Today I came across a post by Tom Keating at TMCnet advising of a security vulnerability in Skype for iPhone 3.0.1 and possibly Skype for iPad if it is a full iOS issue. Dan York has subsequently written about it, including a statement from Skype:

We are working hard to fix this reported issue in our next planned release which we hope to roll out imminently. In the meantime, we always recommend people exercise caution in only accepting friend requests from people they know and practice common sense Internet security as always. [Author’s bold]

Both posts include a video demonstrating the vulnerability posted by the initial reporter of the vulnerability at the SUPEREVR Security Blog .

Bottom line is “know your contacts”. As Dan states:

Skype’s mitigation recommendation is a good one as the default privacy setting is typically that you can only receive chat messages from people on your Contact list. Therefore, the attacker would have to be someone who you have authorized and added to your contact list.

Hopefully we will see a new release of Skype for iPhone any day now and, if also affected, Skype for iPad. In the meantime “practice safe Skype” by knowing your contacts.

In my post, “FREETALK^® Everyman for Skype: Not “Just Another Headset”!, outlining the background leading to the production of this headset, I mentioned that the most important feature of any headset is the user experience. But reporting on the user experience has to rely on feedback from a cross section of independent evaluators who can try it out under different conditions on both Windows and Mac PC’s.

My major criteria for inclusion in this post is that there have been an actual reported user experience; posts that simply repeat the specifications do not qualify.

The first full review came from Tom Keating at TMCnet who reports on its “fold flat” feature, apparent durability and of course his Skype calling experience; Tom concludes with:

I made some test Skype calls and the audio quality was excellent. I also connected my iPhone using the 3.5mm jack and was able to play music using the iPod application on the iPhone. Slightly better bass response than my iPhone ear buds due to the larger speakers. All in all, a pretty good Skype headset.

Neil Thompson at Spoken Like a Geek provides a brief history of his experience with previous Skype phone handsets and then gets into his feedback:

The call quality was excellent both for me and the other party who commented on how much better it was than usual. The headset makes use of what Skype calls super wideband audio which is included in v4 and improves call quality even at low bandwidth. Having your ears covered means that there is no distraction from external noise which obviously also makes things better.

Neil likes the fold flat feature; he then went out and bought a pencil case for storing it in his laptop bag; he concludes with: “So, to summarise, the Freetalk headset is a recommended device, particularly for those on the move who want good quality combined with portability.”

TechCraver.com’s Jason Harris, in The Everyman Headset for Skype: Killer Audio, Sweet Price, outlines “a few things that set it apart from the rest of the pack” and tried three different calling tests:

In all three cases, I was absolutely blown away by the Everyman.  If the manufacturer of this headset was looking to make a reasonably priced headset that sounds perfect and was comfortable to wear, they absolutely nailed it.  After about 2 hours of wearing the Everyman, I was impressed with it’s comfort and how it felt on my head.

Jason goes on to describe his experience listening to his iPod and points out  that “it’s great for those who talk into your computer for creating training videos or video-conferencing”.

Ken Camp at Stardust Global Ventures,  in “The headset for Everyman, woman and child – FREETALK Everyman USB Headset”, starts out with “I’ve been using Skype since the beginning.I can’t count the number of different headsets I’ve used. This one is the only one that’s made me step back and say wow.”

He then goes on to discuss the comfort level, the benefits of supporting Skype’s SILK codec and why road warriors should like the “fold flat” feature. Ken concludes with:

Gadgets are sometimes a dime a dozen. Headsets aren’t often something to get excited about. The FREETALK Everyman headset is absolutely different. It’s worth every penny of the $22.88 price in the online Skype store. Go check it out and order yours here. It’s an investment you’ll get more than full value from.

In a comment on Voice On The Web “Skype In Your Business” Public Chat, Hudson Barton, whose Borderless Communicator tracks Skype statistics, stated:

I can confirm that this is a nice piece of hardware.  One thing that I have not seen pointed out elsewhere is the fact that the “Everyman” headset is light and comfortable.   I had given up on my former headset for this reason because I want to have it on whenever I’m at my computer, and that can be for hours at a time. (You can quote me on that if you wish.)

Dameon (PhoneBoy) Welch-Abernathy, in Every Man, Woman or Child on Skype Needs an Everyman Headset, provides a brief background on the evolution of audio support on PC’s and outlines why FREETALK Everyman is different. He concludes with:

When you consider the price: under $23 shipped to your door, purchasing this headset is absolutely a no-brainer. It will be one of the best investments you can make to improve your calling experience with Skype.

