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Microsoft Ending Support for Itanium( Source:http://www.pcworld.com )

Microsoft is ending its support for Intel's Itanium processor with the current version of its Windows Server OS, according to a Microsoft blog posting Friday.

"Windows Server 2008 R2 will be the last version of Windows Server to support the Intel Itanium architecture," Dan Reger , a Microsoft senior technical product manager, wrote on the Windows Server Division Weblog. "SQL Server 2008 R2 and Visual Studio 2010 are also the last versions to support Itanium."

The news will come as a setback for Intel, which has struggled to get its 64-bit Itanium processors more widely used by server makers. It released the latest, quad-core version of Itanium in February after several delays. By that time Red Hat had already announced in January that it would not support Itanium with the next release of its Linux OS distribution.

Burton Group analyst Nik Simpson said it was "no coincidence" that Microsoft announced its decision during the same week that Intel released its powerful new multicore Xeon 7500 series processors, which include high-end reliability features that Intel once reserved for Itanium.

"For Microsoft, reliability was the only thing that Itanium had going for it, the number of Windows licenses sold on Itanium is negligible compared to the x64 business. So the decision to drop Itanium was probably a relatively easy one," Simpson wrote in a blog post.

Microsoft's Reger said much the same. "The natural evolution of the x86 64-bit ('x64') architecture has led to the creation of processors and servers which deliver the scalability and reliability needed for today's 'mission-critical' workloads," he wrote.

Microsoft will continue to provide mainstream support for Itanium-based systems until July 2013, and extended support until July 2018, Reger said, in line with its standard support policy.

Intel recently committed to delivering at least two more generations of Itanium during the next four years, dubbed Poulson and Kittson. HP, which made a big bet on Itanium when it ended the development of its own PA-RISC processor, has repeatedly said that it is committed to Itanium's future.

But the end of support by Microsoft is sure to spark a fresh round of questions about the platform's prospects.

For Itanium, Microsoft's move is "bad, but not disastrous, at least for now," Thompson said.

Most Itanium processors are sold in servers running Hewlett-Packard's Unix variant, HP-UX, he noted. But there will soon be just a handful of OSes remaining for Itanium that have "enterprise-ready credentials," he wrote. Those include Novell's Suse Enterprise Linux (SEL), Groupe Bull's GCOS, and HP's HP-UX and OpenVMS.

"Of those operating system platforms, only HP-UX and OpenVMS actually require Itanium. GCOS and SEL are both supported on x64 processors, which will probably hasten the end of support on Itanium now that x64 can match Itanium for reliability," Thompson wrote.

"So HP is likely to be the last man standing in the Itanium systems business, but the new features and scalability of the 75xx Xeon beg the question, 'will HP adapt its Itanium hardware to support the Xeon 75xx and port HP-UX or OpenVMS to the x64 platform?'"

A Microsoft spokesman confirmed the company's blog post is accurate. Intel could not immediately be reached for comment Sunday.

A Visual Tour of the Apple iPad( Source:http://www.pcworld.com )

The iPad's 9.7-inch, LED-backlit screen dominates the face of the device (read our full review of the Apple iPad), with a wide black bezel surrounding it. Like the iPhone 3GS, the iPad’s screen is oleophobic (oil-resistant), so fingerprints easily wipe off. Measuring 9.6 by 7.5 by 0.5 inches thick and weighing 1.5 pounds, the iPad is a bit on the heavy side: We had a difficult time holding the iPad in one hand, which is disappointing if you plan to use the iPad as an e-reader.

Internet Explorer 9 Preview( Source:http://www.pcworld.com )

Earlier this week Microsoft unveiled a preview of the engine behind its next-generation Web browser, Internet Explorer (IE) 9. Microsoft is still diligently working to convince many customers to make the switch from the archaic IE6 to the current IE8, but the march of development never stops so Microsoft is already hard at work on the next version as well.

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Justin Saint Clair, Internet Explorer program manager at Microsoft, wrote in a post on the IEBlog "The Internet Explorer Platform Preview is a light-weight frame around the core IE platform which includes the rendering and layout, object model, parsing, and script engines. It's a way to try out the platform, and the experience improvements we're making to performance, standards support and interoperability, enabling "the same markup" to work."

