Thumbs up:Mobile phone operator 3 launches its Skypephone today, and if it delivers on its promises it could significantly reduce heavy users' phone bills.

The phone costs €99 and, as long you stay in credit, you can make free and very low cost calls all over the world using internet telephony.

While we haven't tried the phone, the people at 3 assure us it is idiot-proof. With the push of a button you are brought into Skype on your mobile after which you can call or message anyone with a Skype account on a PC or a 3 Skypephone - for nothing.

The phone has most of the things you'd expect from a mobile - two-megapixel camera, web browser and the like - and will, if all goes according to 3's plans, prove to be a big hit this Christmas.

Product Facement

Thumbs down: Soon we're all going to start appearing in (or alongside) ads for Coke and Sony and Blockbuster, at least if social networking site Facebook has its way. The site is to start selling ads displaying people's profile photos next to commercial messages about stuff they've bought or registered an opinion about.

So now, as well as being told that X has just made friends with Y and thrown a virtual lobster at Z, users will also be told that X has rented a certain movie using blockbuster.com and is enjoying it with a huge bottle of Coke while thinking about the holiday he has just booked using Travelocity.