The arrival of Skype on iPhone and BlackBerry will force the carriers to confront a painful reality: Telephone calls aren't special. They are just data crossing the network that happens to end up on a handset someplace. And that data shouldn't be priced differently than any other data the network carries.

Apple, in its usual anti-consumer way, is limiting what Skype will be able to do on iPhones in order to protect AT&T's business. iPhone users will be able to use Skype when connected to a Wi-Fi network, but not when using AT&T's 3G or EDGE data networks.

Facebook is in trouble and Microsoft can solve those troubles, at least for now, by taking over the company. Yes, it is hard to believe that a company growing as rapidly as Facebook is growing should be in trouble, but it is.

No matter how Facebook tries to position itself to earn its living someday, it runs afoul of its users. Thus, Facebook is a classic example of a company that loses money on every sale, but "makes it up in volume."

How fast does mobile Internet need to be for to you give up the wired connection you're probably using right now?

Sprint's announcement of plans to expand its 4G WiMAX network reminds us that the era of predominately wired Internet connections may be coming to a close.

The first thing I thought when I read about Salesforce.com's plan to integrate Twitter into its Service Cloud customer service platform was simple: Who's got the time? The second thing I thought was: Someone could really turn this against their competitors if they wanted to.

The idea behind the Twitter integration is that companies could find people on Twitter with customer service issues and then respond to help solve their problems. I am not sure how appealing this will be.

It is beginning to look like the next Google could be, well, Google. Or at least Google is aware of the threat semantic search engines pose to its keyword-based searches, and the company is doing something about it.

Google today announced it is adding semantic search capabilities to its engine, allowing it to provide a more useful list of related search terms along with the specific results of the keyword search.

The Facebook I find myself unhappy with today is not the Facebook I signed up for. I didn't change, Facebook did. And I want the Facebook that I signed up for back.

Over the past few days, it has become fashionable for pundits to tell Facebook that it is doing the right thing, customer opinion be damned. They say that disruptive change is necessary and a positive thing. That in Facebook's case not listening to customers is a virtue, rather than a sin.

Had I paid attention and seen the spam first, I would not have purchased a MagicJack VOIP telephony adapter when I ran into it at RadioShack. After all, nothing that is promoted using spam marketing can possibly be any good, right?

I have, for example, purposely skipped the Dremel tool-like claw trimmer for dogs and cats, about which I received a zillion spam messages and then ran into at PetsMart. On the other hand, I know for a fact that ShamWow absorbent cloths works pretty much as promised. I have had mine for two years, long before the spamwave slammed into my mailbox.

I did not plan to take time out of my weekend to defend Apple, but Jeff Bertolucci's missive "Ballmer Is Right: Mac Users Do Pay Dearly for Apple Logo" is just wrong. Not in the facts, mind you, just the analysis.

Jeff compares a low-end MacBook portable to a similar Dell laptop. He concludes that the MacBook, at $999, costs $359 more than the Dell. Jeff never actually states an opinion on the relative value of the two machines--the headline does that work--but it seems clear enough where he's coming from: The Mac isn't worth the extra coin.

You think your business has it rough? The people of Battlestar Galactica have lived through a recession you wouldn't believe. With dwindling resources, a skeleton crew, enemies constantly lurking out of view, and a pervasive threat of annihilation, Admiral Adama navigates the vast unknown. Like any leader, he makes his share of mistakes--sometimes with devastating consequences. But regardless of the fate of that ragtag fleet, the tale of Galactica is rife with lessons that can benefit any business leader.

1. Tech isn't always the answer.

In the premiere episode, the Cylons took out the entire human battle fleet by exploiting a weakness in the computer network. Only the Galactica survived, because its network was offline. The takeaway? Overdependence on technology can be your downfall.

Know the difference between 'identity theft' and 'identity fraud'? Don't feel bad if you don't. Even within the security industry, within the government, and within law enforcement, the terms are used interchangeably although they are in fact different.

