Skype said in a blog post (with a brief video interview) that Apple's iPhone OS 3.2 update, currently available for testing with developers, provides the changes necessary to allow voice-over-IP calls using a 3G connection. Apple had previously not allowed this, but U.S. regulators pressed for a change, which Apple has made. Skype says the new release will come when it is confident of its software's capability to make high-quality calls.

So where does the iPad fit in the world of gizmos and gadgets? Macworld's Chris Breen shares some thoughts regarding the iPad's potential uses in every room of your house, as well as when you're on the road or in the air. His visions suggest that third party accessories will be essential for integrating the iPad into our lives, much more so than the iPhone or the MacBook.

Joe Wilcox on Betanews reports on numbers gathered from research firm NPD showing that 9 out of every 10 computers priced at over $1,000 sold in Q4 2009 were Macs. This is evidence of Apple's success in positioning the Mac as a premium brand, but NPD also points out that most of the growth in the PC market is at the under-$500 price point. With Apple posting record sales and profits quarter after quarter, we don't see the company worrying about the low end of the market.

Mac and iPhone developer Fraser Speirs steps back from the specs and points out the revolutionary aspect of the iPad: It could actually be the "computer for the rest of us" in a way that even Macs have not achieved. Instead of dealing with how the iPad works, people can focus on the real work the iPad is intended to assist.

The latest revision to the Google Books settlement, an ongoing saga we've written about regularly here on TidBITS, is still opposed by Amazon.com and the Internet Archive, among others. The settlement in this revised version would still anoint Google with court approval as the only party in the United States that can scan and offer for sale copyrighted works that are out of print and for which the publisher isn't known.

AT&T told the Associated Press it would bump wireless capital infrastructure spending by about $2 billion this year, and admitted to the well-known network deficiencies in New York and San Francisco.

Wired describes how Google has worked around its Google Voice iPhone app being stuck in App Store approval purgatory (it's shameful that Apple hasn't approved or rejected it by now). Google has instead updated its iPhone-friendly Web site, accessible by any HTML5-capable browser such as Mobile Safari, that enables users to place calls from their Google Voice accounts. Since the page can be added as an icon on the iPhone's home screen, the Web app ends up being largely indistinguishable from the original iPhone app, though it lacks direct integration with the iPhone's contacts list.

In the wake of Haiti's recent earthquake, Google has updated its Google Maps satellite photos of the country's capital, Port-au-Prince. The new images, gathered on 17 January 2010, present a humbling view of the city's destruction. Google made the images available in part to "assist relief efforts including those by many UN organizations and the Center for Interdisciplinary Geospatial Information Technologies." We hope the images will also persist as reminders of Haiti's need for support during its long road to recovery.

The White House, contributing a memorable moment to the history of mobile computing, has released its first-ever iPhone app. The free app gives users an easy way to keep up with the White House Blog, hear the latest from the Briefing Room, check out behind-the-scenes photos, and, most notably, watch live streaming video of speeches, press briefings, and special events. Amusingly, the app is available before the mobile-enabled version of the WhiteHouse.gov Web site.

Here's another way to support the relief efforts in earthquake-torn Haiti: buy software from the Indie+Relief site on 20 January 2010. You won't get a deal, but you will get great products from independent Mac and iPhone developers and all the proceeds will go to charities (selected by each developer) doing good deeds in Haiti. Kudos to the Indie+Relief organizers and all the developers who are participating.

Like any other certifiable success, the iTunes App Store has become a hot topic of discussion; the stats revolving in its orbit have been endlessly reported on and analyzed. For those tired of parsing regular graphs and summaries, take a moment to check out GigaOM's infographic "The App Store Economy," which brings a little visual zest to the familiar data.

No, we're not talking about former Senator Ted Stevens's clumsy description of the Internet; this article from the Stanford School of Medicine Web site instead describes the wildly cool pneumatic tube system used by Stanford Hospital staff to send lab samples around at speeds up to 25 feet (7.6 m) per second - that's roughly 18 miles (30 km) per hour. Pneumatic tube systems were cutting edge communication technology way back in the 19th century, but when it comes to transporting physical objects, they retain their utility even in today's networked age.

Macworld reports that AT&T has reduced the price of the iPhone's unlimited voice and data plan, down from $100 for voice and $30 for data (for a total of $130) to $100 for both voice and data combined. The unlimited Family Talk plans also dropped in price (now $180 for two phones), but text messaging plan pricing remains unchanged.

In this MacNotables podcast, Tonya talks with host Chuck Joiner about gizmos available at CES, how hardware ebook readers are breeding like bunnies, and where she thinks ebooks may be going in the future. She also speculates about the mythical Apple tablet.

Thanks to Photojojo for turning us on to Andrew McDonald's amusing pictorial guide to how you can increase the likelihood of recovering a lost camera. The approach? Take a series of funny photos asking for your camera back, making sure to include your email address, and then protect them against deletion (most cameras offer this feature) from the media card.