Mad Money TV show host Jim Cramer (on CNBC broadcasting) is promoting Netgear Inc. (NYSE: NTGR) as the phone that could make VoIP actually work. In addition to wireless routers, Netgear makes the “Skype WiFi Phone” which allows you to make free calls to other Skype users around the world.

That means you can talk to people with Skype running on their laptop/ desktop computer or have another Skype phone - all for free. Skype also recently announced free calls within the United States and Canada for Skype users to landlines/ cell phones.

To give a clearer picture, here are the types of possible phones calls, and whether there is a cost associated:

• Caller and callee both have Skype, either on a Skype phone or a computer connected to the Internet. No charge for calls.
• Caller and called both live in the United States or Canada and the caller has Skype but the callee does not. No charge for calls - newly announced.
• Caller has Skype but callee does not, and at least one party does not live in the United States or Canada. Skype offers worldwide calling plans under the SkypeOut and SkypeIn options. SkypeOut lets a Skype user call out to a non-Skype phone. SkypeIn lets a Skype user receive calls from a non-SKype phone.
• Neither caller or callee have Skype. This is of course the traditional situation pre-dating VoIP.

Cramer added that Netgear Inc. has over US$5 per share in cash reserve, and that the quality of their Skype phone was going to payoff starting early 2007. Thus, he implied that the stock is a recommended buy. Contrastly, he repeatedly called Vonage stock not just a dog but a mongrel.

To my knowledge, Skype does not offer software that will run on a smartphone or Wi-Fi enabled smart PDA (such as the Palm Treo 650 and 700 series). My take on this is that cellular providers better get on the ball and figure out how to offer their customers Skype or lose their holding in the huge mobile communications market.

Tags: Mad Money, Jim Cramer, CNBC, Netgear, VoIP phone, Skype phone, voice over internet protocol, Vonage

With all the latest wireless technologies (RFID, Bluetooth, GPS, Wi-Fi) available these days, it’s interesting to imagine how they might be combined into new applications with consumer electronics to create hybrid uses. Some of the ideas in the list below are serious, some just for fun. It’s not so much the wireless technology nor the consumer electronics in use that is new but the application and hybrid methodology. (If you’re sure that some of these applications exist, drop a comment.)

1. Wi-Fi + RFID skateboard. Parents that are tired of calling their kids in for supper can send a text message to this skateboard: supper’s ready. If your kid doesn’t come home in a few minutes, use the RFID tech in your handheld reader to locate them. (One company is already using RFID to track golf balls.) GPS is not necessary, unless your child is prone to going outside of 10-30 metres (33-100 feet). You could go one step further and set up a Wi-Fi speaker that plays a gentle, non-startling tone if your child drags his/her heels. The tone means that they have minutes before a servo-mechanism locks the wheels of the skateboard. You can then watch their return progress on a computer monitor using RFID or Wi-Fi based triangulation. (Or GPS for longer ranges.)

2. Office doorway monitoring system. An access monitoring system that adds an entry to an RSS/ Atom web feed whenever someone enters an RFID-enabled doorway using their smart passcard. The  security person live-monitoring the feed on location on a computer screen would see a default picture of that person. If the default pic does not match the appearance of the person on a video monitor, entry would not be granted. [There are systems that use more sophisticated means using biometrics, but they are costly.] The web feed would be published on the Internet but be password-protected. It could then be accessed by authorized company employees from remote locations for whatever reason. (Use your imagination.)!

3. An SED Wi-Fi digital camera that auto-posts pictures to an online gallery, along with voice comments. These would be a boon to photobloggers that don’t want to waste time monkeying with a blogging platform and podcasting software. The photog would preview a pic, then press a button to publish live. Of course, the execution of this method either requires that the camera is enabled with a Wi-Fi cellular plan, or near a smart PDA with Wi-Fi, or has Bluetooth and is near a laptop with Internet access. So in the worst case, the photog records audio comments for each snapshot and stores everything on a memory card. Then, when they are able to connect to the Internet, they can auto-publish approved pics and audio. Voila, an audio-photo podcast. (Note: Wi-Fi cameras that can upload to a laptop or desktop computer are either already out at the time of this writing, or will be out soon. However, none of them connect directly to the Internet. Hence, the SED - Service-Enabled Device - designation.)

4. Internet-enabled iPods and iVods. These, like the camera above, are SEDs. Imagine being able to directly download audio or video content from the Internet without having to go through a laptop or desktop computer.

5. RFID-enabled VIP passcards for nightclubs. No more waiting in the cold night, shivering. Just smile and wave the RFID passcard, and you’re in. Get yourself access to special cubbyholes and get to know that special someone a bit better. Automatic frequent partyer points, anyone? Similar smart passcards might be useful for box seats at a sporting event, opera, or play. Add SED capability to a special home-based reader device, and you can purchase tickets easily. Bye bye scalpers.

Got anymore ideas? Devices you’d like to see? Or not see?

Tags: unwired, wireless tech, RFID, GPS, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, digital camera, biometrics, SED, ipod, ivod