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Microsoft-owned VoIP app Skype has updated its wares for iOS users, allowing them to send unlimited free video messages to fellow users.


The newly-tuned app lifts restrictions on video clips, which had previously limited users to just 20 free videos a month unless they upgraded to the $4.99 Skype Premium subscription.

The update comes just over a week after Skype announced it would be making video messages completely free on all platforms.

In a blog post at the time the company said: "Video messaging is now available to all Skype users. You can send and receive as many video messages as you want – completely free of charge. Video messages can be received and viewed on any platform or device running Skype."

The functionality allows users to send video messages up to three minutes in length from Skypes smartphone, tablets and Windows and Mac apps.

Its proved popular for those wishing to send personal video messages quickly and easily, while its also a good alternative if users are unable to make contact when attempting to make a live voice and video call.

As well as some general fixes and improvements, the app also improves video and audio call stability and brings more reliable photo sharing.

Earlier this month the company had rolled out the video message feature, which first appeared for iOS, Android and Mac users in February, to BlackBerry, Windows 8 and Windows desktop users.

Strangely, considering Microsoft owns the company, the feature is yet to hit Windows Phone.

With the Padfone 2 and the FonePad, Taiwanese manufacturer Asus has established itself as the master of the Android hybrid.

While Android smartphones continue to thrive and Android tablets - but for a few exceptions - continue to flounder, Asus has come up with a novel way to capitalise on the former and circumvent the latter.
Mash them both together.


However, Asus doesnt quite seem to have decided on a definitive format. Both the Asus Padfone 2 and the Asus FonePad combine key elements of the smartphone and tablet form factors, but they go about it in very different ways.

The Asus Padfone 2 takes the mash-up idea quite literally, presenting you with a decent upper-mid-range smartphone that slots into a 10-inch tablet dock when you want to go large. The FonePad, meanwhile, is an altogether subtler blend, offering a sleek 7-inch tablet that happens to accept a smartphone SIM for 3G calling.

Join us as we take a look at how these two Android phone-tablet hybrids compare, and ultimately try to establish which you should buy.

Padfone 2 vs FonePad: Contacts

Both the Asus Padfone 2 and the Asus FonePad use Googles stock People app for managing your contacts, so navigating through to make calls is a pretty similar experience across the two devices.

However, when it comes to the experience of placing calls, the difference is pronounced.

The Padfone 2, when in its default phone state, is a thoroughly pleasant device to make and receive calls on.

Its 4.7-inch display and relatively slim 10.4mm body make navigating its interface easy even while out and about, and lifting it up to your ear looks and feels normal. The odd circular groove pattern on the back even makes it quite comfortable to grip.

The FonePad, by contrast, is unavoidably a 7-inch tablet rather than a phone, so holding it up to your face feels faintly ridiculous. In fact, scratch that - its hugely ridiculous.

Bear in mind that many people scoff at the idea of holding the 5.5-inch Samsung Galaxy Note 2 up to their noggins, and hopefully youll see where were coming from here.

Of course, theres always that Bluetooth headset or those mic-equipped earbuds youve been holding onto, but still...

As a pure phone for making and taking calls, the Padfone 2s flexibility and fit-for-purpose design makes it the clear winner.

Padfone 2 vs FonePad: Messaging

Again, the messaging experience is nigh-on identical from a software perspective between these two devices. Both feature the same default Android messaging app, and the same native email application too.

Weve got mixed feelings about Asuss custom keyboard, but regardless of your preference there are plenty of fine alternatives on the Google Play Store. Its also another thing the Padfone 2 and the FonePad share, so its hardly a deciding factor between the two.

Were left, then, with the differences between the actual physical process of messaging on each phablet device. Its undoubtedly the toughest area to call.

On the one hand, the Asus Padfone 2 offers the two extremes of messaging on the go - the potential for one-handed typing with the phone element and the potential for a full-sized two-handed typing option with the tablet peripheral engaged.

However, the Asus FonePads 7-inch display appears to strike a fine balance between the two. Held in portrait view in one hand and typing with the other, we found messaging on the FonePad to be an error-free process. Its just got that extra bit of breathing space that makes texting and emailing a solid experience.

Padfone 2 vs FonePad: Gaming

After a slow start, gaming has become an increasingly prominent part of Android devices, and with Googles planned social and achievement integration its only going to get bigger.