Saint Clair clarified "We will update [the Platform Preview] approximately every 8 weeks on the road to Beta. Each update will provide a more complete look at the IE9 platform. The Platform Preview along with these updates and the reporting tools are designed to speed up the feedback loop between developers and the IE platform."

In other words, this is not a beta release of the IE9 browser. In fact, it's not even an alpha release. Microsoft is still (very) early in the development stage for Internet Explorer 9, but it is actively seeking to engage the Web developer community to test out the core functionality and provide feedback. It is also working to silence critics of IE and begin to build up some excitement and buzz around the eventual launch of the next-generation browser.

Toward that end, the IE9 Platform Preview seems to be quite successful thus far. Internet Explorer 8 is a fairly slick, and rather capable Web browser in its own right. My PCWorld peer Jared Newman notes "IE8 got creative with accelerators and Web slices. It also caught up with the competition on features like drag-and-drop tabs and private browsing."

Two areas where Microsoft has had consistent issues are compliance with Web standards, and speed. On the compliance front, Jennifer Yu, another Internet Explorer program manager at Microsoft, explained in a separate IEBlog post "As part of our commitment to standards and interoperability, we are excited to provide initial support for the W3C's Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) 1.1 (Second Edition) Specification in the Internet Explorer 9 Platform Preview."

As for speed, there are some initial reports that IE9 isn't just faster than IE8, but mind-numbingly so--depending on the tasks it is being asked to perform. Tests performed by one site report preliminary results that "IE9 tech preview performs 7.8 times better than IE8."

The post detailing the results of the preliminary IE9 tests goes on to add "Betanews estimates that the IE9 chassis on Windows 7 offers 9.32 times better raw computational performance than IE8 on Windows 7, on the same machine."

Not too shabby--especially compared with recent Web browser speed tests conducted by PCWorld. Those tests showed Chrome leading the race, with Firefox 3.5 in second, and IE8 coming in third. Granted, we're talking about milliseconds difference between page loading times, but those milliseconds add up.

I asked Microsoft for an ETA on a public beta of IE9, or even an estimated target for releasing the next generation Web browser. A Microsoft spokesperson replied with the predictably standard non-answer "We're excited to provide developers with access to updated builds of the Internet Explorer 9 Platform Preview every eight weeks leading up to beta. Internet Explorer 9's public availability will be dependent on when it reaches the quality bar for release."

Suffice it to say that the early speed tests, combined with Microsoft's efforts at cooperating to incorporate Web standards, and its commitment to engaging the developer community early and often all bode well for the next incarnation of Internet Explorer--whenever it finally arrives.

Elgan: iPad will be the 'Toy of the Year'( Source:http://www.computerworld.com )

Have you ever seen a 4-year-old play with an iPhone? It's actually kind of shocking. Kids take to the iPhone's multi-touch user interface like they do trucks or dolls. They instinctively know that the iPhone is a toy, and they nag, cajole and harass their parents into letting them play with it.

Every time I spend time with any of my nephews or nieces, they never fail to ask me if they can borrow my iPhone. When I cave, and hand it over, they immediately know what to do, and have an encyclopedic knowledge of which iPhone apps they want to play with.

YouTube hosts a huge number of videos of very young kids playing with iPhones -- even one-year-olds.

You don't see anything like this with other phones. The iPhone user interface is so easy, appealing and intuitive, that children naturally and immediately "get it." And they don't care about iPhone flaws, such as lack of tethering, lack of multitasking or lack of a physical keyboard. Children are hardwired for touch interfaces, and they love iPhones.

iPhones in the lives of children is, in my opinion, an underappreciated cultural phenomenon.

While nobody was looking, the iPhone became a universally understood part of children's culture. And hundreds of companies have responded by creating child-specific apps, which makes the device even more compelling to children.

Another trend I've noticed is that when adults upgrade to a new phone, they're increasingly handing their old iPhones to kids -- after loading it up with kids apps, then canceling the device's wireless plan. The kids love owning their own iPhone, and the parents love not constantly handing their new phone over to the kids to play with. Everybody wins.

Here comes the iPad
I'm having two different conversations with my Buzz community about the iPad, and it's been very illuminating. One of the threads is about the iPad itself, and whether it's a desirable device. Posters are divided between the enthusiasts, who can't wait to get their hands on one, and the anti-iPad crowd, who feel the gadget is an over-hyped, under-powered, limited-use fad.

