Fell in love with this. Low glycemix index. Tastes great. I’ll never buy sugar again!

Fring is perhaps the most practical and economical VoIP solution for the iPhone I’ve come across. If you have a jailbroken iPhone, you can install Fring as a native app and use it to dial and receive phone phone calls, without using up those precious minutes on your AT&T/T-Mobile phone plan.

I’ve tried Jajah and other supposedly cheap VoIP services on the iPhone, but found these to be only worth using if you’re making a lot of international calls. Fring is different because to use their basic Skype/VoIP services, it’s free of charge. Calls or chats to other Skype users are free. The only time you have to pay is when you want to call others who are not Skype users or you want non-Skype users to call you. But you would pay Skype, not Fring, for these additional services. For this to be a practical, working VoIP solution, I knew I would have to spend some money upfront.

I also like Fring’s IM interface as you can connect to Skype, GoogleTalk, ICQ, MSN Messenger, Yahoo (chat only), SIP, Twitter (chat only), and AIM (chat only). Only bad thing is that you can’t change your status (available, away, etc) on Fring yet.

Here’s my recommended setup for Fring:

1. Get a SkypeOut subscription (allows you to dial out using your computer or iPhone; one drawback is the lack of CallerID if you’re in the U.S.). Plans are fairly inexpensive (less than $3/month)
2. Get SkypeIn (a local number you can purchase from Skype for others to reach you at), which will run you about the same as the cost of a SkypeOut subscription, and
3. Enable Call Forwarding on your Skype account.

This will allow you to dial out (SkypeOut via Fring) and receive phone calls (SkypeIn) using Fring. The only time it will use up your phone plan’s minutes is when you don’t pick up when someone’s calling you through your SkypeIn #, and it forwards to your actual cell phone number, and you pick up.

The two biggest drawbacks with this more economical way to call or receive calls are: 1) no CallerID when you call someone through Fring (because of SkypeOut’s limitations), and 2) cannot make voice calls on Edge network (must be on WiFi to make or receive a call through Fring). However, let’s say you’re not on WiFi but on the Edge network. if you have call forwarding enabled on Skype, the good news is that if you get a call through Fring, your Fring won’t be able to pick it up (not until the 3G iPhone comes out), but your regular cell phone number will (call forwarding). Also, if you don’t pick up, it will go straight to your iPhone’s voicemail.

Here’s what I’d like to see in the next release:
-Integration with Contacts.
-Ability to add buddies/contacts instead of having to punch in all the digits (i don’t have a photographic memory).
-Ability to dial extension numbers or pause (”,,”).
-Vibrate when phone is set to vibrate.
-Skype Voicemail integration (right now, the only way to get voicemail is to have the calls forwarded to your regular cell phone #, and have it go to that voicemail).
-Ability to change IM status.

Thanks to Fring, I can probably save 200 minutes or so a month and have these minutes rollover. Glad I have the basic AT&T phone plan.

Imagine if Haagen-Dazs (which, btw, is a made up word intended to sound Scandinavian) or Ben & Jerry’s made ice cream that had half the carbs, saturated fat, and calories of that of a normal tub of ice cream. Would you buy it?

I would.

Most of the decadent food items seem to be either low carb (but high in fat and artificial stuff), or low in fat (but high in carbs). Instead of using artificial sweeteners, why can’t they just put half the sugar they normally use? Then slowly, we can train our palates to enjoy foods that are healthier in content, without all the artificial fuss.

Have you ever wondered why weather is the preferred topic of conversation providing ultimate protection from uncomfortable silences? It’s the perfect topic, IMO, because the weather is never constant and well, there’s almost no chance of it offending anyone, unlike politics or religion. Nowadays, it seems as if weather has been displaced by gas as the number one topic. Whether it be work or at the checkout line at the supermarket (heard it the last two times I went to the supermarket), it’s definitely the hot topic. Why is that? Well, i suppose it’s because everyone ‘feels’ the pinch caused by rising gas prices and so everyone can relate. It’s on everyone’s minds as well (most of us have to fill-up once a week). The rising gas prices is the kind of calculus that even a high school dropout could comprehend (the same can’t be said about the whole sub-prime mess).

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A perfect design for klutzes like me, who need all the help they can get when it comes to preventing spills and barbeque sauce painted shirts (still haven’t found a remedy for this). I bought a new leak and spill-proof mug, the Contigo West Loop Mug: Silver to . What got my attention was the blue button on the side, that when pressed, will open up the small hole at the top of the mug, allowing the drink. When it’s not being pressed, your favorite beverage won’t leak or spill (vacuum-sealed). And it’s also the best-looking thermos/mug out there, in my opinion. This mug can hold about 2 cups worth. It reportedly can keep your hot beverages warm for 4 hours, and cold beverages cool for 12 hours (my guess is that it’s no different than laptop batteries, whatever the advertised battery life divided by 2).

Only wished that it didn’t squeak every time you pressed down on the button to drink.

4 out of 5 stars.