Beyond that, comparing the gaming performance of the Padfone 2 and the Asus FonePad acts as a fine barometer for their relative hardware merits. After all, nothing puts a phones innards to the test like a modern 3D game.

A performance comparison is especially interesting because the Asus Padfone 2 and the Asus FonePad, despite being produced by the same company at around the same time, could scarcely be more different internally.

While the Padfone 2 is built on a fairly typical - though also very capable - quad-core Qualcomm CPU and Adreno 320 GPU combo with 2GB of RAM, the FonePad takes a very different approach.

Its built on an Intel Atom Z2420 processor, which uses PC-like Hyper-Threading rather than multiple cores. Its backed by the slightly creaky PowerVR SGX540 GPU and a relatively meagre 1GB of RAM.

Comparing the two using the Antutu benchmarking tool, which provides a number of graphics-intensive (both 2D and 3D) tasks for Android devices to run through, theres a clear winner. With an average score of 21,607, the Padfone 2 more than doubled the 9,208 average score of the FonePad.

This apparent doubling in performance is understandable. While the Qualcomm chip is a premium component, the Intel processor is intended for relatively low-cost devices. Sure enough the FonePad can be had for about a third of the price of the Padfone 2.

If youre after something that will be able to run high-end games both now and into the future, the Padfone 2 is a better bet - if you can spare the £600/US$720/AU$750 it will take to obtain it.

Otherwise, the FonePad will run pretty much anything currently available reasonably well - even advanced 3D games such as Real Racing 3 - and youll pay just £180/AU$315 (around US$275) for the privilege.

Padfone 2 vs FonePad: Multimedia

The first thing to note is that both devices name the Google Play Store as the main source for their media. Through this increasingly impressive online media library you can get access to thousands of cheap video rentals and the comprehensive Google Books.

Wed prefer to watch a video and read a book on the Asus FonePad than on the Padfone 2, though. Its down to the difference in screen dimensions.

The FonePads 7-inch 1280 x 800 display simply makes for a clearer and more engaging experience than Padfone 2s 4.7-inch equivalent.

The latter may be a little brighter and sharper, but the extra two inches of screen real estate more than makes up for that when watching a widescreen blockbuster or settling down to read a sprawling novel.

Obviously the Padfone 2 also has that 10.1-inch tablet adaptor, but with no increase in resolution and an inferior picture, both video and text can look a little grainy and washed out when blown up to such a size. It really offers little advantage.

Storage is another issue here. While the FonePad is only available with 8 or 16GB of internal storage compared to the Padfone 2s 16, 32, or 64GB, the former has the massive advantage of a microSD card slot. Not only does this open up the possibility for an extra 64GB of cheap memory expansion, it also offers another way to get media onto your tablet from other devices.

Padfone 2 vs FonePad: Internet

Once again, Google provides the default arrangements for internet software here in the shape of Chrome. Its a brilliant mobile browser, with its minimalistic interface, intuitive use of multiple tabs and ability to sync bookmarks with the desktop equivalent.

The respective screens play a big part in deciding which internet experience is preferable here. Once again, the Padfone 2s sub-par tablet component lets it down somewhat, compromising the full-size internet experience with its fuzzy, dim picture.

However, the phones vibrant 4.7-inch display really shows off the increasingly mobile-optimised web nicely, and the phones speedy CPU and GPU loads content up just as fast as its internet connection will allow it.

Theres the sense with 7-inch tablets such as the FonePad that youre getting an internet browsing experience thats caught somewhere betwixt and between - neither small enough to make the stripped-back mobile-optimised versions of websites feel natural, nor big enough to display full web pages comfortably like, say, an iPad can. Not without some vigorous zooming and panning, at least.

Theres not much in it, but browsing the web feels a little less forced on the Padfone 2 - and there is something to be said for a full-sized tablet web browser, no matter how low-res.

Padfone 2 vs FonePad: Music

Listening to music is pretty much identical on both devices. Both have access to the marvellous Google Music service, which enables you to upload 20,000 tracks to the cloud for free, as well as to listen to your music through a stylish UI and to shop from Googles reasonably priced music store.

Its also about to go full-on Spotify on us, so watch out for an extra subscription-based incentive to opt for an Android smartphone or tablet (or both) in the near future.

