While tethering on the iPhone in the USA remains a bit of a challenge (especially if your updated to the latest version of firmware on the Apple iPhone) there are other options emerging.

For years Apple Macintosh users have been able to turn a Mac that is hard wired to an Ethernet connection into a hotspot, but now the new Windows 7 OS from Microsoft has been turned into both a hotspot and a wireless bridge via Connectify.

Connectify.me is where you can find it.

Another way to share wireless broadband is Joikuspot, and now their new Boost (Beta) allows users to combine wireless broadband signals into one, giving the user really fast bandwidth.

Of course, Sprint doesn't want you to tether.

While tethering on the iPhone in the USA remains a bit of a challenge (especially if your updated to the latest version of firmware on the Apple iPhone) there are other options emerging.

For years Apple Macintosh users have been able to turn a Mac that is hard wired to an Ethernet connection into a hotspot, but now the new Windows 7 OS from Microsoft has been turned into both a hotspot and a wireless bridge via Connectify.

Connectify.me is where you can find it.

Another way to share wireless broadband is Joikuspot, and now their new Boost (Beta) allows users to combine wireless broadband signals into one, giving the user really fast bandwidth.

While tethering on the iPhone in the USA remains a bit of a challenge (especially if your updated to the latest version of firmware on the Apple iPhone) there are other options emerging.

For years Apple Macintosh users have been able to turn a Mac that is hard wired to an Ethernet connection into a hotspot, but now the new Windows 7 OS from Microsoft has been turned into both a hotspot and a wireless bridge via Connectify.

Connectify.me is where you can find it.

Another way to share wireless broadband is Joikuspot, and now their new Boost (Beta) allows users to combine wireless broadband signals into one, giving the user really fast bandwidth.

My agency has represented Boingo for 18 months or so now, and long before that I was a Boingo customer, a happy customer, who found that using it on my Nokia N & E Series devices and my laptops was always something that allowed for easy connectivity.

One of the missing pieces, more due to RIM's SDK, was Boingo on the Blackberry. As a Blackberry user with T-Mobile I've always enjoyed logging on to WiFi at home (via Hotspot @ HOME) or at a T-Mobile Hotspot, and having my mobile number from the USA anywhere in the world accessible to me.

That worked great in the past at places like Starbucks, some airport lounges like those from American Airlines and at some airports. But as T-Mobile has been exiting the WiFi world in dribs and drabs, the most reliable and broadest reaching aggregator has been Boingo. Now, with Boingo on the Blackberry, UMA Voice will work as well on the Blackberry as client Truphone does on my iPhone, iPod Touch and Nokia E71 virtually anywhere Boingo connects.

This is a huge step forward as the business market end user which needs connectivity now can get connectivity in more places, where T-Mobile's footprint doesn't go. With Boingo, as with WiFi of your own or within the enterprise or campus, means you can get T-Mobile coverage higher up or farther away. Currently, AT&T in the USA doesn't have a VoIP client for their users, nor is there one with Verizon or Sprint on the Blackberry's that has any traction, as access to the SIP and WiFi stacks on the RIM devices has never been really offered.

Blackberry users though should not just take my word for it, or the insight above that I've linked to. They should also read some of the insider's viewpoints as well.

BerryReview

BlackBerry Insight

CrackBerry

Blackberry Sites

PocketBerry

BerryReporter

Dave Hornik, a veteran Sand Hill Road VC and industry observer eliminated books and used his iPhone in Europe on his summer holiday, something I have done and also not done.

First off, for AT&T Customers who are heavy business mail users like I am, the iPhone is NOT a useful replacement for the RIM BlackBerry with International Roaming as I'll blow through 100 megs in a few days just with email in an always on mode on the iPhone. A better option I've found is the unlocked Nokia E71-1 (the European variant with Euro 3G) and Mail For Exchange, plus a local SIM card with Data if I want a device for mail and light surfing. The E71 and the Berry blow away the iPhone as well due to the keyboard.

A second option is a Novatel MiFi (unlocked GSM Model) and a iPod Touch.