Deciding what is defined as and counted as Identity fraud was the subject of a gathering of Identity fraud experts in Pleasanton, CA last month. Hosted by Javelin Strategy & Research, it was the second workshop for The Identity Theft Prevention and Identity Management Standards Panel (IDSP) sponsored the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). In attendance were representatives from Javelin, the Federal Trade Commission, the Department of Justice, the Department of Homeland Security, Kroll, Debix, Affinion, IDExperts, ID Analytics, Experian, Visa, and the non-profit ID Theft Resource Center.

If you believe a published report, AT&T is about to (finally) make good on its promise to offer a "pay-as-you-go" iPhone, sold without the usual requirement for a two-year service contact. Commitment phobia, however, comes at a high price.

Here are details of the rumored deal, supposed to become effective next week:

Well, I guess it's true: If an enterprise computing vendor lives long enough, IBM will claim it in the end. While I have tremendous respect for Sun, I've never quite been able to figure out how the company has survived this long.

I'd always guessed the company would eventually be sold off piece by piece. Surprisingly, IBM now appears ready to invest perhaps $4 billion in cash (once you take Sun's cash and marketable securities into account) to remove a competitor from the marketplace in a single swoop.

How many security officers should there be for each software developer? Turns out the answer is one for every 100. This and other best software security best practices are now part of a joint project between security vendor Fortify and the security consulting firm Cigital.

Entitled Building Security In Maturity Model (BSIMM), the project is not intended to be a "how to" nor even a one size fits all solution to writing secure code, according to Fortify. Rather, BSIMM is the result of conversations around software security practices that Fortify and Cigital had with companies such as Adobe, EMC, Google, Microsoft, QUALCOMM, Wells Fargo, and Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC).

Google's decision to release new beta versions of its Chrome browser again raise questions about what the company hopes Chrome will accomplish. Is Chrome merely a browser, or is intended to be something more important?

There as those who refer to Chrome as the foundation of operating system that, when complete, will allow Google to compete more directly with Microsoft for control of the desktop.

Let's stop treating Apple as a tabloid rock star, evaluating its performance only on its last gig. My fellow PC World blogger David Coursey thinks that given the first few months, Apple might as well pack up and hope for a better 2010. I disagree on two points: Apple's early announcements have given enough punch, and we still have nine-and-a-half more months in 2009. Couldn't the Cupertino company release anything else this year?

The iPhone 3.0 roadmap was Apple's biggest 2009 move. I agree that cut/copy/paste, MMS, and even the push notifications fill areas the iPhone has lagged; they're not features that move it ahead. But Apple announced so much more, hanging on those features feels disingenuous.

Looking at Dell's new Adamo laptop is a bit like watching a guy 50-year-old guy enter his mid-life crisis. And that guy just might be the Adamo's target customer--someone with $2,000 to plunk down on an underpowered laptop, but would rather run Vista Home Premium than OS X.

Yep, that's the same aging baby boomer who buys a Harley and never rides it above the posted speed limit, but thinks he's become a babe magnet on two wheels. All while his wife smiles sympathetically and shakes her head. If you ask me, people who want Apple laptops already own them--Dell customers want Dell laptops. The Adamo is not a Dell laptop; it's a counterfeit Mac.

Apple's iPhone 3.0 software overview positions the consumer device even further into the business world. Part of the push comes from the 1,000 new APIs (application programming interfaces) developers will be able to access; these tools will expand the basic functionality and make new kinds of software possible. The other part comes directly from Apple, in new features tied into its apps and OS. And while much was explained, a literal backdrop of feature names--including important business components--gives fuel for further speculation.

1,000 APIs and developer tools
Apple is opening up 1,000 new APIs to developers, letting them access core parts of the hardware and software that were previously off-limits. A map API adds that functionality to any app; view all of your nearby clients in a CRM tool, for example. And a voice-chat API could let developers easily add push-to-talk-like functionality to any tool, letting you keep in touch without dialing the phone. But I'm most excited about opening the dock and Bluetooth connections to third parties.

Apple's 2009 announcements--at least those we have seen so far--are not up to the company's recent standard. Let me go a bit further: They are pretty much a snooze, at least compared to what we have come to expect.