Joel Evans, producer of the Geek.com podcasts, appears to have been frustrated with microphones and the quality of his recordings. So he gave the FREETALK Everyman a trial:

For my tests I used the FREETALK Everyman Headset in Skype, Quicktime and iChat. In all tests it performed perfectly and even my chat partners commented on how clear I sounded. The design of the headset allows for adjusting the boom and even the position of the microphone, so it did take a bit of fine tuning, which I did while recording tests in Quicktime. Once it was adjusted, though, it sounded great and I’ve been using it for voice chats, and even used it to record the Podcast that will be going live tomorrow.

Bottom line: the reviews speak for themselves. I’ll add more reviews to this post as they become available.

Full disclosure: In Store Solutions has become a client of Denali InterConneXions, publisher of Voice On The Web, building on the author’s previous business development experience with establishing partnerships that can assist with the promotion of a primary vendor’s offerings. A more complete statement will follow shortly.

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• FREETALK Everyman for Skype: Not Just Another Headset (voiceontheweb.biz)
• Official Skype Headset (ubergizmo.com)
• Skype Unveils Its Very Own Headset (thenextweb.com)
• Skype Unleashes A “Super-Secret” Project: A Cheap Headset (techcrunch.com)

So why would Skype announce support for, and In Store Solutions develop and launch, the FREETALK^® Everyman headset in a seemingly crowded market? Let’s step back a bit and look at some issues related to headsets:

• Skype’s research has found that a Skype user’s “end point” configuration is one of the main contributors to churn. A major component of the end user configuration is the PC’s audio chip; they have found evidence pointing to a lack of consistent audio quality across the various PC audio chip sets.
• The recent introduction of Skype’s “superwideband” SILK audio codec, supporting a 12KHz audio bandwidth, has set new bars for incorporating HD Voice performance into a headset – both the speakers and the mic.
• Headsets have always been an issue for road warriors trying to fit them into their briefcase or PC carrying case. Speakers that are at right angles to the main headband suddenly demand a space with about 3 to 5 inches of width. Breakage and loss are often the result. (Full disclosure: I have never found a headset that was suitable for easy insertion into my multiple PC carrying cases over the years.)
• Complementary to the PC has been the widespread adoption of (smartphone) media players such as iPod, iPhone and BlackBerry; standard earbuds are not capable of adequate overall audio quality, especially for bass tones.
• Cost: try to find a good quality headset for under $30 or $40. A “no brainer” impulse purchase is certainly assisted by keeping the cost low.
• Finally, in this age of online e-commerce, why do the devices that are shipped as a result of an online purchase need plastic clamshell packaging that goes straight to landfill (and generates emergency room visits when cutting the packaging open)? The sale has been completed; there’s no need for the packaging to be a “sell piece”.

Since late 2007 In Store Solutions’ wireless stereo headset has been a top seller on the Skype store. It has been my PC headset of choice ever since I received one in December 2007.

When Skype recognized the need for a headset that provided both consistent audio quality across all PC models (desktop and laptop) while also fully supporting the audio bandwidth demands of their SILK codec, they approached In Store Solutions about producing a new basic headset that addressed Skype’s audio quality concerns. But with In Store Solutions’ previous retail distribution and audio hardware experience they designed a product that also addressed the other issues outlined above.

The result of this partnership was the recently launched FREETALK Everyman Headset. It’s a USB headset incorporating an audio chip in the USB dongle. But on the headset side the USB dongle has a 3.5 mm speaker jack into which is plugged the removable speaker wire coming from the headset.

The physical headset itself comprises a unidirectional microphone to reduce background noise along with neodymium speakers supporting 20 Hz to 20 KHz stereo audio. Weighing in at 124g/4.3 oz, the headband and microphone are adjustable. (Hint: headset microphones work best when the microphone is positioned near a corner of your mouth.)

Compatible with both Windows 2000® / XP® / Vista™ and Mac OS 10.22 or later, the only other requirement is a USB port on the PC.

FREETALK^® Everyman incorporates:

• HD Voice support within the audio chip via its support for the SILK codec used in Skype for Windows 4.1 and Skype for Mac 2.8 (or later) and an overall 20Hz to 20KHz audio bandwidth.
• Plug & Play such that Skype immediately recognizes and acknowledges the headset as the default audio device for Skype (no need to go to Skype audio settings; no driver installation required)
• A flat fold-down design that compresses the entire headset to a thickness less than 3 cm or 1.25 inches; it readily fits into your PC carrying case.
• A removable speaker plug such that, when not using the headset with your PC, you can plug the speaker plug into any media player with a 3.5 mm audio jack, such as the iPod, iPhone (3G and 3G S) and BlackBerry.
• Eco-friendly “brown box” recycled cardboard packaging that not only eliminates sending plastic clamshells to landfill but also helps to reduce shipping costs.