In the other thread, we're talking about the iPad as a children's device. And that group is divided as well, with roughly half believing the iPad will sell well into the children's market, and the other half disagreeing.

I think one of the challenges in predicting what will happen with iPad sales is that as of this writing, none of us has really used one yet. And certainly no children beyond the families of some Apple employees have used them.

I believe a great many of today's skeptics will be won over once they've actually tried an iPad.

In the market segment of my Buzz community -- technical adult computer and gadget users -- the iPad will affect us pretty much like we expect it will. Lots of people will have them, and it will be a source of contention between the fans and the skeptics. It's an old story, where gadget freaks argue the merits and shortcomings of this product or that service. But the iPad is different.

I believe that in the under-12 market, the iPad will dominate without any real competition, and completely change children's culture -- and for three reasons: It's perfect for parents, the "children's culture industry," and it's perfect for kids themselves.

Parents
Parents are always looking for electronic babysitters to pacify their kids so they can do something else -- drive, for example, or make dinner.

Naysayers in my Buzz group say parents won't spring $500 for a children's toy. My view is: wanna bet? An entire industry has sprung up around DVD players in cars that are just for kids. How much do those cost? Besides, an iPad isn't a toy. It's a toy chest full of toys.

An iPad is an ideal kid pacifier. For starters, parent-selected children's apps for the iPad are likely to be more educational than TV. As a replacement or substitute for in-car entertainment for kids, iPads are better because kids can change the task. The parent doesn't have to put everyone's lives at risk trying to swap DVDs.

Parents will believe, and correctly, that using an iPad will better prepare their children for the future than using a TV.

Any parent who owns an iPad will be constantly harassed by the kids, even more so than iPhone-owning parents are today. The path of least resistance for parents will be to just get the kids an iPad of their own. I think parents will do this by the millions.

Industry
If you look at "children's culture" -- books, DVDs, toys and others -- there is an enormous degree of cross-over from one product category to the next. Disney, for example, makes a "Little Mermaid" movie, then a doll, then a series of books, then a TV series, and so on. Just about every major children's franchise goes totally multimedia. The iPad is yet another media, and one that integrates elements of several others.

One can imagine books that are interactive in multiple ways. They can simultaneously be coloring books, puzzle books, intros to movie scenes, social networks and more. Here's a small, early example.

From a business point of view, the iPad represents not only another media to cross-sell into with existing and future brands and characters, but it's one that can be sold into via a subscription model.

Publishers, broadcasters, and other education and entertainment companies that focus on kids will go nuts with iPad apps.

Kids
If the iPhone was natural for children, the iPad will be incredibly natural, simply because it's larger.

I think the iPad will spark a revolution in children's culture. I'm convinced that starting this year, and especially next year, iPads will be the No. 1 most requested holiday and birthday gift by everyone under the age of 18, and especially under the age of 12.

Starting this year, kids will learn to read, write and count on iPads. They'll watch TV, movies and cartoons on iPads. They'll do social networking, play games, and even color virtual coloring books.

By the time these kids reach Middle School, they will have been using multi-touch user interfaces almost every day for 8 years or more.

The iPad platform will prove irresistible to everyone -- parents, content providers, and especially the kids themselves.

What about you? Will you buy one for your kids? Leave your comments below.

Porsche Showcases Gorgeous 78 MPG 918 Spyder Plug-in Hybrid Concept( Source:http://www.dailytech.com )

