Free VOIP calls via Skype on your mobile

It looks like it's really coming - with operator approval no less. Skype has joined with 3 to deliver 'free VOIP (voice over internet protocol) telephone calls across the mobile network. Hmm. That's interesting. 3 sees this as part of its customer acquisition strategy and is about keeping the customer happy as part of its content bundle.

But not only that, Skype is also in talks with Warner Music to sell ringtones to its 75m strong subscriber base. They already sell ringtones but this is their first major deal. And consider the impact if it can do this on mobile networks and bypass the network operators.

via Mobile Entertainment.

Also Nokia has just announced the Nokia 6136 phone, which allows you to make calls over your home or office Wi-Fi network, as well as on a regular cellular/mobile network. It claims in the story that this could be the end of Skype and Vonage.

via The Register

All these announcements have been made at 3GSM in Barcelona (I'm flying out there tomorrow - yippee!). It's a pretty big deal this year judging by the texts I've been getting from my friends who are already there. Check out the picture above courtesy of Mike Butcher at mbites and musicbites. Just shows how big the conference bit is at 3GSM. Then add in 900+ exhibitors and 50k visitors, you kinda get the idea of the scale. More pictures on flickr.

Lava lamp for your computer

I want one of these please ;-)

You can buy a USB Mini Lava Lamp at ThinkGeek.com. It's about 6" tall and plugs into a USB port on your computer so you don't need batteries or an extra plug socket. So if anyone's wondering what to get me as a gift... this'll do nicely!

Swedish Beers Mobile Networking in Barcelona at 3GSM

We've decided to have a Swedish Beers meetup on Wednesday 15th February whilst we're in Barcelona as a few regulars are going to be there anyway. And we wanted to facilitate further networking and a little partying at 3GSM too...

If you'd like to come along (assuming you have some vague interest in things mobile which you probably have if you're going to be in Barca for 3GSM), then here are the details:

Location - Café Viennese in Casa Fuster. The hotel is located on the Passeig de Gràcia, just above the Avenida Diagonal and next to the famous Jardinets. Thanks to Rudy De Waele for recommending such a great venue. You can find information on the hotel at their website .

Time - 19:30 to 21:30 on Wednesday 15th February.
Vibe - Casual

We're not looking for a sponsor this time so bring your expense accounts!

Let me know if you can make it - either leave a comment here or drop an email to swedishbeers [at] beepmarketing [dot] [com].

Skål

Top tips of the day [warning - nothing to read in this post about mobile!]

If you have a decision to make, and just can't decide, then move at least 30 things and then come back to the decision and it will be much easier to make.

I'm guessing that in moving at least 30 things, you're creating a different energy which aids the decision making process, clears your head and probably means you get a tidy desk and/or the washing up gets done at the same time.

It's a Feng Shui thing courtesy of my wise Chinese/American friend Margaret who also treated me to a wonderful Thai veg feast earlier tonight.

And my tip of the day is to do the yoga Lion Pose (aka Simhasana - see picture right) if you have a sore throat of any kind. Even if you're in bed and can't be bothered to do the kneeling bit, just sticking out your tongue and stretching really works (well it worked for me last week and my niece swears by it). Don't do it in a crowded place though otherwise people might think you're weird ;-)

Is the BBC's 'Just the Two of Us' going to be using LBS?

I just spotted this article over at Brand Republic. It seems auntie has come up with a sister formula to Strictly Come Dancing and it's called Just the Two of Us (BBC press release here). A celebrity is teamed up with a professional singer (including Rick Astley pictured left) and each pair fights it out to win the public vote.

But there's a twist in the tale. The couple who comes in next from bottom will have to hit the campaign trail the following week in the region where they got the least votes. So does this mean that the BBC is capturing postcode data, just analysing landline caller line IDs (which won't be terribly accurate as it won't include mobile data) or is it using LBS*? And if it's using LBS, I wonder how they're going to get round the privacy issues related to that. Hmm. I guess, I'll need to tune in and vote to find out unless any of my readers can shed any light?

*LBS - location based services, i.e. where the location of your phone is noted and shared with a third party

4 Things Blog Tag

So Tom gave it to Suw who gave it to Euan who gave it to Gia who gave it to Andrew who gave it to Adriana who gave it to Lloyd who gave it to me. So it only seems fair to pass it on in the true spirit of the blogonet.

Four jobs I've had

Pizza Chef
Fashion Store Manager
Babysitter
Head of Customer Experience at a dotcom and mobcom

Four movies I can watch over and over again

Gone with the Wind
Love Actually
The Wizard of Oz
The Fifth Element

Four places I've lived

Barn Lane, East Lancs Road
Clevedon
Worcester
South London

Four TV shows I love

A Little Princess (it was on in the 1970s and I knew the actress who played the princess, Deborah Makepeace, and at the time she was living in an attic just like in the TV show)
Here Come the Double Deckers
The Clangers
Stella Street

Four places I've vacationed

Isle of Man
Paris, France
County Kerry, Ireland
Phuket, Thailand

Four of my favourite dishes

Mock duck pancakes at Eat and Two Veg on Marylebone High Street
Veggie Thai Curry
Mozzarella, avocado and tomato salad with a balsamic vinegar dressing
Veneziana pizza at Pizza Express

Four websites I visit daily (mine are dull too I'm afraid)

Bloglines
Flickr and/or Moblog
Google
BBC

Four places I'd rather be right now

In an outdoor jacuzzi somewhere hot and sunny
In bed
Having a Thai massage session at a fancy spa
Port Erin, Isle of Man enjoying the bracing sea air

Four bloggers I'm tagging (you're it!)

Alfie
Small Values of Cool
PR Blogger
Trend Patrol