calling

If it looks like an iPhone and walks like an iPhone, it must be an iPhone, right? Yet the iPod Touch isn't quite there.

Sure, you can install a voice-over-IP app like Fring, Line2 (a personal favorite), or Skype and make calls over Wi-Fi, but you still have to plug in a headset or rely on the speakerphone -- you can't hold the iPod up to your head and talk into it like you do an iPhone.

Not yet, anyway. Indiegogo project MorphCase lets you use your iPod Touch like an iPhone, effectively replacing the need for a … Read more

Tango Video Calls is a free VoIP application for iOS with high goals, but low performance. The app is very easy to use, but its interface misses the finesse of a native iOS application such as FaceTime.

With its intuitive interface, most users will be able to skip the video tutorial and get started right away, especially those who've used a VoIP app before. Tango Video Calls does offer some great features, such as the FaceTime-ish video call (the primary aim of the app) or (what we liked the most) video messaging. We loved the concept of breaking down … Read more

Viber gives Skpe a run for its money, and we think it comes out ahead. It ships with a good-looking interface dominated by the color purple that will have you placing VoIP calls in no time.

The app integrates with iOS perfectly and, fortunately, doesn't require a username and password to register. Instead, it uses your phone number as your ID. Once you have allowed the app to scan your address book, the contacts registered in the Viber network will appear, and you can start calling them, even if they're based internationally.

We were pleasantly surprised by the … Read more

After last year's ho-hum (but nevertheless profitable) Modern Warfare 3 release, it honestly takes a healthy dose of caffeine to get excited about Call of Duty these days. However, Crave can't deny the cool factor in these Black Ops 2 collector's editions, available for pre-order before the game arrives November 13 for PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 platforms.

Developer Treyarch put together two configurations -- a Hardened Edition and a Care Package ($79 and $179, respectively) -- that should mostly satisfy the Call of Duty junkies who love to incessantly purchase every iteration of the game. … Read more

People who've received unwanted sales calls from Dish Network may yet get some satisfaction.

The company is the target of a lawsuit from the Federal Trade Commission alleging that it made sales calls to millions of consumers even though they had asked not to be called again.

The calls reportedly violated the FTC's Telemarketing Sales Rule. According to that rule, a telemarketer cannot call someone who has asked to be taken off the company's call list, even if the person is not registered with the National Do Not Call list.

The FTC's lawsuit alleges that Dish … Read more

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Pitchfork's People's List polls readers for the best albums of the last 15 years.

- The new rise of a summer hit: Tweet It Maybe.

- How Murder by Death became the No. 3 most successful Kickstarter music campaign ever.

- The Internet has finally met its match: Avril Lavigne engaged to Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger.

- Lights turning off at Nintendo Power?

- Custom BioShock pinball machine is Rapturous.… Read more

What's better than a summer pop hit? How about Han Solo, Darth Vader, and the whole "Star Wars" crew serenading you with a summer pop hit? That's a million times better. As it turns out, Yoda is quite the crooner.

YouTube user jamesconvenant rejiggered the Carly Rae Jepsen hit "Call me Maybe" with footage from the "Star Wars" franchise. He even managed to work in some subtitled Jabba the Hutt contributions.

Not to be outdone, the "Star Trek" fan contingent got on the case and intrepid YouTuber Zyphorg put together a version featuring Captain Picard and the Next Generation Enterprise crew. It's a little choppier than the "Star Wars" version, but impressive nonetheless.… Read more

For most gamers, the summer is a time for self reflection on the busy season ahead. It's a time for us to gather our thoughts, to compose ourselves, and perhaps venture out to what most normal humans refer to as "outside."

Today we're reminded of what awaits us this holiday season with a first-ever multiplayer mode trailer for the highly anticipated Call of Duty: Black Ops II, due out on November 13.

Arguably the most sought-after element of Call of Duty games are their online modes, and the trailer above certainly packs in plenty of drool-worthy … Read more

Perhaps killing virtual zombies will tempt you to buy a new Sony Android handset. The company just announced that the game Call of Duty: Black Ops Zombies is now available for download on its Xperia S and Xperia Ion smartphones.

As part of an exclusive deal with Activision, the $6.99 title will be listed in the Google Play store for 30 days only for these new Sony devices plus the older Xperia Play phone. The game features 50 levels of zombie-killing action and is a port of the popular console software.

According to Sony, users can play in single-player … Read more