The World of Computing and Solutions

SO,THE FORMAT WAR BETWEEN  Blu-ray and HD DVD is in full swing, with each side issuing almost weekly statements claiming that the tide has turned its way.
Which side is really out in front? Neither one. The products I’ve seen tested are pretty evenly matched  performance, and with players selling for more than double the price of a standard DVD player, most consumers are taking a wait-and-see approach. In fact who’s out in front doesn’t even matter. Once this format war is over, the industry will come to a sad realization: Most people will never buy high-definition movies on disc.

Sure, the quality is great, and with all that capacity, studios can include all sorts of interactive goodies. But no matter how you dress up a disc, it’s still a physical entity that needs to be mastered, packed, shipped, sold, and stored on a shelf-and that’s not what consumers want. They just want the movie. They just want the media file. They just want the bits. And when it comes to moving bits, packaged media just doesn’t make sense.

The old music CD provides the best analogy. For years, selling CDs was the most efficient means of distributing music. But the Internet changed all that. For the past few years, the best reason to buy a CD has been to avoid DRM hassles and get good quality tracks-and now that iTunes is following the lead of pioneering e-tailers such as eMusic, deciding to sell high-quality, DRM-free tracks via the Net, the CD is becoming increasingly obsolete. The same thing will happen to Blu-ray and HD DVD discs.

Of course, there’s a difference between the 5MB songs offered by eMusic and the massive 25GB high-resolution movies that Sony wants to sell you on a Blu-ray disc. Even with a broadband connection, that kind of download would take hours. Heck, if it happens on enough machines, it would seriously strain the Net’s capacity. At least right now. The thing is, all current technology trends point to a future dominated by digital distribution.

Hard drive capacities are soaring. Broadband deployment is increasing. And we’re all becoming more comfortable with the idea of hard drive-based media libraries. For a few hundred bucks, you can have a terabyte of network-attached storage that  serves as a media hub for your entire house.

Playing media files is getting easier, too. Apple TV makes it dead simple. (Its HD offerings are pretty slim right now, however. As of this writing, your only options are a handful of 720p podcasts from The Washington Post. Zzzzz.) Meanwhile, Microsoft is working hard to ensure the Xbox 360 lives up to its billing as a true Media Center Extender, including a 120GB hard drive and an HDMI port on the new Xbox Elite. Though 802.11n isn’t quite fast enough or real-time HD streaming, it’s more than enough to load movies onto a hard drive for later viewing.

At the same time, the major studios are offering a pretty impressive array of online video content. There are several movie download sites, including Amazon Unbox, Netflix, CinemaNow, Vongo, and MovieFlix-and that doesn’t include services such as Joost, which offers streamed content (at low resolution). Yes, these approaches consume a lot of bandwidth, but they’re here today.

And remember: The Internet isn’t the only means of instantly distributing high-def content. There are 12 channels of HD content sent directly to my TV-24/7. And they all came with my standard cable package. My DVR is constantly collecting movies lnd shows. As long as it’s recording, my HD library grows without me ever leaving my apartment. Granted, the video quality of an HD broadcast or even a high-def download isn’t going to match that of an HD optical disc. There will always be some compression involved, and aficionados can always spot the problems. That’s a pretty small market, however, akin to the number of people who think there’s still hope for the Super Audio CD (SACD) format.

I don’t think the optical disc will go away completely-not anytime soon, anyway. But this format confusion will push back purchase decisions. By the time the whole thing is resolved, watching HD Movies will involve nothing more than pointing and clicking. That makes this format war, like most wars, pretty pointless.

SYMANTEC REPORTED RECENTLY ON A Tojan horse that mimics the Microsoft I Windows activation interface. Called trojan.Kardphisher, it doesn’t do most of the technical things that Trojans usually do: It’s purely a social-engineering attack, aimed at stealing credit card information.

In a sense, it’s a standalone phishing program. Once you reboot, Kardphisher asks you to reactivate your copy of Windows, citing piracy issues at and telling you that another user has activated your copy. Though it assures you that you will not actually be charged, it asks for credit card information. If you don’t enter the credit card information, Kardphisher shuts down the PC.

The Trojan also disables the Windows Task Manager, which makes it more difficult to shut the malware down.

Running on the first reboot is clever. It makes the process look more like a legitimate message coming from Microsoft, and it won’t seem to occur as a result of the user clicking on a new file. The program even runs on versions of Windows that were made prior to XP and do not require activation. That’s a bit of a red flag, although I bet there’s a strong correlation between people running pre-XP versions of Windows and people who aren’t as well educated about malware as they could be.