If you really want to use the iPhone, do as David and I both do. Don't make calls over it (unless you're in a WiFi hotspot and use client Truphone or SKype or Fring to make your international calls) or as I like to do, I use my E71 and either call via Truphone Anywhere or buy bundles of international calling (as T-Mobile offers in the UK 120 minutes to the USA for 11 dollars and change and my local minutes are not consumed)

As for data, I used the iPhone for many of the same things Hornik did, but in reality for all but two weeks out of six I had it turned off when I had a rental car with GPS. Candidly, most of what I needed to know-like how to get from place to place was there, and the only time the iPhone or even Blackberry maps via Google was used was when I was walking around.

As for books-guidebooks especially, I find too many local books in book stores that are full of information that's not easily found the first time, online. For me, places like winery's with full restaurants, rooms for rent and more are not all in one place online. I'm sure the same applies to other categories that are more niche than generic, which is where the travel guides tend to be that first make it online.

At the end of the day, it comes down to three parts. The service, the app and the content, not the device alone, that will make for the end of books as we know it.

I was on the phone this week with the Big Boss Man at TMC, pal Rich Tehrani going over a few things when I realized we're about six weeks away from IT Expo in Los Angeles in September. With it the IP Communications industry has the start of another eight week period of pretty much non stop expos, conferences, trade shows, meetings at them and more.

What's it look like for me and people in our VoIP and Mobile world:

IT Expo in Los Angeles September 1-3. It's bundled in with the 4G Wireless Evolution put on by another pal, Carl Ford. The two events together promise to be bigger and better than ever as its time to buy and the selling on the floor should be as good as the conference was a few months back in Miami Beach, which was outstanding.

Nokia World 2009 in Stuttgart on September 2 & 3. This is where the world of what's going on next at the Finland based mobile and now services giant gets known and seen for the first time. Last year in Barcelona was a treat, and where the N97 debuted. To see what 2010 brings from Nokia means going to Germany this fall.

GigaOm's Mobilize 09 in San Francisco, staged by Om Malik, and organized by another friend of some time Surj Patel. My favorite part of Mobilize is Launchpad. Launchpad had its roots inside eTel. Companies like GrandCentral got a big pump at that in 2006, as did Fonolo in 2008. Who will be the star of Launchpad this year. Go to SF on September 10th and find out.

A few days later on September 14 and 15, the TechCrunch 50 rolls into San Francisco, showcasing the unknown who will be the soon be known. Michael Arrington and crew will promise and deliver a no holds barred match up of early stage companies.

Demo happens here in San Diego from September 21-23. The granddaddy of launch events, this years marks the end of the Chris Shipley era, as she passes the microphone and producers baton over to VentureBeat's Matt Marshall. The two will tag-team up on stage. For companies looking to meet VCs and get in front of media that cares, DEMO without the head to head issues of last year vs. TechCrunch will draw a very big crowd to sunny San Diego.

VoN/Channel Partners happens in Miami Beach, sadly at the same time as DEMO so I'll miss it. The Virgo Publishing group took over the VON name, and has started from scratch, with VON editor Rick Martin putting a lot of time and energy in on the panels and the speakers. Bundled with the sales lead generation and dealmaking event, Channel Partners, plus offering a Latin/South American track or two may make this event as hot as Miami Beach will be in the fall.

October

CTIA Wireless IT and Entertainment comes to San Diego after its tour of Las Vegas and San Francisco in prior years. Considered the smaller show vs. the spring edition, that will likely change as San Diego is the capital of wireless in the USA with Qualcomm and the whole CDMA eco-system pretty much in the neighborhood.

eComm 2009 Europe wraps up the two months of almost non-stop conference activities, and picks up where this past March's eComm in Burlingame left off. Expect some blockbuster news from the companies that are making a difference and changing the landscape of communications around the globe. Money meister James Enck, on his Eurotelcoblog reminds us that using ENCK will get you a discount on top of the early bird pricing that runs through next week.

Eagle eye Doug Mohney also brings to light two more conferences of note- Jeff Pulver's second HD Communication Summit happening in the Big Apple on September 15 and 16. The summit is all about the ways voice can sound better, richer and clearer, picking up on the May event that kicked off the series.

