What is it?
Dubbed Wingstand, we’re basically talking a pair of light, plastic clips that snap precisely on the rounded back of Apple’s Bluetooth keyboard ($69). Available in black or white, the clips boast slots for propping up an iPhone (including the 4S, the 4, and the 3GS), iPad (both models), or iPod Touch.

How much is it?
$15 online

Does it work?
Yep, just as advertised—and indeed, I got a kick out of using Wingstand for typing with a full-size keyboard on the diminutive screen of my iPhone.

Any downsides?
The clips can be a little tricky to snap onto—and off of—the Apple Bluetooth keyboard. Speaking of which, the Wingstand will only work with the Apple wireless keyboard.

Will Wingstand work with Android phones and tablets?
Theoretically, yes, as long as you can get your Android device to connect to the Apple keyboard via Bluetooth.

Alternatives to the Wingstand?
Dozens (click here for iPhone and here for the iPad), many of which are cheaper than the $15 Wingstand clips—although few are as elegant, I must say.

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The new Epson MegaPlex was on prominent display at a Manhattan trade show Wednesday night, and yes, it’s impressive.

Docked to an iPad, the vacuum-sized projector managed to display a bright, HD-quality image onto an 80-inch screen, and it comes complete with a pair of built-in stereo speaker that crank out thumping (although somewhat shy of theater-quality) sound.

Both the Epson MegaPlex MG-850HD and its standard-definition sibling, the MG-50, boast VGA and HDMI video inputs for plugging in laptops, Blu-ray players, gaming consoles (like the PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360) and other video sources.

Also included: a handle for lugging the projector outside, perfect for a little makeshift drive-in action. Of course, you’ll need to plug the MegaPlex into a nearby AC outlet before pressing “Play.”

Very nice—but not cheap, with the MegaPlex MG-850HD selling for a steep $799, while the standard-definition MG-50 goes for $699.

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Enter Skype and its new Skype WiFi app for the iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch, which will connect your iDevice to any of a million-plus participating Wi-Fi hotspots (click here for a searchable list of supported global Wi-Fi networks). The neat part? You’ll get to pay by the minute, rather than for an hour or more.

Prices begin at six cents a minute, according to Skype (prices vary depending on the country and Wi-Fi network), and you’ll have to buy a bucket of Skype “credit” (the smallest amount is $10 here in the U.S.) before you can start surfing.

Still, Skype WiFi sounds like a great idea for iPod Touch or Wi-Fi-only iPad users—and particularly for globetrotters who don’t want to deal with pricey international data plans. Sign me up!

LINK: Skype WiFi app

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Hello Sabrina! So, here’s my first question for you: Do you own a newer iPod Touch? If so, you’re in luck.

The iPod Touch is, of course, basically an iPhone without the phone. That means you’re free to use just about any applications in the Apple App Store, including such Wi-Fi calling (a.k.a. “VoIP,” short for “voice over IP”)  app as Line2, Truphone, Vonage, and (of course) Skype.

Most of those Wi-Fi calling services charge for placing calls to landlines (Line2 charges $10 a month for unlimited calls, for example, while Skype has plans starting at 2.3 cents a minute), but for the most part, they’re far cheaper than signing up with a wireless carrier.

You also mentioned Google Voice, the powerful Google calling service that lets you route calls from all your various landlines, office phones, and other telephone numbers to a single Google Voice number, and yes—it’s available for the iPod Touch. Unfortunately, the Google Voice app for the iPhone and iPod Touch only makes calls over traditional cellular networks, not Wi-Fi. But if you’re dead-set on using Google Voice for Wi-Fi calling, well … more on that in a moment.

Now, there’s a catch when it comes to using the iPod Touch as a Wi-Fi phone: only the latest, fourth-generation Touch comes with a built-in microphone, and only the second-, third-, and fourth-generation iPod Touches support external microphones (like the little in-line mics in Apple’s iPhone headsets). That means if you have the original iPod Touch from 2007, you’re out of luck.

Other options besides the iPod Touch? Well, as of this week, you can buy a new iPhone that’s “unlocked,” meaning it isn’t tied to any particular carrier. That’s the good news; the bad news is that the unlocked iPhone starts at a whopping $649, versus just $229 (or $199 through Amazon and other online retailers) and up for an iPod Touch. Yikes.

A cheaper possibility is this older, Wi-Fi-only Skype phone made by Belkin, a bare-bones handset that does little else besides make Skype calls. It’s basic, but at just $134 and up online, it’s cheap.

Or, you could go the Android way. You can snag last year’s Nexus One smartphone from Amazon, unlocked, for about $260, and use it for Wi-Fi calls using Skype, Line2, or another Wi-Fi calling app. There’s also an application called GrooVe IP ($3.99) that claims to let you make Wi-Fi calls using Google Voice for Android—interesting, although I should note that I haven’t tried it yet.

Hope this helps, Sabrina. Good luck!

Have more questions about Wi-Fi calling, or additional suggestions for Sabrina? Let us know!

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