With a nearly 1MB executable. Kardphisher is not a sneak attack. But if you find yourself infected, disable the Trojan in Windows Safe mode by removing the Registry keys described in Symantec’s write up (at www.symantec.com. search on the malware name) and deleting the program they point to. Updated anti-virus software should also remove it.

STOP ADOBE UPDATES. TALK ABOUT BLOODY ANNOYING!

Don’t worry guys. I have a solution for you. I’m not sure if some of you have had problems with the Adobe Updates being installed without your consent or not? Or if you were asked to install and download adobes updates for Adobe Acrobat 8.1 professional?

I do, well, did. lol To stop the Adobe Acrobat 8.1 professional Update, which some of you may know has caused some problems working properly. Simply do this to stop the adobe acrobat 8.1 professional updates.

1) Go to HELP - CHECK FOR UPDATES. Let it run, once it has finished there will be another box appearing letting you know of which updates you want installed. This is reachable by clicking the “Preferences” button.

2) Once this box appears, UNCHECK Adobe Acrobat 8.1 professional, and uncheck the next one where it asks if you want it to check the other CS3 Products. And click on OK.

3) Run the updater again, this time you’ll get a list of updates that are available, you can now select which ones you want updated, downloaded and installed.

That’s it. I hope this helps you to stop the updates for adobe 8 acrobat via the adobe updater 5 software.

Awareness in Installing Some Types of Software

Generally considered as some kind of potentially unwanted programs (PUP) by the Internet Security Company (McAFee,) adware and spyware could pause as a menace to original computer owners, web developers, and IT of certain corporations.  Advertisements (adware) already included and mainstay of the program could present a threat or traffic nuisance for reason of its vulnerability to information disseminations, causing notorious cases of “identity theft,” that’d been threatening risk on the loss of personal properties, finances, bank’s credibility, financiers, and other financial institutions over the globe.

In the United States alone there is a rampant of identity theft to personal properties thru the process of transfer of ownership to a wrong person because of stolen Credit Card numbers, passwords, and other personal identifications robbed thru the internet in forms of spywares that camouflaged use-legalities that are merely ignored by users and computer owners.

Adware and Spyware software present a totally different usage in program inclusions, and for the user.  While adware is a legal part of the computer’s administrative settings, spyware is ironically a deceptive method, that’ll not directly pause as illegal for it may be included in some software that fronts acceptance.  By the time it reaches the user’s end it reacts like semblance of some kinds of virus or worms; at times just ignored not to be serious and obvious, but with motives, to invade the accessibility and manipulations of some confidential information from the computer, to be transmitted to other end users who may just wait for any advantage taken from this kind of traffic interference.

When the adware database link discovers the effects of detailed interference on some confidential records, those that need financial consideration of return-payments in nature, and wherein, exclusive website agenda had already been diverted to the other end without having to pay from the mother source, it’d be too late to reconstruct to normal settings.  It is expensive to replenish and change to untarnished software.  At times immune anti-virus is also out there, but anywhere it goes about entails some extra expense on part of the developer.

Spyware is software that support adware usage by PC espionage on different activities in a computer such as e-mail or chat logging, but could easily cause to detour web traffic that’s detrimental to e-commerce if abused or used without consent; therefore, by no means the deceiving technology in adverse adware usability.

A number of adware companies seem to feel bias about PC surveillance (spyware) for reason that, although, they had already disclosed specific data collections and transmissions on account of privacy security from their database link, it can’t totally control the chances of any outgoing data, where, and to whom it might be sent.  Spyware technology has the capability to send not just the banner data from the mother PC, but could channel it to other interested parties that could even install-in to a new program.

The spyware technology is by far infused into the database without the owner’s awareness or consent, however, they come in as “drive-by downloads” or the user goes to click in options in “pop-up” windows, and immediately detoured to some other programs, either pornographic, or anything else without essence.

The adverse effect of adware is the fact that when it is installed in the computer and the user consents to include tracking features, it automatically becomes a “spyware” when used by another user who interacts with the “adware” outside any database link.

The Need for Adware and Spyware Blocker

There is this one law school student whose thesis is about money laundering so oftentimes she would google the term to come up with a ready list of online references. This proved to be useful to her and the entire process of writing her paper. After several months of doing so, she was confronted with problems like being directed to a weird page totally not related to money laundering every time she types the same words.

