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Why limit Skype to VoIP voice calls. Now when you are on the go, after that super long business meeting in China that could have been taken care of with a 5 min phone call, you and plotz down and watch some US TV. Japanese company Novac has released a television tuner for Skype software. It enables your computer to broadcast TV shows via the internet. With a laptop and an internet connection you can watch your local shows no matter where you happen to be.

The Novac TV tuner currently works with the Windows XP version of Skype. The software converts digitized video into a video conference stream and the channel can be changed by sending a Skype instant message. The hardware goes on sale in Japan on July 14, for around ¥9,800 ($85/£46/€67). Now all you need to do to watch in HD at home instead of on your PC is, convince your boss that you could work from home.

Read [Coolest Gadgets]

Third generation cellular wireless technology is still in its infancy and the CEO of Sprint could not spot talking about the next generation. Don’t get me wrong, 20 Mbps download speeds, compared to 3G’s 400-700 Kbps is nothing to cry about, but isn’t it a little early? I guess Gary Forsee doesn’t think so.

Sprint has spent billions of dollars building its 3G network, which is based on EV-DO, technology. The company started offering the service only a year ago, and has spent the latter half of 2005 and the first half of 2006 expanding the network. WiMax seems to be the front runner for the next gen wireless highway, delivering speeds equal to your in-home cable or DSL connection--but straight to your handset. 4G is required for mobile TV and streaming of other large content over networks both quickly and without crashing the servers.

All three of the big U.S. cell phone carriers--Cingular Wireless, Sprint Nextel and Verizon Wireless--already offer mobile video today, but only about 1 percent to 2 percent of the cell phone market is using the service. Sprint isn’t the only mobile carrier investing in new network technologies to handle broadcast TV on mobile phones. Verizon Wireless has already agreed to work with Qualcomm, which is developing a network especially for mobile TV using a technology it calls MediaFlo.

Read [News.com]