Porsche is bringing sexy back with the 918 Spyder Concept

Porsche is not a company that produces concept cars very often. Come to think of it, only the Porsche Boxster and Carrera GT spring to mind as concept cars that the German sports car manufacturers has displayed within the past twenty years. That's not to say that Porsche can't pull out a nice concept whenever it wants to -- and today, the company has done just that.
Porsche unveiled its new 918 Spyder concept that not only brings sleek styling to the table, but also a wealth of high-tech powertrain goodness. Looking somewhat like a gorgeous mashup up of a Ferrari F430, Porsche Carrera GT, Porsche Boxster, and Porsche 911 GT1, the 918 Spyder concept features a mid-engine layout, seating for two people, and all-wheel drive.
The roadster also features dual side-exiting exhaust pipes on either side of the vehicle along with a nod to the past with an intriguing "disk" wheel design.
Being that this is a Porsche first and foremost, this vehicle is all about performance. Gone is the flat-6 that powers the mid-engined Boxster and Cayman (along with the rear-engined 911) and in its place is a high-revving (9,200 rpm) V8 engine producing 500 hp. As if that wasn't enough, there are also two electric motors installed in the vehicle (one for the front axle, one for the rear axle). The electric motors add another 218 hp to the mix.
Porsche isn't spoiling the fun by using a continuously variable transmission (CVT) in the 918 Spyder -- instead, the company is using a version of its seven-speed Porsche-Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (PDK) dual-clutch transmission which transmits power to the rear wheels. The front wheels are driven by a fixated ratio transmission.
Porsche says that the plug-in hybrid 918 Spyder can bolt to 60 mph in just 3.2 seconds and can travel 16 miles on battery power alone. The 3,285-pound vehicle is said to deliver an estimated 78 mpg (U.S.) according to Porsche.
No one knows if all of this performance goodness will ever make its way into a production vehicle, but one can hope that at least the styling cues and maybe a toned down version of the hybrid system could make it into a production vehicle.

AMD 890GX, NVIDIA Next-Generation ION Platforms Launch( Source:http://www.dailytech.com )

AMD 890GX and next-gen ION platforms launch officially the same day

Today marks the official unveiling of a couple important new platforms in the technology world. The platforms come from rivals AMD and NVIDIA. AMD has made official its new AMD 890GX chipset that is aimed at digital entertainment fans and NVIDIA has pulled the wraps off its next-generation ION platform

AMDs new 890GX chipset is aimed squarely at the HTPC enthusiast looking to build an HD capable machine on a budget and incorporates the ATI Radeon HD 4920 integrated GPU. The chipset is DirectX 10.1 complaint and in addition to the integrated graphics, boards using the chipset will support up to two discrete ATI Radeon video cards in CrossFire.

The HD 4920 GPU is powerful enough to support 1080p video playback online or via Blu-ray. Standard DVD video can be upscaled with post processing for better picture quality. The GPU supports MPEG2, VC-1, and H.264 formats. AMD also reports that many of the motherboards using the new 890GX chipset will also support USB 3.0.

Other supported features in the 890GX chipset include Gigabit Ethernet, HyperTransport 3.0, and PCIe 2.0. The chipset is going to launch in products starting in Q2 2010 and the platform is compatible with the coming Phenom II X6 six-core processor. AnandTech has reviewed the new 890GX chipset and says in a nutshell the platform has the same graphics and a better south bridge than previous platforms.

NVIDIAs next-generation ION platform, previously referred to as ION 2, also officially launched today. The new ION GPU offers significantly improved performance compared to the previous ION platform it is replacing according to NVIDIA. Big green goes so far as to claim that the next-generation ION GPU is ten times as powerful as integrated GPUs from Intel. The new platform will let users watch 1080p video and play 3D video games smoothly on a netbook machine.

"If you want a netbook with the horsepower to play HD video and PC games, your only choice is ION. The new ION netbooks deliver an unbeatable combination of performance and battery life. We continue to raise the standard for what a netbook should be," noted Drew Henry, General Manager of GeForce and ION GPUs.

The new ION GPU is discrete and attached to Intel Pine Trail platforms via PCI express. The new ION GPU will make use of NVIDIA Optimus technology to change on the fly between the ION GPU and the integrated GPU. The first netbook to turn up using next-generation ION is the Acer Aspire One 532G which is set to debut in April. NVIDIAs new ION platform will also find its way into nettops and all-in-one systems as well. The architecture of the ION GPU will vary depending on the system -- larger netbooks and desktops will have 16 CUDA cores, while 10.1-inch machines will get 8 CUDA cores.

NVIDIA reports that the there will be more than 30 different products coming with next-generation ION by this summer. Among the 30 products coming with the new ION platform are the ASUS EeeTop 2010PNT and Lenovo C200 all-in-ones. ASUS is also getting a 12-inch 1201PN netbook ready with ION inside.

Boeing Announces "NewGen" Aircraft for Tanker Replacement Program( Source:http://www.dailytech.com )

One of the most lucrative military projects ever offered by the Pentagon is the contract to replace the aging fleet of flying tankers for the Air Force. The Air Force has been looking to replace the fleet of KC-135 aircraft with new and improved planes for years and the project has been a hotbed of controversy.
This week Boeing has announced that it will offer its NewGen Tanker to the Air Force in attempt to win the huge contract to replace the Air Force KC-135 fleet. Boeing has dubbed the new tanker "NewGen" because of the state of the art systems that are integrated to meet future mission requirements. These features include a digital flight deck taken from the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Boeing twists the knife in Northrops back by adding that the screens in the NewGen tanker are 75% larger than those in the Airbus A330, on which Northrops proposed tanker is based.