At first she thought it was just a glitch in the internet system and then she rationalized that no it maybe a glitch in the search engine she is using but the persistent occurrence of such a thing made her think that someone bugged her. We all hate bugging people us but people we can fend of. What this law student is confronted with is a computer bug that she cannot fend off. In the first place she is not a technology savvy person and in the second place she never uses her laptop for any other things than academic research and actual writing of her papers.

The situation above is not an isolated case. There are many people who find themselves caught up in technology problems that are mind boggling but actually can be answered with two words and those two words are spyware and adware. The infamous term of spyware was first coined in the year 1995 but it was popularized in the year 2000. Spyware is a computer software innocently infiltrated in a personal computer to be able to access personal information of the user.

This is done by studying logging keystrokes, web browsing history and even scanning a user�s hard drive. Sounds like something we see only in James Bond movies but apparently we are wrong for anyone can be a victim of spyware. It is safe to use the word victim because no one wants to be monitored of all their online activities. Spyware can understandably be used to spy on criminals because such use is beneficial to society but how about the use of spyware to intercept credit card details and the like. There is simply no excuse for the lax of the use of spyware.

What ordinary people can do to protect themselves is to block spyware and all other software programs similar to it like adware and malware. This can easily be done by availing adware and spyware blocker programs online. The role of these blocking programs include to remove or disable existing spyware programs or to avoid the installation of these malicious software programs.

Spyware, adware, malware are not like virus or worms that self replicate but they can be just as hassle as their counterparts for whoever wants to be disrupted of their normal personal computer activities. One of the more popular hassles cause by these infectious software programs is the slowness of the computer which can really be annoying because when you are at work you tend to want to finish things quick not just because you are required but also because you want more done or you want to be able to go home early.

In some infections, spyware is not even evident as the bad guy so it can get away with its crime. It is best then to have a ready blocker to at least do something for preventing any infection to occur in the first place.
Tags: computer software

The Difference of Adware, Spyware and Anti-virus

Adware, spyware and computer virus share some similarities, one of which is that all three are major nuisances for computer users. Let’s differentiate the three.

Spyware is software that does not intentionally harm your computer. What they do is that they create pathways wherein someone else aside from the computer owner can communicate with the computer. Normally spywares record the various types of web sites you visit which are later used by web advertisers to allow them to send you unwanted emails and pop-ups.

This is why spyware are usually frowned upon and greatly avoided. They are more intrusive than adware. Spyware have their own separate executable programs which allow them to record your keystrokes, scan files on your hard disks and look at other applications that you use including but not limited to chat programs, cookies and Web browser settings.

The spyware then will send the information that it had gathered to the spyware author. The agent will then use this information for advertising and marketing purposes. They even sell the information to advertisers and other parties.

Adware, on the other hand, are more legitimate form of freeware. Similar to spyware, adwares are advertising materials which are packaged into a software or program and are installed automatically once that particular program or software is added into the computer system. Some forms of adware, on the other hand, download advertising contents as a particular application is being utilized. It is quite unfortunate that most of the adware programs take the form of spywares that is they track and report user information to program authors.

Some signs of spyware infections include pop-up ads that seem to be not related to the site you are viewing. More often than not, spyware pop-ups are advertisements about adult contents. Also if you notice your computer slowing down, there’s a big chance that spywares and its other components have found their way in your operating system. When the Windows desktop also takes a longer time to load, its best to scan your computer for possible spyware infections.

Meanwhile, viruses are destructive form of software. They were purely designed and created for one purpose alone: to wreck havoc to your computer. They destroy whatever they come in contact to and will initiate self replication and infect as many components of the computer’s operating system or network as possible.

Nowadays, a lot of anti-virus software also provides spyware and adware scanning and removal utilities. Some programs, however, are focused on located and deleting or destroying spyware and adware programs. Whether is an anti-virus software or a anti-spyware dedicated scanner, they both search your computer and identify any spyware and virus installed on your system.

They then remove it as well as their components located in the system registry among other places in your computer. It is therefore, good to regularly update your virus or spyware scanner to ensure that your computer is protected from the thousands of spyware and viruses in the internet. Never be fooled from ads that claim that their products only contain adware.

