A pinched nerve has interrupted any extensive recreational typing recently, but here's a few interesting items:

I've been using Skype on my PowerBook for IP telephony for a while now with great success, having given up on seeing either Ventrilo or Teamspeak anytime in the next few months or years. I have to say, Skype just works really really well. Sure it has some limitations (like a maximum of 5 people on a conference call), but the sound is amazing and the product itself is slick and professional. Do yourself a favour if you decide to use Skype: buy a headset with microphone. They aren't particularly expensive ($30-$50 usually) and make a world of difference. Make sure, too, that you get one that's confortable.

It seems (continuing down the telephony line), that Microsoft is wanting to move in on RIM's Blackberry business with a new version of Windows Mobile. Here's a clue for Microsoft: you need to make sure that these things work as phones. I've yet to see a Windows Mobile Smartphone or Pocket PC Phone Edition actually work reliably. Especially for things like making phone calls which, you'd think, you'd want to do ... on a phone. Some of the typical problems, like not being able to reacquire a signal after moving out of and then back into coverage have continued to appear on new units. After two or more years of these things, you'd think that the people writing the drivers and radio stacks would be able to get it right. But it appears not.

One of the really outstanding things about Blackberries, whether you like them or not, is how rock solid they are. This is due not only to the single-source hardware and software development but to the fact that extensive testing is done both by RIM and by each carrier before the units become available. The multiple source development of MS units, however, means that all of the parties who've had a hand in developing each new unit blame each other for the problems, leaving the consumer with a piece of hardware that they've paid a big chunk of money for but which they can't count on to work when they need it. Just ask T-Mobile about this.