A second and uber-VoIP tech event is AstriCon in Phoenix, AZ October 13-15 , put on by Digium and all about the wild world of open source PBX's.

Now where did you leave that credit card?

Last week TwitrCon was in SF was viewed as a hit, more because of the people in the room, than what was necessarily said on stage.

Upcoming in this month is Jeff Pulver's 140 Conference is happening on June 16 & 17 in New York City and it's lining up to be something special. The cast of characters Jeff has lined up for the conference is an eclectic blend of people from all facets of social and traditional communications.

Sadly, my travel schedule with clients has me out of the country, or I would be in New York, both to support Jeff and to stay current on the whole 140 character craze.

The potential merger announced last last night Bharti Airtel of India and the MTN Group of South Africa may have shocked some folks, but not me. I'm a big believer that just like with cable television and telephony here in the USA we're going to be seeing more and more consolidation in the mobile world.

The merger is totally logical as it brings together two emerging nations growing companies in parts of the world where mobile uptake is really just beginning, and where the need for more structure is needed.

(Note: In emerging markets, MTN reportedly is the largest player, with over 100,000,000 customers using their telecom services.)

A friend, who recently spent time in India going across the country revealed how complicated and complex the Indian mobile scene really is (that friend was Dean Bubley) prior to dinner in London less than two weeks ago. With this merger, we're seeing the first step to bring order into the market, as the MTN management team will provide that kind of approach. But what this also means mobile operators in the Indian Ocean boarding countries will start having the same opportunities to be acquired and consolidated ala what we've seen in the USA with Alltel being gobbled up by Verizon and with AT&T snatching up smaller GSM operators.

This global consolidation is just starting, and with so much money in the Sub Asian continent, the move to consolidate makes total sense. This also likely will signal some turf wars in India with Tata and Reliance entering the fray, while other imperialistic minded companies in Asia join in too.

Where this leaves the Vodafones, Oranges and AT&T's of the world is a good question. But one things for sure, with consolidation, innovation won't be as fast as return on investment and extracting as much money as possible tends to rule the day. This also means that the Ciscos, Alcatel-Lucents, Nokia Siemens Networks and Ericssons of the world have less customers, but bigger stakes to play, so they too have to sharpen their game as the innovation will come via the network equipment manufacturers not the network operators initially.

It's been two years or so and my love affair with the AT&T 3G network is waning. Until the 7 billion dollar network upgrade happens, those of us on the west coast California market will have to make due with the hope and prayer that that the iPhone carry crowd doesn't always bog down our uploads when we're conducting business on our AT&T powered Netbooks that one can buy at Radio Shack for $99.00 plus a data plan commitment.

When I'm in markets outside of the congestion packed LA, San Diego and San Francisco-San Jose regions the speeds are usually where they are supposed to be, like 1.5 megs down and roughly 500-700k up in Tulsa, Oklahoma when sitting at the gate for my Southwest flight to take off. But the inconsistent nature of the congestion and the two year renewal and opportunity to buy a new Aircard from Verizon for two of my accounts came around so we grabbed a couple of the newest offerings in CDMA 3G. I'm not sorry.

This week I ran a series of tests with the new card. The one that was the most impressive was a 30 minute packet loss free video call over Skype with a colleague on the Comcast network in San Francisco and another one the next day with webcasting colleague on KenRadio, Ken Rutkowski. On the Mac Book Pro and Mac Book Air the video was sharp and crisp. No wavering. The audio was pristine. Clear and without dropouts.

On my Netbooks, the audio experience was perfect, but the video was choppy.

Bottom line is given how much I travel, the Verizon card is now an essential part of my road warrior kit. Sure I'll still have AT&T and Sprint gear handy (I use the Sprint Card with a CradlePoint Router to share connections) but what I'm seeing from Verizon Wireless right now tells me their wireless broadband network is ready for business.

It looks like the SkypPhone2 has bit the dust with mobile operator 3 in favor of the newer and shinier Inq1. But they still do seem to be available in other 3 served countries like Australia.

