Skype 4.0 was eagerly awaited and much has bee promised. Now you can go ahead and download the latest version here. The new features include full screen video calling, instant messaging which is revamped, and apparently, call quality has improved too. Many people have complained of echoes, dropped calls and the like. Moreover, the quality was never suited for business calls and professional interaction.

The v4.0 is apparently cooler and resolves many such quality issues. They have installed a new audio codec that uses 50% less bandwidth than earlier. The result is a richer, clearer, and less jarring voice quality. We shall only know if Skype’s claims are true after we begin to use the latest version for a few days.

I installed the latest version and I have not noticed any radical improvement in the call quality. Perhaps it also depends on your location and the broadband service you have. Skype has been losing out business and if this works out, the company can become successful again. Let us use the version 4.0 for a couple of days and see if it really helps.

Via: Mashable

Skype may have a little competition here. Google has unveiled its video and voice functions and would be embedded in gmail interface. It can’t match the paid service that Skype provides but is a good addition to the simple and smooth interface of gmail. However, users have complained installation of the chat software makes the computer slow and inefficient on old computers.

I installed it too, and found that it uses more resources than normal chat software. Nevertheless, the fact is that gmail is so prevalent and a stripped down chat software embedded into email is quite attractive. The video conferencing facility could actually help many businessmen and even friends and relatives to stay in touch without having to spend much at all.

Apparently we shall soon be able to send SMS as well. Google knows that when everything is provided at one single place, with a great interface, then people would definitely opt for Google’s services than go for a rival’s paid services. For now, people have been busy downloading and trying how the audio chat/video conferencing works from gmail.

Via: CNet

Sometimes you would just need to get away from it all. Perhaps a long vacation or a visit to a different country, just to escape the people who annoy you, bore you, or just step on your toes! Well, not always and not everyone will have the luxury to make these holidays and vacations happen. And if that is the case, the £50,000 Ovei, designed and marketed by Mc Laren Technologies could just be the answer.

The Ovei is a giant egg made of carbon-fiber and provides all the entertainment you need. You can go ahead browse the web, play games on PS3 or Xbox 360, watch movies on an advanced entertainment system, etc. It also comes with the ability to control climate, video-conferencing abilities, and most importantly clean air, which you perhaps wouldn’t get even in a remote corner of Kazakhstan.

If you need to connect with people you could always use the web-cam or just loll around in the leather interiors. Ovei perhaps is the most luxurious gift you can buy for yourself, unless you have already bought the palace of Versailles, which I’m sure isn’t possible. Go get yourself an Ovei today!

Via: Dailymail