These adware maybe spyware in disguised and are just waiting to be deployed for them to gather your information. Learn to setup firewall systems and always block pop-up blockers to minimize computer infection and ensure the security of all your computer files.
Tags: anti-virus pc maintenance

Make a Bluetooth-to-PC Connection:

Coded Messages, unseen radio signals, hush-hush techno jargon. These are the hallmarks of Bluetooth, the famously misunderstood short-range wireless technology, incidentally named after a tenth-century Danish king that lets you connect your cell phone to a PC. But what should be a snap right out of the box requires several steps before it will even work.
Bluetooth can be a right bugger for most people. The reason being is for starters, it only works differently on nearly every phone, not all PC’s have Bluetooth built in, and there’s a mishmash of incompatible versions. Did you know there are multiple “stacks” for Bluetooth, such as WIDCOMM or RFCOMM? Or that a stack is pretty much the same as a driver? It’s enough to make you want to plug in a USB cable. Read on as I demystify Bluetooth and explain how to make it work with popular phones. The good news: once configured, Bluetooth is pretty slick for exchanging data wire-less.

1) Configure your PC:
On a laptop, there’s likely a Bluetooth icon that looks like a “B” made out of a twist tie in the system tray . Double click it to get it started.
If you use a desktop PC, you might need a Bluetooth adapter such as the D-link DBT-120. Plug it in and run the install disc. Start Bluetooth and you’ll see the welcome screen.

2) What’s your stack?:
These next few steps differ slightly depending on your stack. A Bluetooth stack determines what your phone can do, such as sync data or serve as a Web link. WIDCOMM is common, especially on laptops.
But Toshiba laptops use the RFCOMM stack, and Microsoft has a more generic stack. Fortunately, most stacks require the same basic information.

3) Choose Services:
You can now select which services you want to use with your phone. Just place a check next to the ones you want. The catch: When you actually “pair” your phone with your PC, there’s another prompt that will let you specify which services you can really use with that phone and that stack.

4) Get connected:
Now, on your phone, go to the settings menu, enable Bluetooth, and click an option to “find me” or “pair” your phone. On your PC, your phone should appear in the Select a device screen. Select your phone and click Next. If you don’t see your phone, check out the “Bluetooth Trouble” at the end of this article.
Type a code for pairing - entering the same code on both your PC and your phone, for security. This can be any number - although you might have to check the manual for a specific code.
Click Repair Now. On your phone, type the same code. Now, click Yes or OK to pair the phone.

5) Bluetooth Service Selection:
We’re almost done. On your PC, you’ll see a screen that says which Bluetooth Services are available for your phone. Select the ones you want and click Next. Congrats. You have successfully enabled Bluetooth and paired your phone.

6) Lets get busy:
To use the Bluetooth connection on your PC, double-click the Bluetooth icon and double click a service icon, such as My Dial-up Networking to surf the Web or My PIM transfer to sync the contacts and other data between the phone and PC.

Configuring Bluetooth on your phone

Finding the Bluetooth configuration on your phone will require a few steps that may not be immediately obvious. In general, something close to these directions will work for most phones offered by a manufacture, although these specific directions come from the specific models listed below.

Motorola RAZR V3m:

• Press “menu”
• Scroll left to “Settings”, then down to “Connections”
• Select “Bluetooth”
• Select “Setup”
• Go to “Power” and click, then click “On”
• Click “Find Me”
• On your PC, search for and select the phone, click “next” and click “Pair Now”
• Type the code and click “Yes”

Nokia 6103:

• Click “menu”
• Go to and click ono “Settings”, then “Connectivity”
• Click on “Bluetooth”
• Click on “Bluetooth and Select “On”
• Go to and select “Bluetooth Settings”
• Make sure “Shown to all” is selected
• On your PC, search for and select the phone, click “Next” and click “Pair Now”
• Type the code and click “Yes”

Sprint Samgung A900:

• Press “menu”
• Go to “Settings” and click “OK”
• Go to “Bluetooth”
• Click “Enable” and select “On”
• Click “Visibility” and select “Visible for 3 min”
• On your PC, search for and select the phone, click “Next” and click “Pair Now”
• Type the code and click “Yes”

Motarola V360:

• Press “menu”
• Go to and select “Settings”, then “Connection”
• Click “Bluetooth”, then select “Setup”
• Go to “Power” and select “On”
• Select “Find Me”
• On your PC, search for and select the phone, click “Next” and click “Pair Now”
• Type the code and click “Yes”