I've used the SkypePhone 1 and 2 but passed on grabbing an INQ1 simply because I don't need more and more devices but with all the hysteria about Skype on the iPhone I am likely one of the few in the USA who have used the original technology that Skype is referring to in their accounts about driving additional revenue to carriers.

The technology which 3 is using though is not from Skype. It is from iSkoot which installs a box into the network that takes real-time Skype presence data, then works with the mobile operator to bridge the call over the cellular carrier's circuit switched network.

The service, which for someone like me who visits the UK about once every 6-8 weeks (or has been it seems) is very attractive. Buy a Skype/iSkoot app capable phone that works on the Three network. Obtain a pay as you go SIM and top it up. The top up never expires but to use Skype you need to purchase a top up at least once every 90 days (it used to be 30 days) and when one gets to a country where Three operates, simply turn on data, by purchasing an add-on for Internet for a day, a week or a month at a rate of .50 pence, 2.50 pounds (for the week) or 5 pounds for the month. What I like about the Skypephone2 is you can also use it as a 3G data modem (tethered) to a PC or Mac.

The call quality on 3 has been stellar when I've used it. Last week I loaned one of our two units to my wife one to use to check in with her office last week, as her staff is reachable on Skype and her ability to be reached was simplified and the cost other than the 2.50 pounds for the week was nothing compared to what calls would have cost her on her AT&T phone when roaming internationally. (Note she also made extensive use of her Truphone via WiFi and Truphone Anywhere on a spare N95 we carried when in France too.)

Sadly, while many of the carriers were offered the iSkoot solution, only 3 has taken it up. Now 3 was built to be an all 3G network, but has never achieved the consumer or business uptake in the UK the way Vodafone and Orange have. My experience has been nothing less than stellar with the devices and the call quality. What's more the recent addition of pay as you go data with inexpensive data cards has been a big benefit for me.

Martin Suter of Bel-Air Networks has penned a very strong case for why Wi-Fi is really in my view the baseline that 4G should be measured with.

One point that Martin left out of his well written and very factual account as to why WiFi is so important and a better performer than Mobile 3G data was the need for backhaul.

Backhaul is what gets the data back onto the Internet, it's the upstream tributary that the bits and bytes ride on to reach the Net to be offloaded onto the main Internet. Over the next few years we'll start seeing backhaul backlog and in my view is when you'll start to see things like first class, second class and third class mail rates being applied.

Get ready for tiered pricing, both for speed and for size. Those reasons are why we need more WiFi access, more local loop fiber rings. More local municipal fiber routes and great capacity.

Today T-Mobile is rolling out their version of a 3G USB data stick according to CNET and many other news sites.

Priced at $59.99 a month for 5 Gigs, you'll find that the stick works on TMO in the USA and on other 3G networks around the globe, as well as GPRS and EDGE networks where 3G coverage has yet to arrive.

The price is high when you think about it compared to other countries, but in the USA that's about the going rate but I think we're entering an era of measured access for the next few years before we see more pressure from the WiMax crowd that will help drive prices down.

Given how lightly used the T-Mobile network is right now on 3G (only Android G1 and one other handset I think run on it for data) the throughput should be better for users than what in congested areas we're seeing on AT&T's overtaxed by the Apple iPhone network until the capacity increases late in the year and early next year.

Given that some people needs better access the T-Mobile option isn't a bad one. Add this to a NetBook and you have true on the go portability but here are some caveats:

1) T-Mobile has a small 3G network in the USA at this time. While it is expanding, coverage may not be everywhere and suburban dwellers may be at a loss.

2) The package includes Hotspot services (unlimited) but remember T-Mobile has separated from Startbucks and those are now AT&T operated locations. Over time the roaming relationship will end but by then T-Mobile will have built out their 3G network so it's a long term trade off. That said, since T-Mobile turned the networks over to AT&T we are seeing much slower performance in many Starbucks locations as there is a different type of connectivity in place now.

3) There are no details yet if services like Streaming, P2P communications such as Skype or SIP traffic will be permitted but I have posed that question to T-Mobile's PR team.