The Boeing NewGen tanker will also have a new generation fly-by-wire boom with an expanded refueling envelope and an increased fuel offload rate. Boeing also states that the aircraft will meet all Air Force requirements for refueling operations and reduced workload for crew. Boeing also reports that the NewGen Tanker provides full access to the unrestricted flight envelope of the aircraft to the crew rather than allowing the computer to limit combat maneuverability.

Boeing also claims that its aircraft will save taxpayers over $10 billion in fuel costs during the aircrafts 40-year service life thanks to the 24% fuel savings compared to similar aircraft. Boeing will deliver the proposal for the tanker by May 10, which is within the 75-day window that bidders have to turn in proposals for aircraft.
President and CEO of Boeing Defense Dennis Muilenburg said, "Having supplied tankers to the Air Force for the past 60 years, Boeing has drawn on its unmatched aerial-refueling experience to thoroughly review and evaluate the KC-X solicitation issued by the Air Force. We respect and understand the KC-X requirements, and appreciate the importance of this program for the United States and its warfighters. We intend to bid for the honor to work with our Air Force customer to replace the existing fleet of KC-135 aircraft with a new-generation, multi-role tanker in a fair and transparent acquisition process."

Northrop Grumman, EADS was originally granted the win for the lucrative contract worth an estimated $35 billion in March of 2008. The entire bid process seemed to be over until the other bidder for the contract -- Boeing -- filed a protest against the Northrop win claiming that the process used to award the contract to Northrop had "serious flaws" and the protest ultimately resulted in the biding and RFP process starting over.

In February 2010, the Pentagon released a new Request for Proposals (RFP) for the tanker aircraft and Northrop Grumman, EADS was not happy with the new proposals. According to the aircraft giant, the new RFP leaned so heavily towards the Boeing KC-767 proposal that there was little reason for Northrop to offer an aircraft in the bidding process. Northrop claimed that the new changes to the RFP made the Airbus A330-based KC-45A that it won the original RFP with financially unsuitable for the company. Northrop threatened to withdraw from the bidding process if changes weren’t made. The Pentagon stated if it only had one bidder for the tanker contract, it would continue with the process.

Microsoft to Release Office 2010 May 12( Source:http://www.pcworld.com )

Enterprises with volume license agreements will be able to obtain the finished product that same day, Microsoft added. Office 2010 is set to go on general sale to consumers and business without licensing deals sometime in June.

As expected, Microsoft today also unveiled a program that provides a free upgrade to Office 2010 for customers who purchase the older Office 2007 between now and Sept. 30.

Earlier this week, Microsoft's chief financial officer had confirmed that the Office 2010 Technology Guarantee Program would launch this month . Last month, details of the free Office 2010 upgrade program leaked to the Web when a Microsoft technology specialist briefly posted information to the firm's partner community site.

Customers who purchase an eligible copy of Office 2007 between March 5 and Sept. 30 will be allowed to download a corresponding edition of Office 2010 for free when the new suite is available in June. Users who want a DVD installation disc will have to pay a small shipping-and-handling fee. Microsoft said fees would be announced in June.

Buyers of Office Home and Student 2007 will receive a free copy of Office Home and Student 2010, while buyers of Office Standard 2007 and Office Basic 2007 will be eligible for a free copy of Office Home and Business 2010, a new addition to the Office lineup. Purchases of Office Small Business 2007, Office Professional 2007 or Office Ultimate 2007 will be eligible for a free copy of Office Professional 2010.

Office 2010 is the first of Microsoft's suite line to drop less-expensive upgrade editions . Instead, Microsoft plans to sell single-license activation keys via its online store and select retail outlets to customers who want to upgrade from older editions, or from the bare bones Office Starter 2010 that will come pre-installed on new PCs.

There is a limit of 25 free upgrades per person, a standard Microsoft practice meant to push businesses with multiple copies to its volume licensing deals.

