ie8 fix

calls

Instant recall with CallRec for Palm OS

Editor's note: CallRec was tested on a Treo 650.

Pros: Records independently of app, tracks remaining storage, two recording input options, multiple ways to share Cons: No trigger hot key, two-second lapse with phone call recording

At a baseball game last summer, my friend recorded the incessant howls of a boisterous seatmate with his smart phone, replaying it in my ear with tinny imperfection. Too bad he didn't have a Palm device with CallRec tucked onto his memory card to forever capture the fan's clamorous "woo-woooos" with lifelike clarity.

CallRec is a midsize piece of commercial software (207KB on-phone storage; $30) that makes clear recordings of your notes-to-self and phone calls, and has enough options for tweaking the recording quality to cut out most background noise. The clean, understandable interface provides screen-touch buttons to start, stop, and replay recordings, though you can also initiate and end sessions by pressing the Treo's side button. CallRec names recordings with a time stamp, but it's easy to rename files, and to organize them by file name or duration. … Read more

Dial by e-mail

A company called Jangl launched a service this week that promises to provide free and low-cost phone calls over the Internet to any phone and from any phone anywhere in the world.

Sound familiar? Well, it should. In the wake of Skype's success everyone and his brother are trying to use the Web to provide cheap phone calls. Jajah, Jaxtr, GrandCentral Communications--they all make similar promises.

Jangl's twist is that it claims all that is needed for its service to work is an e-mail address of the person you want to call. And voila, you'll be … Read more

CNET Live: Put another shrimp on the barbie

Most weeks, callers get to grill Tom and Brian on their most difficult tech quandaries. This week, the tables get turned!

Okay, so the boys won't be barbequing or grilling loyal callers with their issues (the legal department was not too happy with that pitch). However--they will be taking a look at the latest and greatest in outdoor-entertaining gadgetry. What's the difference between infrared cooking and traditional flame cooking? Cooley is determined to find out.

Also this week, Tom gets out his box of Star Wars toys to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Star Wars films. Tom'… Read more

Mobivox does free Skype calls on your cell phone

Mobivox launched the beta of its new mobile-to-Skype service yesterday. Registered Mobivox users with Skype accounts can call local access numbers to be connected via a virtual operator to their Skype contacts, for free. The service works with landlines and mobile phones, and it requires no download to your phone or PC.

To use the service, just give Mobivox your telephone numbers and Skype account info. The service will sync your Skype contacts and make them available to call using the remote voice access system. Just call the number, and you'll get a virtual operator who takes voice … Read more

CNET Live - Episode 5

Here are the links to go along with the crazy episode five of CNET Live. Right before today's episode started the following things broke:

All the graphics The screen capture machine (no shots of Brian or my laptop) The audio My brain (see call about graphics cards)

We got everything back together in time to do the show. Except my brain. In any case, here are the show notes for Ep. 5.

Things we Crave

Cooling glove

$150,000 turntable

First call - How do I take calls on a podcast?

Talkshow

Skype HotRecorder

-And what microphone should I … Read more

Gaboogie will conference you in

I get a lot of invitations for conference calls. And sometimes--sue me--I'm late to dial in, or I just plain forget. Awkwardness follows. A new telephone conference system, Gaboogie, can prevent this gaffe, by proactively calling all participants when a conference is scheduled to start.

I tried the service and like the concept, but I ran into a few snags.

Good news first: It works as advertised. You schedule a call for a particular time, enter in the names and numbers of the participants, and then Gaboogie calls everyone at the appointed time and puts them in the conference. … Read more

Tune in to CNET Live today

Hosts Tom Merritt and Brian Cooley have struck gold with their new Live streaming program on CNET TV. With a hot live guest every week and an opportunity for viewers to call in to get their personal tech queries answered, it's the best thing to do on a Thursday afternoon...since afternoon cartoons!

Past guests include Justin Kan of JustinTV and James Kao at Green Citizen, who shed some wisdom on earth-friendly tech. Last week, Biz Stone from Twitter.com joined CNET Live to talk about the future of mini-blogging. Tom and Brian also took a number of calls, … Read more

Prostitutes? In Washington? Shocking, and the Internet vibrates in anticipation

There's already a federal indictment of a woman accused of running a call girl ring in Washington D.C. A deputy secretary of state, Randall Tobias, has resigned. Tobias admits to using the services of Pamela Martin & Associates only for back rubs. Deborah Palfrey, the woman who ran Pamela Martin services, is gaining some notoriety in the blogosphere.

Palfrey is threatening to call many prominent D.C. men into court to testify on her behalf. Clearly, Tobias would happily back up Palfrey's claim that her service was about massage and fantasy, not prostitution.

So where are the … Read more

CNET Live Episode 3 Show Notes

Thanks again to Biz Stone for coming on the show, it was good fun chatting about Twitter in person.

Things we crave

Tom: Keychain light sabers

Brian: Outdoor HDTV

Twitter

Text message championship

Video editor Jahshaka

Instlux way to install Linux without a CD

Download of the week: GAIM universal instant messenger

Battery doesn't charge on your iPod

Best of the Web: Buyyourfriendadrink.com

Next week: Kyte TV

GotVoice improves voicemail, again

I've been using the GotVoice (review) voicemail retrieval service for almost a year, and for the most part I've been happy with it. The free system retrieves voicemails that go to my home phone's message box and sends me e-mail links to them. Handy. On Monday, the company is releasing a major update to the service that fixes a few usability snags and adds outbound message utilities.

Current users should like the new interface. It's easier to use, and there's finally a "delete" button on each individual message.

The real action is on … Read more