While CNET has reported the following regarding pricing, nothing is visible as of this morning from T-Mobile that is more specific. I'm confident on March 25th that more of the details will emerge:

The T-Mobile WebConnect USB Laptop Stick will be available in select T-Mobile retail stores and online starting March 25. There are various pricing options available: $49.99 with a two-year contract after rebate; $99.99 with one-year contract; or $249.99 with no contract.

Service plans start at $59.99, which gives you 5GB of wireless data per month. If you go over that limit, you will be charged an overage fee of $0.20 per MB. To help you keep tabs on your usage and minimize overage charges, the aforementioned Connection Manager software also monitors how much data you have used and how much you have left for the month

My view is more broadband is always better. But given T-Mobile's experience with data elsewhere and how reliable I've found it to be, I suspect that the USA version will be just as good, wherever it may be found. In the past their HotSpot service was always the most consistent and best around from this users perspective.

I have to admit that I’m a Netbook Junkie.

Ever since I first laid eyes on a “black beauty,” that little capsule of joy, all 7 inches of Linux packing, Skype weilding, Firefox ready and Thunderbird enabled, I was hooked. I was so hooked I bought my first one in France, only to find of course it had a French keyboard (duh) so said jonesin’ wasn’t satisfied until a model, with a USA keyboard was found and imported from Taiwan. Yes, those of us who are hooked, will go to any length to get our fix. But that was a “white wonder” and even though it satisfied my need for a fix, I just had to find a “black” beauty. And I did. Like the “white wonder” it was also an Asus 701.

Then came the Asus 901s in Linux and Windows. I ordered both. Then the 1000H too, also in both flavors, as the bigger they got the more potent the jonesin’ became. I had to have them all.

The came the rivals. The Acers. The MSIs. Lenovos. Dells. HPs. Samsungs, GigaBytes and more.

I quickly grabbed one, then another, then another. Buying importing, I even had a taste of a converted Linux to Windows Acer Aspire One for myself, then one for my wife. She was hooked too. All of a sudden the homeless Asus Linux devices found new homes with her staff who became hooked as well. When it came time for holiday presents and Bar Mitzvah gifts, we opted to give three teens their entry to the world of Netbook Nirvana. And yes, they too are hooked each with their own Acer Aspire One “Blue Bombers.”

You see, the Netbooks are so small, and do so much, and so easily, for you that deciding which one is best for you is the biggest challenge. 8.9” or 10.1” whichever the size the addiction is there.

What’s my favorite? That’s tough. On one hand it’s my “blue” Acer Aspire One with built in 3G that you can only buy through RadioShack. Great for on the go rocket fast data connectivity in the USA but I have yet to figure out if it is unlocked or not. Then there is my Asus S101, perhaps the most gorgeous of the bunch, but that’s been rivaled by the new “blue magic” from Asus too. It’s the Asus 1000HE with the more potent, faster acting and smoother running N280 from Intel that also has a 9.5 hour, but very compact battery which I’ve also nicknamed “blue.”  With it comes amazing audio that really rocks. Plus an amazing built in Super Hybrid Engine overclocker, smooth WiFi connectivity and it sure works great with VoIP and Video confencing too.  Just add a 3G USB stick and your “flyin high.”

My wife has her own special Netbook too. It’s a GigaByte M912  nicknamed “Gigi” which was obtained via the most reliable “dealer” in the Netbook business for only the best “imported” and really special “high end stuff,” the great folks at Dynamism.

But like a real junkie, I’ve always wanted more (and in reality had it all the time.) It’s my Flybook V5. But given the price point and what it has inside, it’s not really a Netbook, its an amazing work of laptop engineering, in a class by itself…The Flybook really does fly and boy does that satisfy anyone’s NetBook lust. Even my wife’s. While mine is Silver, her’s is of course Gold. And yes to complete the story, the “Flybooks” even have nicknames. “Fly” for mine and “Flyette” for hers.

Hooked? You bet. But still as good as they are, none really replaces Mackie. None of the four of mine ranging from Air, to the two Pros or iMac. But Mac Addiction is something even more. It’s religious like perhaps rivaled only by those with BlackBerries, I mean, “crackberries.”