Britain All Atweet Over Twitter Phishing Attack( Source:http://www.pcworld.com )

The result was evident on Friday morning when users woke up to find messages on compromised accounts that read, "hey, i've been having better sex and longer with this here," followed by a link to a Web site selling sexual-performance drugs.

Although the number of people affected is difficult to determine, it made top news on the country's TV networks and news sites perhaps in part because of those affected. They include at least one member of Parliament and several journalists.

Ed Miliband, a British Cabinet member and the country's secretary for energy and climate change, tweeted on Friday morning, "Oh dear it seems like I've fallen victim to twitter's latest 'phishing' scam." The tweet had been removed from his Twitter stream.

Another of those who saw his account hacked was Matt Wells, head of audio at The Guardian newspaper, who tweeted, "Good morning. I am neither female, nor have I been having better sex lately. (Although if there are any offers...). First-time Twitterhacked." The offending tweet was still available on his page at time of writing.

Other reports said BBC correspondent Nick Higham and the country's Press Complaints Commission were also hit.

While some of the accounts are believed to have been hacked by software programs looking for weak passwords, at least some were through Twitter direct messages that tried to entice users to click through to see a message from a young, attractive woman. Upon clicking the link users were taken to a look-a-like Twitter log-in page where they were asked to enter their username and password.

Twitter posted a message to its Twitter Safety channel late Thursday local time warning users to beware of direct messages. "If you get a DM from an enthusiastic lady wanting to converse by IM, please ignore. User is likely compromised & request is spam."

The phishing attack mirrors a similar one a week earlier that saw messages asking "LOL this you?" sent to users.

It's the kind of thing that will persist on social networking services, said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at security company Sophos.

"The fact is that social networking accounts have a financial value," he said. "They can be used as a springboard for sending out more spam, malware or selling things."

Users on sites like Twitter and Facebook tend to feel safer when using the sites than others on the wider Internet but should be every bit as aware, he said. Messages received through the sites don't necessarily come from friends, but could be from anyone with access to the account.

Cluley said social networking services were starting to take phishing more seriously but are well behind Web-based e-mail services like Hotmail and Gmail. While those sites often filter messages and links, social networking sites are only just beginning to do so.

The problem can be worse on Twitter because of the 140-character message limit. It encourages the use of URL-shortening services that hide the site's identity.

Bit.ly, one of the most popular URL shortening services, recently started working with Sophos to scan links, said Cluley, but some others are yet to offer such a service. Many of the messages from Friday's attack were shortened using Hurl.ws, a service offered by New Zealand's Bluespark.

"Ultimately it's you, the human, that needs to do [the filtering,] Cluley said. "It's up to you to decide to enter your username and password. Fixing that bug in people's brains is an upgrade we are not capable of."

Skype Pulls Windows Mobile Apps; No Word of Return( Source:http://www.pcworld.com )

Skype's VoIP apps for the Windows Mobile operating system, Skype Lite and Skype for Windows Phones, are no longer available for download, the company announced, claiming the apps didn't offer a good enough experience.

The popular Internet calling service has seen hurdles in the mobile arena, where its use threatens wireless carriers' business model. On the iPhone calling is limited to Wi-Fi and on Google Android it's even more complicated. But Skype has actually called quits on Windows Mobile for now.

The company wrote on its blog: "Skype Lite only works in a small number of countries. Where it does work, making a call requires you to use up your allocation of minutes from your mobile network, making the Skype-to-Skype calls sort-of-free-per-minute rather than actually-free-per-minute."

The lack of mobile operator partners and the latest version of Windows Mobile have made it difficult for Skype to keep up offering a similar experience across a wide range of handsets, the company claims. Skype didn't mention anything about the declining market share of Windows Mobile devices.

Although Skype has now removed Skype Lite and Skype for Windows Phones downloads from its site, if you already downloaded Skype onto your Windows Mobile phone, the application can still be used indefinitely. Outside the U.S., Skype for Windows Phones is still available for download for now.

It is unclear so far whether Skype is developing a new version of its software for the newly announced Windows Phone 7 Series.

Mobile operators, though, are Skype's solution to a better mobile experience. On step in that direction is the company's new partnership with Verizon in the U.S., which brings the software on range of BlackBerry devices and some Android phones, including the Motorola Droid and Droid Eris from HTC.

Under the new partnership, users can make and receive unlimited free Skype-to-Skype voice calls to anyone around the globe or call regular phone numbers at lower rates.