Skype released an app for Android, finally, but, as ReadWriteWeb points out, "it looks like Skype has released a somewhat crippled version, restricting U.S. users to WiFi only calls, much as it had when it first released its iPhone app."RWW asked Peter Parkes, communications lead at Skype why app was not 3G enabled, and he replied that it had to do with a partnership with Verizon. And Parkes probably thought he was being helpful when he explained, "There's an extensive network of WiFi hotspots and WiFi providers across the US, so people in the US should have …

Citing his desire to focus on "product strategy," Twitter CEO Evan Williams on Monday said he was handing the company's reins to COO Dick Costolo. But, what does the move really mean for Williams and the top micro-blogger service? In so many words, Fred Wilson, a partner at Union Square Ventures who is on Twitter's board, said the change makes good business sense for the company. Costolo was "more of a manager, more of an executive, more of a businessman" than Mr. Williams, Wilson tells The New York Times. That said, "It's …

Could it be a Skype deal?! More security guarantees? Maybe a point-by-point rebuttal of "The Social Network," and its many dramatizations. Either way, keep a close eye on Facebook Wednesday as it plans to make some sort of announcement. The top social net just sent out invites to members of the press, some of whom expect it to be a big deal. "What they're announcing we aren't quite sure yet, but given that it starts at 10 a.m. and continues through lunch, we'd imagine that it's something significant," notes All Facebook. Last week, Facebook announced a major …

But, do people really need another device?! Apparently so, as iPad adoption rates soar past records set by the DVD player. Indeed, according to Bernstein Research -- cited by Fast Money -- the iPad's current sales rate is about 4.5 million units per quarter -- blowing past the one million units the iPhone sold in its first quarter, and the 350,000 units sold in the first year by the DVD player, i.e., the most quickly adopted non-phone electronic product ever. "The iPad did not seem destined to be a runaway product success straight out of the box," …

As the launch of Windows Phone 7 looms, Goldman Sachs has downgraded Microsoft shares to "neutral," citing its ongoing mobile woes. "Microsoft has struggled to match mobile offerings from rivals including Apple Inc. and Google Inc.," writes Bloomberg/Businessweek. "Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft has yet to release a tablet computer to compete with Apple's iPad, 3 million of which were sold in the first 80 days of its release." "Microsoft was removed from the bank's Americas Buy List, with a price target of $28 rather than $32," Goldman Sachs analysts, including Sarah Friar, wrote …

David Ko, who just put in his resignation as the head Yahoo's U.S. Audience unit, has already found a new gig at social gaming start-up Zynga, sources tell BoomTown. "For Zynga ... mobile is becoming a critical new platform for growth, as consumers use a variety of increasingly functional mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablet computers," notes Kara Swisher. "Sources said Zynga has been pursuing Ko for months." Many of the execs presently fleeing Yahoo seem to be landing on their feet. Jimmy Pitaro, who also just left Yahoo as SVP of Media, has taken a …

Skype is about to name a new CEO, TechCrunch is reporting. No word yet on who is taking over for current head Josh Silverman, but that didn't stop the tech blog from reading into the would-be move. "Adding a new CEO at this time points more strongly in the direction of an IPO," TechCrunch writes. The VoIP provider filed to go public in August, but is also rumored to be considering an acquisition by Cisco and even Facebook. Averaging 124 million active users a month as of June -- though only 8.1 million of them were paying …

The BBC's Tim Weber thinks the social Web is changing business practices, and, in particular, how businesses relate and communicate with consumers. It's hardly a novel contention, but one with implications that have yet to be fully digested by most corporations around the world. "These days one witty Tweet, one clever blog post, one devastating video -- forwarded to hundreds of friends at the click of a mouse -- can snowball and kill a product or damage a company's share price," writes Weber. "It's a dramatic shift in consumer power." Web then suggests that companies harness the …

Your days are numbered, lag time! Google is working on the "instantaneous Internet," or what The San Francisco Chronicle calls "an experience every bit as immediate as traditional media." According to Bill Coughran, SVP of engineering at Google, "Browsing should actually feel like flipping the pages of a magazine ... The Web, in general, is very far away from that." Why this obsession with the immediate? According to The Chronicle, "Google believes that the more it can turbocharge its products, and the Internet itself, the more people will search, surf, watch videos, download music and engage in …

Google just debuted its Google TV website, which, as The Next Web explains, is "dedicated to telling you the details about what could be your next viewing experience." The site is divided into sections, each explaining a different portion of the forthcoming Google TV service. "It appears that Google is betting big, showing logos from CNN, TBS, CNBC and even HBO on its mock-up," notes The Next Web. "The question, of course, lies in the licensing" - something that has been a serious concern for Apple, which was only able to launch it's latest Apple TV …