Outright my agency represents Truphone for various communications and strategy, so yes, I’m biased. But like so many companies that have become a client, I was using the service first and realized that the potential of using it in certain situations would make Truphone an essential part of my road warrior lifestyle.

For the past few years my visits to our winemaker friends, Sylvain and Desiree Fadat and their charming village home in Montpeyroux, France where their world class winery, Domaine d’Aupilhac is, always resulted in a hotel stay for my wife and I, much to the chagrin of our always more than generous friends who have many guest rooms (and more coming soon) where we could stay. But with the deployment of WiFi in the main house, not only in the winery offices, a stay in the house has become “just like home” now.

You see, where the house is, seems to fall in the middle of a coverage hole. SFR works in one part of the house. Bouygues in  another, but Orange is only visible outside on the back landing. Enter WiFi and Truphone.

Not only were my calls back to the States clear as a bell, but calls returned to me reached me seamlessly on my Nokia E90. For one call I used the Apple iPhone and again the call experience on my end was flawless. Beyond the cost savings (yes I do pay for my usage) via the TruSaver plan was what is best described as “piece of mind.” No worrying about long distance rate. No worrying about the calls being connected. Everything worked as promised. On my Nokia E90 (or N95) and on my wife’s N95, we have constant connectivity, find me and follow as Truphone routes the calls to the GSM numbers we have in France or to any mobile number in any GSM country when the SIM  is installed.

Given the WiFi network I’ll be at the winery more and staying over, eliminating a hotel bill, and a drive. This means I can taste more wines, not have to curtail my enthusiasm for the wines, and not have a WiFi bill. When you add all this up, Truphone isn’t just saving me cell minutes, it’s saving me hundreds of dollars a day in hotel, gas and parking charges too, and enabling me to have more fun!

Om Malik yesterday posted about his iPhone and WiFi, relating the study to some of HIS favorite apps. Two he highlighted are two clients, Truphone and Boingo.

At SFO Airport last week and again earlier this week I made a series of international calls using my iPhone using Truphone. I also made some domestic ones as a test. The cost savings alone on the first call to the UK paid me back for my $7.95 a month Boingo Mobile account alone.

One think I also noticed was that at SFO the 3G signal level in some parts of the airport is not that strong. With Boingo my connectivity was faster and stronger to the 'net. As Om points out, many people are using WiFi on their iPhones to make up for the deficiencies of the AT&T network which needs more and more shoring up as more new users come on line.

First hand experience isn't wrong. Om and I both are pretty heavy users of devices, and putting the client relationships aside, I've been using both Boingo and Truphone almost since each company launched. They provide me the ability to be working anywhere and to save a ton of money. In addition to the iPhone I have the Boing mobile application on my Nokia N and E series phones as well as my Nokia N810. With Boingo on the N810 I can make real Skype calls over WiFi, as well as Gizmo calls. I can even connect to my OnSip.com hosted PBX using WiFi at the airport.

Bottom line. More and more there are neat ways to cut out the high cost of roaming, without skimping on quality.

Yesterday Mike Butcher, TechCrunch UK broke the news about the new Truphone application that works on the Apple iPod Touch, giving the Touch users around the world the ability to call one another. It can be found in the Apple App Store.

What I see as the big deal here is what else the geniuses at Truphone are throwing into the mix. A complete set of calling capabilities that shows just how far they have thought this opportunity through.

For starters Truphone will soon be adding PSTN In and Out Calling to the platform along with calls to Skype pals and MSN Messenger buddies. This in essence means Truphone has made the Apple iPod Touch into a full blown WiFi phone, and truly a universal calling solution.

I'm also told by my friends inside client Truphone that you can make SIP calls too, thus rivaling Fring but offering far better call quality making it a True VoIP 2.0 phoning experience. Since it also "talks to Google Talk" the Truphone folks have practically covered all the calling bases they need to for a first release. I call that downright impressive.