Of course, what Apple has given us in the recent past is more interesting than the products any five other companies are doing combined, so Apple deserves some slack. Still, even today's iPhone 3.0 OS preview--easily the best announcement so far this year--is more interesting than it is exciting.

The iPhone 3.0 event is only hours away, and I'm more interested than I've been before any recent Apple trade show or presentation. Rumors are flying about the software update roadmap; here are a few of my favorite predictions.

Premium App Store
Apple's App Store is an overwhelming mess. With more than 25,000 apps so far, and each competing to be the cheapest, you'll find a lot of quantity at the $1 point, but not much quality. Wired is the latest to cover the premium App Store rumor, with Apple featuring selected programs at a higher price point--$20--away from the rest.

Sam Lessin is founder and CEO of the file-sharing site drop.io. What follows is his reaction to the Facebook page redesign.

My company, drop.io, has just shy of 3,000 Facebook fans and 3,500 Twitter followers. While by no means are either of these numbers earth-shattering, social media has always been at the absolute center of how we as a company interact with our most dedicated users and customers, and we take it very seriously as a primary means of keeping up an ongoing dialogue with our community.

The new Google Voice service juggles several telephone tricks, picking up where Google-acquired GrandCentral left off. Google Voice routes incoming calls to several phones simultaneously, dials numbers from the PC interface, includes web-accessible voicemail, and more. The biggest new feature transcribes voice messages so you can read them as SMS or email. All together, it's a great option for businesses with mobile needs, letting clients reach you wherever you are by dialing a single number.

While initially available only to current GrandCentral users, I'm relieved that Google is finally releasing an update. I've used the free GrandCentral for the mobility features, but especially for call recording options; the service has languished for two years, making me begin plans to move to another tool. (PhoneFusion looks like a close competitor, giving more routing options for multiple employees while coming with a $10-30 monthly fee.)

Hardware subsidies are one of the greatest scams that have ever been perpetrated on American technology buyers--yet it has been going on in the cellular industry forever. Now, the cell carriers and their henchmen in the computer business are trying to bring the same evil game to netbooks.

You know the drill: Since American cellular carriers sell their own (mostly proprietary) handsets, when you choose a carrier you are locked into purchasing a specific family of carrier-specific phones.

It has been said that on the Internet no one knows you are a dog, but if you are a financial institution, or even a dating service, authentication is very serious business. User names and passwords are no longer secure enough, and complicating matters are vast networks of computers that can be directed to open and close thousands of accounts worldwide in mere seconds. That's why Device ID, the practice of fingerprinting the means by which an account is accessed, is seen as a growth security industry in 2009.

"As long as you behave as a normal individual, it is difficult to capture first time fraudster," said Threatmetrix CEO Reed Taussig. "Ordinarily, he would have to do something outside the norm. With Device ID, if he's cloaking his device, hiding behind a proxy, we inform the customer."

For years, my friend Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols has been trying to turn Linux into something it is not: A successful and popular desktop operating system. Everyone needs a reason to get up in the morning and I am glad he has found such a long lasting (and profitable) one. He is a smart guy, but I am still waiting for the Linux that will change my life.

His latest foray into "Linux is the next big thing" is a discussion of Google's Android operating system running on future netbooks. Steven then over-generalizes to call Android "Google's...own contender for desktop operating system king." And in a paragraph that starts by talking about Windows 7, no less.

Not long ago, I attended a public-safety workshop about weapons of mass destruction, something I do in one of my volunteer do-gooder lives. We were watching a slide and video presentation given by a Special Agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The speaker was a highly-trained and apparently fearless bomb disposal agent, talking about the danger posed by easy-to-build car bombs.

He told us the story of a Russian bomb squad member who became a national celebrity for defusing a terrorist bomb left in a major city. The bomb tech was shown on the evening news across Russia.

There has been much speculation about a supposed new Apple netbook computer, and the rumors have once again re-emerged. Forgive me for pointing out the obvious, but the current MacBook Air would seem to fit most definitions of netbook, except for one. Why does Apple need another?

Apple may be--probably is--working on something, but it probably won't be a real netbook anymore than my iPhone is a full-fledged computer.

