Japanese PSPs gets Skype; what is Skype?

An article today in the technology section of CNN.com has mentioned the release of the Skype software on the Playstation Portable system in Japan later this month (nearly two months after its release in the US and Europe).

Most people are not familiar with Skype, so I suppose I should explain it. Skype is essentially a telephone system that goes between computers or, for a small fee, between computers and cellphones or landline phones. Skype has been around since 2003 and has grown exponentially since then. An article posted in February on about.Skype.com states that the software has tracked over 100 billion hours worth of phone calls since its creation nearly five years ago.

Sony has begun putting Skype's software in its PSP firmware updates in the hope that the system's new phone capabilities may draw in potential customers for the system. Calls between PSPs or between PSPs and PCs are entirely free, although the same credit card fees still apply to calls made between the PSP and phones. Sony's official press release for Skype can be read here.

Who needs privacy anyway?

I came across an interesting little news piece over at CNN.com's TECH section today. BrickHouse Security, a company that creates spy gadgets for home security and other safety purposes, has created a device called "the Ultimate SIM Card Management Solution." This innocuously titled device has been built with the ability to read stored and deleted text messages from another person's cellphone.

Of course, getting the device to read a cellphone isn't as simple as having the number ready. In order to actually active the "Cellphone Spy" (a name given by BrickHouse Security in a PR release for the device) you must obtain the other phone's SIM card in order to link up the device with your own cellphone. By placing the SIM card into a USB device and then into your laptop, all text messages and information can be read on your computer. The optimal purpose of the gadget is to monitor the messages of a possibly unfaithful spouse or to keep tabs on the texts your children are sending and receiving.

The "Cellphone Spy" is a pricey little toy ($149.99), but I suppose if you're the paranoid type you wouldn't mind spending the cash to ensure total safety for your loved ones. Of course, your loved ones may not feel the same when you're scrolling through two years worth of their own personal messages. So results may vary.

If you want to see the original news piece, you can check it out here at CNN.com/tech. The Cellphone Spy Data Extractor can be found here at BrickHouse Security's website.