Bluetooth Trouble

If you’re having trouble with Bluetooth-to-PC, it could be because…

• Your carrier has blocked file transfers. Verizon especially, is stingy with Bluetooth connections.
• On Samsung and Nokia phones, there’s a setting for “visibility”. Make sure it’s on.
• Your PC does not have Bluetooth, so you’ll need a Bluetooth Key. Search for “Bluetooth key” at an electronics Web site to see which models are available. Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR transfers data three times faster as previous versions, so get a key that supports that protocol. Even if your current phone doesn’t support EDR, your next phone might.
• Your phone doesn’t work with your stack. This problem isn’t common, but if it’s the case, then try a Bluetooth Key that supports your phone’s required stack.
• Your phone uses a specific pairing code, such as the code “0000″ used for some Nokia Phones. You’ll find the default code listed in the manual.
• Bluetooth is disabled on your PC. The easiest way to enable it is just to press the Bluetooth switch, which should glow blue.

Sony wants to outdo Microsoft in just about every aspect. The company has taken more time to perfect its technologies, but it’s debatable whether some are really ready for prime time. In an address at the Tokyo Game Show in mid-September, Sony international game chief Ken Kutaragi criticized PC’s for having “bigger and bigger operating systems” and for losing their “real-time responsiveness”. he said that in the future PS3 will be able to do numerous nongame functions, such as personalized agents for shopping and search.

NEW GUI, NEW WAYS OF BROWSING:
Sony’s Kaz Hirai, president of the U.S. game division, added that the PS3’s Web browser will offer a different kind of experience. Hirai noted that the browser will enable a user to open a page and then set it aside on a portion of the widescreen TV. the user will then able able to open the subsequent Web pages across the center of the screen.
“When you see this in action, it chances the experience of static Web pages”. “We’ve always said that we are the first and foremost about entertainment. We are not necessarily looking to replace the PC, which is primary a productivity tool in the den. the PS3 is geared for entertainment in the living room in the home. We ar not overtaking the PC,”, he said.

The PS3 will have a graphical user interface that resembles the “Cross Media Bar” on the PlayStation Portable. With that interface, the user can quickly scroll through a variety of functions for various kinds of entertainment.

SUITABLE, YET MIND BLOWING GRAPHICS:

Sony’s $599 verion of the box will offer 1080p HD resolution and HDMI connectors. That will enable it to cram about twice as many pixels onto a screen than the Xbox 360.
The machines two teraflops of floating-point performance - twice that of the Xbox 360 - will drive the 3D experience. The bulk of compute cycles are provided by nVidia’s RSX graphics Chip.

Hirai says you’ll notice the details in human faces, which will look so real that you’ll be able to tell from a game character’s face whether he’s lying or telling the truth.

SONY CHOOSES BLU-RAY:
Sony’s Blu-ray HD storage differentiates the PS3 from the Xbox 360. Blu-ray discs store 50 gigabytes of data, compared wtih 9GB on an Xbox 360 DVD Disc and 30GB on Microsoft’s add-on HD DVD accessory. But it also adds several hundred dollars of cost. That’s why the high-end PS3 will debut at $599 for a version withh an 60GB hard drive, 5.1 dolby surround sound, built-in Wi-Fi, and slots for memory cards. The Cheaper $499 version comes iwth 20GB hard drive. Sony recently decided to add an HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) connector to the 1080p HD resolution it.

PlayStation 3:

Pricing: $499 (with 20GB hard drive); $599 (with 60GB hard drive,Wi-Fi, memory stick, SD, Compact-Flash slots)
Release Date: November 17th 2006.
Floating-point Operations: 218 GFLOP’s or about 2 TFlop’s
Main Memory: 256MB XDR RAM
Graphics Memory: 256MB GDDR3 VRAM
Microprocessor: Cell Broadband Engine, or “The Cell”
Description of cores/processing elements: PowerPC-based core at 3.2Ghz. One VMX Vector unit per core. Seven DSP’s (or SPE’s) at 3.2Ghz. Seven 128b 128 SIMID GPR’s. Seven 256KB SRAM for DSP’s. 512KB Level 2 cache.
Graphics Chip: RSX at 550MHz
Hard drive: 20GB or 60GB
Controller Type: Support for up to seven wireless game controllers or USB 2.0 ports
HD Support (HDMI, resolutions): 2 channels, Blu-ray support, upto 1080p

Nintendo’s Wii comes as close as possible to a pure gaming experience on a console. Even though the console stores games on DVD’s, players can’t watch DVD movies on the machine, it’s been said from the vice president of marketing and corporate communications at Nintendo of America that they had to cut costs and decided that most consumers could get a DVD player at Wal-mart for under $50. So adding a DVD playback would not of been good value. The Nintendo Wii also will not support HDTV resolutions, topping out at just 480p.