The move by Truphone to enter the iPod market with a service that is as complete as this one is significant, due in part to both the size of user base now, and the likely growth we'll see of iPod Touch users in the future. This move also means that Truphone has taken a "first strike" at being the first Mobile VoIP player to work inside the home (or any place WiFi is) on a device that isn't really supposed to be a phone, by enabling it to be called by almost anyone from anywhere. In an era of what I labeled device divergence after attending Telco 2.0 a year or so ago, the Apple iPod Touch with Truphone is dead center to what I was musing about, as they have taken a device that is purpose built to do one thing very well, and then adding a useful and widely used complimentary service (phone calling) to it that works nicely and coexists without taking away from the primary purpose of the gadget. Entertainment.

Other players in VoIP have done similar things, but against far smaller user bases. We all know about Skype on the Sony Mylo and Nokia Tablets, the N800 and N810, as well as GizmoProject on all three Nokia Tablets since the start. But while both devices are technical design and function wonders, neither has the widespread distribution, availability or likely audience size of the Apple iPod Touch.

For kids and college students who love their music and their video, especially those on campuses with WiFi, this means they can reduce their cell plan to make calls to regular land lines, and if mom, dad or their friends have iPod Touches, or Truphone accounts those calls are FREE just as calls back to them are FREE. For the under 12 set, this means mom and dad can avoid giving them a cell phone. For kids this means they can call their parents over WiFi at work, and for FREE if they have a SIP address. All they need to do is type it in or likely add it to the contact directory already in the iPod.

But I see more disruption ahead with this. Take the area which cable TV powerhouse Cablevision services outside of New York City. Cablevision has lit up a WiFi cloud for their cable customers own use. No roamers from foreign systems. So for Cablevision subscribers in already cellular coverage challenged New York City, the iPod Touch and Truphone helps them stay, ahem, in touch.

This is also awesome for the fledgling Clear (ex ZOHM and Clearwire) crowd of users. Now they can have a full blown VoIP experience over one of the best IP networks around. Barry West said in Baltimore he wanted something more than Skype. Well, Mr. West, here it is.

Now let me go one step further. If you're out and about using a paid for WiFi service, applications like Easy WiFi from DeviceScape and soon a few others mean you can latch onto services like BT, The Cloud, Boingo, FON or T-Mobile's Hotspot service around the globe and connect, fast and easily. You can then make calls the same way, and just as easily as I did today at Barcelona Airport using a combination of Boingo Mobile, the Nokia E90 and Truphone. The experience will be almost the same, and likely easier as the Truphone interface on the Touch is simpler. You just touch it. The call quality all the way to California this morning was crystal clear, and it never touched a roaming network. All IP until it reached my wife's cell phone in the house.

At home, the iPod Touch already connects quickly and easily to WiFi routers. At home I have a network of the Apple Airport Extreme and Airport Express, meaning I can be wandering the house, tuning out to my favorite music or listening to a podcast and take a call...Simply and easily and not have to go find my cell phone.

So, the next time you want to "reach out and touch someone" now you truly can, with your iPod Touch and Truphone. I call it TruTouch.

Update-> Forbes' AppleWatch has a take on how Truphone on the iPod Touch could be good for the Touch's sale and market acceptance overall.

I caught a bit of Oprah yesterday at my mother-in-laws where we had Turkey Day a day early here in Silicon Valley. One of the segments features their use of Skype.

Today a story appears tied to ABC News about iChat and the use of it in video conferencing. Another story in the International Herald Tribue cites Rebecca Swensen of IDC who explains why webcams and video chat is growing.

Late last night a story appeared in ItBusiness out of Canada ran a story offering up a series of tips for using video conferencing, mentioning client SightSpeed.

What I'm seeing, and as I've previously posted about, is the growing trend to see more and more video conferencing entering the Web generation's daily life. This is being powered largely by the simple fact that more PCs have webcams and there's a desire to see who you've been chatting, emailing or talking with.

But there are other factors driving video conferencing or video chat uptake.

1. Greater penetration of broadband

2. Better quality, lower latency broadband

3. Faster processors on PCs

4. Laptops that do what desktops used to do

5. The launch of the Netbooks.

6. Better compression codecs for video and audio from client GIPS and others.

What's more, AMI-Partners says that there's also an nice uptick for video conferencing in the SMB space.