automated voice systems and humans, access web services by voice, and smartly screen incoming calls. Check out our pick of the 10 best telephony techniques for getting more done in less time over the phone. More »
Skype mouse doubles as a phone
11:56AM Sarah Stokely | Our pals over at Gizmodo have turned up a new gadget which could appeal to the anti-clutter mob over here at Lifehacker – the Skype Mouse. Like it sounds, it’s an 800 dpi optical sensor mouse, which flips open into a Skype phone. You can plug the mike and earpiece into the side of the mouse. But as Anna points out in her post – it’s dual purpose, not multi-purpose, so you can’t keep mousing while calling. And, the phone won’t ring while the screen is closed. So I’m leaning towards calling this a novelty.gift idea rather than a must have for the desktop. But I do love the idea of useful multi-purpose items. Got any favourites? Please share in comments. More » 
Consolidate Your Phones with GrandCentral
2:00AM Adam Pash | There’s been all kinds of talk about the web-based, all-in-one phone management solution GrandCentral since we first heard about it, but it’s been closed to new users ever since Google acquired it. If you’ve been dying to see what all the hype’s about but didn’t get signed up for GrandCentral on time, today we’ll take you step-by-step through everything GrandCentral has to offer. More »How to turn your iPod Touch into a 3G device
12:32PM Sarah Stokely | [via Make] The creator of this hack says you can use it to 3g-enable an iPod Touch or an iPhone. Given that we don’t yet have the option of an iPhone in Australia, it looks particularly appealing – if you have a Windows Mobile phone to act as a “bridge” for the Touch to use.
He recommends using a phone or PDA with Windows Mobile 5 or 6 to act as the mobile access point. You also need a SIM card and the (free) PHM Registry Editor program.
Cute hack which requires no hacking of the iPhone and just a registry edit of the Windows Mobile device. Without a microphone, of course, the Touch can’t be used for voice calls. But then, you have the spare Windows Mobile phone for that anyway. :)
Turn your iPod Touch into a 3G iPhone [Pyrofer's Projects]
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