Nongamer bait: The Wii Channels

Nintendo made one concession to practically by bundling in a basic version of Opera Web browser. That lets gamers browse the Web and connect to various Internet-based “Nintendo Wii channels” using the built-in Wi-Fi connectivity. Nintendo wants to bring nongamers into the Wii environment, and that means getting them comfortable with its innovative, motion-sensing controller. Nintendo wants to use the Wii channels to entice nongamers into trying out the machine.

The machine boots into the Wii Channel Menu and includes the Mii Channel, Photo Channel, Internet Channel, Forecast Channel, Shop Channel, News Channel and a message board.

The Mii Channel lets you create a fun caricature of yourself. That Mii avatar can be used across a variety of Wii games and software. You can store your Mii portrait directly inside the Wii Remote itself. And you can take that Wii remote to a friends house to play another Wii console.

The Photo Channel allows you to display digital pictures stored on an SD memory card on the TV Screen. You can also use the Wii Remote to manipulate the photos in fun aways: you can zoom or create mosaics, puzzles, slide shows. You will aos be able to draw the phots, add stamps and copy and paste objects into the photos as well.

The Wii Message board is a calender that family members can use to communicate with each other. It also allows you to connect to people outside of the home via the WiiConnect24 Wi-Fi Service. You can trade pictures and text messages with cell phone users, or download a new map or weapon for a game.

The Forecast Channel delivers the latest local weather reports seconds after turning on the Nintendo Wii Console. You can also navigate a 3D globe to view forecasts in other cities around the world. The News Channel gives you news in a variety of categories.

The Wii Shop Channel is where you go to buy Wii points, which resemble the gamer points on Xbox Live. You can redeem these points to download classic video games from Nintendo’s extensive back catalog in the Virtual Console.

the Wii Console has 512 megabytes of internal flash memory, two USB 2.0 ports, and built-in Wi-Fi capability. It has a bay for an SD memory card to let players expand the internal flash memory. Nintendo hasn’t said what accessories will be available to expand the entertainment experience. Nintendo will enable connectivity between the Nintendo DS and the Wii over Wi-Fi connections.

Pricing around $250
Release date: 19th November 2006.
Floating-point Operations: 1 FPU (supports 32-bit single precision and 64-bit double precision)
Main memory: 64MB of GDDR3 external main memory, 512MB of internal flash memory.
Graphics memory: 3MB embedded graphics memory. 24MB internal main memory.
Microprocessory: IMB PowerPC, called “Broadway”.
Description of cores/processing elements: operating speed of 729 MHz. 32KB 8-way L1 data cache. 256 2-way L2 cache.
Graphics Chip: ATI graphics processor called “Hollywood” at 243 MHz.
Hard drive: none; slot for SD memory card (upto 8 GB)
Controller types: Support for up to four Wii wireless (via bluetooth) controllers; also backward compatible with four Nintendo GameCube Controllers.
HD Support(HDMI, Resolutions): DVD (12-cm disc) capability, up to 480p, 16:9 widescreen support.

Want to lower your cell-phone bills? You can with the next step in VoIP: Wireless VoIP. To make the move, you need a Wi-Fi phone that can tap into any available hot spot and thus emnable you to make a free or chape calls from any Wi-Fi access point on the planet.

Currently, only a few Wi-Fi phones are designed to work with different services. the $150 ZyXel P-2000W V2 handset, for example, and th $250 D-link DPH-541 work with open VoIP services such as BroadVoice. And Vonage customers can tap into accessible Wi-fi hot spots in, say, London, or Paris using the $130 UTStarcom F1000.

The latest and perhaps most anticipated Wi-Fi phones is the iPod-styled Netgear SPH101 Wifi phone for Skype. The $250 phone can connect on any open Wi-Fi Network, letting Skype users place free calls anywhere in the world where they can hit a hot spot. Also expected to be available by the time you read this is Belkin’s $180 Wi-fi Phone for Skype, which is touted as having similar features. The downside: Wi-Fi phones typically have shorter talk times - 2 to 3 hours - than standard cell phones.

None of these Wi-Fi phones include cellular service, but you can turn some smartphones into Wi-fi handsets by downloading client software to tap into your VoIP account. Skype for Pocket PC is free software that handhelds using Pocket PC 2003, or Windows Mobile 5.0. It’s far from perfect, but why pay outrageous charges when you may be able to place a call for nothing?