PC shipments will continue to fall through 2009, according to analyst group, IDC. The group estimates that for the full year, numbers will be down 4.5 percent versus 2008, with a whopping 8 percent decline in just the first half of 2009. To which I say, it's about time.

The PC hardware upgrade cycle has always frustrated me. Yes, new software often drives the requirement for new hardware. That relationship was clear in the beginning of the decade, with every PC transitioning to a video-editing, media-capable system. Games have always driven hardware upgrades. As graphics and AI get more realistic, games naturally demand more computing power.

PC World's Preston Gralla recently explored five useful things that Microsoft Live can do for you. I was pleased to see that that what may be Microsoft's most screwed-up program, its online business, is still chugging along in search of salvation. And it seems to be finding some.

Maybe that is a little strong, because Microsoft's various Live offerings have sometimes been almost as good as they are confusing. And since they are totally confusing, that means I have really liked some of what Redmond offers. Preston's story talks about the current winners and I'd encourage you to take a look. I am going to start using them myself--especially the free synchronization.

When it redesigned the new Mac Mini, released this week, Apple had an excellent opportunity to show it is serious about small business. Alas, Apple did what it generally does for small (and large) business: Missed the opportunity.

This is sad, because Mac OS X Leopard Server is easy to setup, powerful, and does pretty much everything you would want a server for a small business to do. It includes an iCal server, wiki server, podcast producer, supports client backups, and provides file and print services. It is a sweet piece of software and many more companies should be using it.

Comcast has announced its "wideband" high-speed rollout for the San Francisco Bay Area, raising Internet speeds as high as 50Mbps for downloads and 10Mbps for upstream. But as sweet as that jump sounds, be careful when ordering business service from big companies like Comcast. Hidden limits can offset any speed gains.

Think of how much of your crucial, hopefully private company data is flowing through your ISP: essentially, all of it. You're trusting your ISP to keep from giving your details to the government or even private companies.

When you're on the road, tracking expenses is just another hassle that eats up valuable time. And as the receipts pile up in your wallet, it gets increasingly difficult to remember how much you've spent, and on what. Enter TextHog, a free (for now, anyway) Web app designed to simplify the tracking and analysis of business expenses while you're in transit.

There's no shortage of expense tracking and reporting apps for smart phones, but what sets TextHog apart from most others is the fact that it doesn't live on your phone at all. Instead, you just text (or e-mail) your expenses to a private address on TextHog as you incur them, as in Food, 8.34. This will create a record of the transaction on your TextHog account, which you can later view, categorize, edit, and ultimately output in the form of a CSV file with all the other expenses from your trip.

Microsoft's Kumo search engine images leaked when the company asked for internal feedback. I don't care if the release was a surprise or a sly attempt to build media attention; I'm hoping the tool creates a new era of visual searching.

As is, Google searches are indispensable for work and home research. You can find a local pizza, phone number for a distant business, or seemingly answer any question. The web's growth owes a lot to text searches. I even rely on internal PC searches as a main file-browsing tool.

For growing businesses, I know of no better way to purchase software than as a hosted service, paid for on a per-user/per-month basis. While the equation may not work for the smallest companies, and some IT departments avoid it in order to build an ever-larger empire for themselves, Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) is the up-and-coming thing. And it's a perfect solution expand or contract in a roller-coaster economy.

With SaaS, your company's applications are hosted by the vendors and accessed over the Internet. All sorts of applications are offered this way, from desktop productivity to industry-specific applications, accounting, databases, e-mail archiving, content management and most everything else.

Here's something I'd like to toss into the hat for the economic stimulus program: Let's provide a subsidy to help newspapers and other publishers transition from paper-based to electronic distribution. The fate of American journalism is too important to be left to chance, but its very nature precludes it from lobbying much on its own behalf.

Our founding fathers clearly considered a free press to be more important to the survival of our democracy than banks. In fact, Thomas Jefferson eerily predicted that big banking could be our downfall. Yet, banks are getting hundreds and hundreds of billions of dollars and publishers not a cent. Newspapers are also more important than saving GM or Chrysler, both of which are presently readying for long drinks from the public trough.