And, to encourage “no-brainer” adoption, it’s available at the Skype Store at US$22.88/£19.88/€19.88 – including delivery (and VAT in Europe).

But the most important feature of any headset is the user experience. Several bloggers and columnists are currently reviewing the FREETALK Everyman; links to their posts will be incorporated into a forthcoming post summarizing the feedback as they become available. But two initial posts for more information and feedback:

• Skype’s Andrew Brennan: Skype Gear Road Test: The FREETALK Everyman Headset
• TMC’s Tom Keating: FREETALK Everyman Skype Headset Review where he concludes:

I made some test Skype calls and the audio quality was excellent. I also connected my iPhone using the 3.5mm jack and was able to play music using the iPod application on the iPhone. Slightly better bass response than my iPhone ear buds due to the larger speakers. All in all, a pretty good Skype headset.

Earlier today, Alec Saunders interviewed me on SquawkBox; with about twenty participants including both ISS’s Product Manager and Skype’s Hardware Product Manager contributing to the discussion. I’ll be adding a post covering this interview and incorporating a player for the recording shortly. (Update Aug. 25: you can now access the conference call recording on Saunderslog at SquawkBox August 13 – FREETALK Everyman.)

Hints (based on some initial user feedback): when you receive your FREETALK Everyman headset, ensure you plug the speaker plug into the speaker jack on the USB dongle for listening to your Skype calls or any multimedia playback from the PC. And to keep the cost down the volume control is carried out via the volume control slider in the Skype clients.

Bottom Line: Addressing the audio quality issue is only one aspect of the Skype user’s end point configuration that can affect the overall Skype call quality. The PC processor, active software programs, operating system (Windows or Mac) and user’s Internet connection can also contribute to the finalSkype call experience. However, the FREETALK Everyman headset optimizes the audio configuration of the PC and its associated audio hardware such that it consistently meet the standards required to support Skype’s SILK codec and its contribution to the overall calling experience.

Earlier posts related to Skype’s approach to call quality issues:

• At his talk to VON Canada in April 2006, Skype Goal: “Better than a phone”, Stefan Oberg outlined many user issues that Skype still needed to address at that time. During that talk Stefan mentioned Skype’s frustration with the fact “terrible user experience” when the user could not readily locate the audio jacks on the rear of (older) PC’s.
• In April 2007 Skype 3.2 was launched incorporating echo cancellation – which allowed users to use their basic PC mic and speaker for Skype calls without having to deal with echo feedback from the speakers back into the microphone.

Full disclosure: In Store Solutions has become a client of Denali InterConneXions, publisher of Voice On The Web, building on the author’s previous business development experience with establishing partnerships that can assist with the promotion of a primary vendor’s offerings. A more complete statement will follow shortly.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Skype Unveils Its Very Own Headset (thenextweb.com)
• Skype Unleashes A “Super-Secret” Project: A Cheap Headset (techcrunch.com)
• Official Skype Headset (ubergizmo.com)
• Global IP Solutions: Positioning Codecs, Including SILK (voiceontheweb.biz)

Since its launch Tuesday, Skype for Windows 4.0 Gold has received some interesting coverage:

• David Pogue, New York Times: in addition to his column discussed here yesterday, he has produced an amusing video: Skype 4.0: The Cheapskate where a video starring Mr. Cheapskate shows a Skype video session with his daughter, Kim Cheapskate, obviously a student. But it also serves as a humorous introduction to Skype for Windows 4.0′s features.
• Alec Saunders: Saunderslog.com: Skype 4.0 audio: smooth as SILK:

Perhaps the biggest improvement, though, is audio quality. We all thought that Skype audio was great, right? Skype’s internally developed SILK codec slipped into the final release, despite not having been in prior betas. A wideband codec that delivers the goods at half the bitrate of prior codecs, SILK makes talking on Skype a pure pleasure.

• Tom Keating: Skype Launches 4.0 with Super Duper Weenie Wideband Codec. Images conjured up when a new codec is lauded with reduced network bandwidth. Obviously Tom has his favorite food hangouts.

Have a good weekend.

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