Its considerably more wieldy listening to music on the go with the Padfone 2 thanks to its more pocket-friendly size, but then the FonePad has the benefit of that microSD slot for loading up even more music locally.

Back in the Padfone 2s favour, however, is the fact that it comes with a half-decent set of earbuds (the proper in-ear variety) packed in, while the FonePad has none.

Yes, any music fan should really be investing in a decent set of third-party earphones, but the fact remains that only one of these devices enables you to listen to music out of the box - at least without relying on a tinny speaker.

Padfone 2 vs FonePad: Battery

Both of these Asus phone-tablet hybrids impress when it comes to battery life. The Padfone 2 has a slightly larger than average 2,140mAh battery, which is technically removable if you dont mind performing minor surgery on your phone (thats what it feels like, at least).

Combined with the famously power-efficient Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 CPU, we were easily getting through a full day of moderate to heavy usage without running out of juice.

But thats not the biggest plus point in its battery life box. That comes from the unique tablet dock, which doubles as a back-up charger.

If you carry this around with you, the tablet portions 5,000mAh battery can be used to completely recharge the phone section three times over. When youre away from a power point for a prolonged period, this could be a massive plus.

The FonePad, for its part, has no such gimmicks to rely on, but thats not to say its 4,270mAh battery doesnt sport impressive stamina.

We clocked around eight and a half hours of continuous usage - which involved whacking the screen brightness up to full and repeatedly looping an HD video - before the battery died. Impressive stuff.
Whichever Asus device you opt for, you wont have a problem with battery life.

Padfone 2 vs FonePad: Verdict

As weve hopefully made clear, the Asus Padfone 2 and Asus FonePad are far more different than their shared heritage and similar names would suggest.

This means that when it comes to deciding which is the right Android phone/tablet hybrid for you, your mileage may vary.

If youre after a capable smartphone first and foremost, with a competent tablet experience considerably lower down on your list of priorities, then the Asus Padfone 2 is the device for you. Its nicely proportioned and very powerful, while its 4.7-inch display is very impressive.

Sure, its tablet dock provides a sub-par full-sized tablet experience, but it does the job. This component also acts as a portable recharger for the phone, which could prove very useful for the frequent traveller.

If the tablet side of things is more - or even equally - important to you, then the Asus FonePad is probably the better buy. Its a superbly well balanced device with a sharp display, exemplary build quality and an irresistibly low price tag.

Indeed, its the Asus FonePads sheer value for money that nudges it over the line for us when weighing the two against each other. At a third of the price of the Asus Padfone 2, this competent all-rounder is firmly in impulse-buy territory - and few will be disappointed with such a snap decision.

A Samsung Galaxy S4 has reportedly burst into flames whilst set to charge, an incident that rises potential safety concerns around the Android 4.2.2 handset.


Something of an isolated incident more than a widespread issue, a Samsung Galaxy S4 owner based in Abu Dhabi has claimed that her iPhone 5 and HTC One rivalling handset caught fire without warning whilst plugged in to charge overnight.

“I cannot explain to you my extreme frustration, disappointment and extreme fear when I found my brand new Samsung Galaxy S4 burning at the charger connection to the phone,” phone owner Sarah Shurrub said in a correspondence to Samsung following the incident.

Describing the incident which took place late last month, less than a month after the S4 in question had been purchased, Shurrub added: “The phone was found burning, while charging. It’s only thanks to God that I woke up in the middle of the night and controlled the burning before it could cause damage to my home and family.”

Not quite a case of negligence on the owner’s part, the dangerous S4 had reportedly only been charging for a matter of hours when it combusted. “I woke up in the middle of the night to [attend to] my toddler, and it was about 2am at night. I think it was charging for about 3 hours by then,” the phone’s owner said.

While it is unclear as to the cause of the S4 started fire, Shurrub has suggested that Samsung has looked to amend the issue with the promise of free phones.

“It was agreed that they would replace [my burnt Galaxy S4] with a new phone, the flip cover that got burnt and as compensation, they will give me another brand new Samsung S4, though they don’t have a compensation policy and this is purely as an exception,” she wrote.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 is one of the most popular smartphones on the market right now, with more than 20 million units of the 1.9GHz quad-core brimmed device shipping globally during the phones first two months on sale.

It runs a 13-megapixel rear-mounted camera and pairs a raft of premium hardware features with a collection of innovative software additions, including the eye-tracking Smart Pause and Smart Scroll.