SpeedDial for Skype lets Mac Users Cut the Cord
Shareware lets users roam as far as their wireless connections allow.
San Francisco, CA, June 6, 2006 – NHANDZ, a digital home company offering
input devices and software that enable remote control of PC/Mac’s,
announced the release of SpeedDial for Skype. SpeedDial for Skype works
with the popular VOIP service, Skype (owned by eBay), allowing users to use
Skype remotely, away from their Macs.
SpeedDial lets consumers create keyboard shortcuts or “hotkeys” for making,
answering and hanging up calls using only a keyboard—and not requiring a
user to find a flat surface for a mouse or even be in view of a computer
screen—to use Skype.
The SpeedDial program has built-in speed dial settings for answering and
hanging up calls, and a simple interface to automatically create speed
dials for anyone on their Skype contact list or to add new speed dial
contacts.
SpeedDial for Skype is the latest VOIP offering by NHANDZ, promoting
remote/mobile use of Skype while in the home, following previous Mac OS X
and Windows PC releases of Speakables for Skype, voice recognition
software. Speakables is the voice recognition unit of NHANDZ.
With SpeedDial and Speakables, the company is encouraging consumers to “cut
the cord” from their Macs and PCs by providing solutions that allow them to
control Skype and other programs, when away from their computers, and in
relaxed settings in the home, using complementary devices like wireless
keyboards and headsets (eg. bluetooth).
“SpeedDial is a terrific addition to wireless keyboards and headsets,
speakerphones and iSight – basically gadgets that everyone already uses,”
says Benjamin Factor, Marketing Manager of NHANDZ. “It provides a lot more
freedom since you don=92t even have to be in view of your monitor, you can
roam as far as your wireless devices will allow. Why would anyone want to
be stuck in front of their computer when they don=92t have to be?”
=46or users who have connected their Macs to their (big screen) TVs to use
the TV both as a TV screen and monitor, they can still continue to make and
receive Skype calls without having to switch back from TV viewing. Using a
wireless headset and keyboard, for instance, Skype will announce incoming
calls and users can take and make calls, seamlessly.
“Most Mac/TV users split the audio between computer speakers and their TV
audio output so they are still notified of an incoming call even if they
don=92t have their TV in computer mode. And with Skype’s spoken Events
preferences set, you can actually hear who’s calling,” adds Factor. “Even
if someone else is using the Mac, you can still make and receive Skype
calls in your bedroom, living room, bathroom or outdoors, and still have
privacy.”
The company is offering SpeedDial as a free 30 day trial to encourage
increased adoption of computer-based VOIP, and convergence to the Mac/PC as
the central hub of entertainment media in the digital home. The company’s
software solutions like SpeedDial and Speakables are being released in
advance of a handheld wireless (thumb) keyboard with integrated mouse,
(NControl, that the company plans to release later this year. NControl will
permit even greater freedom to consumers, who will then not be limited by
larger and less mobile standard wireless keyboards.
“Think of a Blackberry-like device to control your computer and that’s
NControl,” says Factor. “This really is THE killer app of the digital home
– the combination of a handheld keyboard that can provide the convenience
of using simple hotkeys (SpeedDial) or voice (Speakables) to control a
Mac/PC.”
Pricing and Availability
SpeedDial for Skype (for Mac OS X 10.3 or newer) is immediately available
for download as a free 30 day trial from the NHANDZ website at
www.nhandz.com. And then $7 to purchase.
About NHANDZ
NHANDZ provides innovative input devices and software that encourage
consumers to converge their home entertainment media to their computers, by
making it more convenient and impressive to control their computers
remotely from relaxed areas of the home, away from the desktop.