I try to keep a stiff upper lip about not having an iPhone. Just couldn't afford it - not with the $75 a month or so AT&T charges for service on top of the $199 upfront cost for the device.

I could, however, afford the $229 iPod Touch - and got it as a gift, as it happened. It has most of the same goodies: a Web browser, e-mail, YouTube. And it stores way more music than the iPhone. (Ha!)

Plus, the other day I used it to call China.

Yup, a call around the world - on a device that doesn't have a phone. A handful of applications on Apple Inc.'s iTunes store will let you do this, as long as you're in a Wi-Fi hot spot.

My iPhone complex hasn't disappeared, but at least now I have a device that looks just like it, has no monthly service fees, and lets me make free or cheap phone calls.

The best part of these applications - which require the second-generation iPod Touch that came out last year - is that they are free to download, and calls to other people using the same app won't cost you anything.

Two of the services I've tried, Truphone and Fring, will also let you make free calls to Google Talk users and type instant messages to friends online. Both automatically queue up a list of buddies from different services you might have, including Gmail chat, AIM and MSN Messenger, once you log in.

But it's Truphone's pay feature that puts it ahead of the others. TruPhone charges you to make calls to landlines or regular cell phones, but generally at better rates than most wireless carriers. And it's upfront about what you pay.

Your balance - which you can add to with a credit card, either on the device or on your computer browser - pops up with the dial screen. Calls in the U.S. are all 5 cents per minute (2 cents if you sign up to pay a $4 monthly fee).

Rates outside the U.S. vary wildly but you can check in the application before you dial. To call cell phones in China, for instance, is only 5 cents per minute, while France is 25 cents. Antarctica? A whopping $2.25.

You can make regular calls with Fring using a Skype account, but that's another layer to deal with.

The calls on these services sound pretty good, a little tinny but clearer than my regular cell phone connection. IPod Touch users will need Apple's $29 ear buds that have a tiny microphone on the back of the volume control along the cord.

The most serious drawback is the most obvious: While the iPhone uses AT&T's wireless network to provide Internet access anywhere, on the iPod Touch you'll need to stick to Wi-Fi hot spots. For rural or suburban dwellers who don't encounter lots of free Wi-Fi zones, that may very well mean limiting yourself to your house, or other places where there's a computer with the same Internet phone call capabilities anyway.

That means these apps probably won't replace your cell phone. But they can moderate your iPhone envy.

Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

We Try It: Black Lip Gloss

November 20, 2008  4:47 pm

In a first for Beauty Counter, we’ve solicited three different Style.com’ers to test-run one of fall’s biggest trends: black lip gloss—the more subtle and sheer (read: wearable) alternative to the goth-y, opaque lipsticks spotted on the runway this season. To give you a good idea of what you can expect if you can get a hold of one of these products, which seem to sell out just as quickly as they are restocked, we’ve selected a diverse sampling of participants and three of the best glosses on the market. Below, meet your guides to gloss, and click here to read their reviews.











Kat Thomsen, Associate Managing Editor, men.style.com

Pale and very blonde with green eyes and a light dusting of freckles, Kat describes her personal style leanings as Southern preppy with a hefty dose of Stepford Wife. “I’m the opposite of trendy,” she insists—and of black lip color, one might presume. “As a general rule, I only wear a neutral eye shadow and mascara on a day-to-day basis, no foundation or anything else on my face. And I certainly don’t venture into statement lip color territory.”

Nicola Kast, Photo/Art Associate

With a pale olive skin type, some freckles, medium brown hair, and brown eyes, Nicola admits to having an alternative style. “I like to wear loose vintage-esque tops in plaid or gray with baggy cardigans, skinny jeans, and bootie heels that are not too high.” A big proponent of foundation, which she wears every day, Nicola never wears mascara, occasionally dabbles in red lipstick, and is “completely unopposed” to the idea of incorporating a black gloss into her daily life.

Meenal Mistry, Fashion Editor

Indian with dark skin, almost-black eyes, heavy brows, and black hair, Meenal’s general aversion to anything peachy, pink, or pretty made her an ideal black lip gloss candidate. “I must admit to a penchant for dark lip colors,” she says. “Although I was pretty surprised to hear that black lip glosses are selling out in stores. I get that it’s a trend, but black? Really?”