Free Skype-to-Skype calls on the iPhone is not a new development; the Skype app allows users to make internet voice calls on the iPhone since the device came out on the market. The only limitation is that the VoIP calls could only be made over a WiFi connection. With the release of the Skype 2.0 update, however, iPhone users can make Skype-to-Skype VoIP calls for free! Well, until August 2010, when the company will start charging a monthly fee for this service. Other features include faster start-up times, near CD-quality audio, and easy access to the in-app dial pad.

So if you want to avoid using your minutes on AT&T or Globe, the Skype 2.0 app is free for download at the Appstore.

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Looks like Gizmo and Google Voice users have a new service to look forward to. This month, Google acquired Gizmo5 for $30M after negotiations with a Skype merger fell through. It looks like the two services are a great fit for each other’s products. For instance, Google Voice is a great phone identity and VoIP service, but they have no endpoint for calls. Gizmo5 already integrates with Google Voice as a softphone for Google Voice users. This means you can make and receive calls to your Google Voice Number from your PC.

Although there’s no news as to what new product the two companies will release, it looks like Gizmo5 will allow Google Voice and Google Talk to become a single product, giving Skype and traditional phone companies a run for their money.

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The millions of users who depend on Skype as their alternate to a landline phone may have something to worry about. The creators of Skype and its new owner eBay are in a little bit of a tiff right now. eBay purchased Skype way back in 2005 but its creators Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis still retained some of the rights to the VoIP’s peer to peer technology. Now they want to pull the peer-to-peer software they own from Skype, which would pretty much render it useless. To prevent this, eBay filed a lawsuit against Niklas and Janus and is working on a new software that can run Skype without the original peer-to-peer client. But not only is eBay’s new software expensive; they also admit that it is unlikely to work. Of course, shutting down Skype is not even an option eBay would consider, but with the way things are looking it’s probably best to start finding alternatives to Skype.

Fortunately there are many other free VoIP providers that can provide the same voice chat and video chat features, like Oovoo, Google Voice, TeamSpeak, and Fring, to name a few. Still, I hope it doesn’t come to the death of Skype.

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In this morning’s drama, Google Voice apps just got rejected by Apple’s iPhone Store. The developer Sean Kovacs reports that the Google Voice mobile, along with Google’s official iPhone app, was turned down because it “duplicates features that already come with the iPhone.” People are currently speculating that AT&T is behind the rejection because it will mean less revenue for the carrier. The App Store is already full of alternative SMS apps and applications like Skype, which already has a phone dialer, making the duplication excuse a very flimsy one.

Anyway, it’s not like Google will be seriously scathed by this. They already own a competing platform, Andriod, not to mention that they’re pretty much a monopoly these days. According to Gigaom, this was Google’s official statement on Apple’s rejection of Google Voice.

We work hard to bring Google applications to a number of mobile platforms, including the iPhone. Apple did not approve the Google Voice application we submitted six weeks ago to the Apple App Store. We will continue to work to bring our services to iPhone users, for example by taking advantage of advances in mobile browsers.

Though the absence of Google apps from the iPhone will make the device less attractive to some Google Voice users, I hardly doubt it will make a significant amount of people drop this device for a different, Google-supporting one.

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Skype in my iPhone has really been useful. I once called my daughter as I sat on a bench in Orchard Road in Singapore. There was a strong wifi signal that I picked up. You can’t use the Skype in Iphone if you are connected to a 3G network though. The calls are just as clear when I called using the wifi connection.

So what are the new features of Skype 1.1 for iPhone and iPod Touch?

1. Send low-cost text messages (SMS) to friends and family around the world using Skype credit

2. Allows users to listen to their Skype voicemail while on the move

3. Improved look and feel using the dial pad, while calling phones

4. Supports Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Swedish, Traditional Chinese and English languages

The latest updated Skype 1.1 for iPhone and iPod touch is now available for download through iTunes App Store on your device.

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So what is new with Skype 4.1?

1. Screen sharing
2. Send contacts
3. Birthday reminders
4. Better call quality
5. Better video quality
6. Accessibility features

Another good news awaits Skype subscribers. As a promotional offer Skype is allowing all its existing users to make One month of free worldwide calls.. There is a fair usage policy though and you can read more about it Fair Usage Policy.

Last March, Globe Telecom launched their new Globe WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) service in key provinces – Cavite, Cagayan, Cebu, and Southern Luzon. Today, the telecommunications company intends to make fast Internet access available to more households in the Philippines by deploying the service in more provinces.

Globe WiMAX is a wireless broadband technology that can transmit data wirelessly through various transmission modes for fully mobile internet access. It’s similar to WiFi but provides larger coverage and higher bandwidth. Since WiMAX’s launch last month, Globe says they’ve gotten about 4,000 WiMAX subscribers, some of which claimed to switch from existing DSL fixed-line services.

Globe WiMAX packages are as follows:

P795 for 512 kbps
P995 for 512 kbps with landline
P1,295 for 1mbps with landline

Most Filipinos with relatives in the US and Canada probably used to have phone bills in the thousands, especially during important holidays like Christmas and birthdays. Today, VoIP technology has made cheaper for loved ones to stay in touch. And with the addition of the Magic Jack, even the least technologically capable person can use VoIP to save on phone bills.

Magic Jack was created especially for those who aren’t at the forefront of communications technology. This simple device is a socket where you can plug your landline in, as well as a USB device that you can plug into your PC or laptop. Once you’ve got the Magic Jack plugged in, you’re well on your way to unlimited calls using your computer.

The service isn’t for free, but it’s at an unbelievably low price of $19.95 a year. The annual fee also includes local calling with long distance, and other convenient features like voicemail. You can even avail of a 30-day free trial at the Magic Jack website.

Making unlimited international calls to landlines without a long-term contract just got cheaper with SkypeOut’s new subscription promo. If you buy a 12-month subscription before May 6, 2009, you get 25% off the annual fee. This means that if you sign up now, you get around $29 off the annual fee $116.55. And just to compare, the monthly fee of the Unlimited World Plan costs $12.95. The good news is that you can opt out of the plan if you change your mind.

Visit the Skype website for more details on the promo.