Put Skype on your cellphone!

Stuart Corner
Monday, 28 April 2008 00:09

Your IT - Home IT

Skype has released, in beta, a Java version of its softphone that will run on a wide range of cellphones. But every time you make or receive any kind of call you will pay for a mobile voice call.

The beta version of 'Skype for your mobile' works on about 50 of the most popular Java-enabled mobile phones from Motorola, Nokia, Samsung and Sony Ericsson and is available worldwide with a feature set that includes chat, group chat, presence (seeing when your contacts are online), and receiving calls from Skype users, and through SkypeIn.

Additional features, which include the making of Skype-to-Skype and SkypeOut calls from the mobile handsets, are initially supported in seven markets: Brazil (Rio de Janeiro), Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Poland, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.

However, Skype says that, '¨to keep the application lightweight, "Skype for your mobile works over standard mobile voice networks connections for the first and/or last legs of Skype, SkypeOut and SkypeIn calls – and over the internet for the rest."

Also, "the mobile data network is used to sign onto Skype and to download your contacts, update presence and send/receive instant messages – so the longer you stay signed on, the more Skype contacts you have or the more you chat with another Skype user, the more you will use your mobile data plan." Not surprisingly, Skype recommends users to subscribe to an unlimited data plan.

"These are still the early days for making Skype calls on mobile phones, but we've already made great strides in this space," said Gareth O'Loughlin, Skype's general manager, mobile and hardware devices.

"Among other things, we have a great relationship with 3, the mobile operator, which has brought the mobile Skype experience to eight markets through the 3 Skypephone and a range of other packages and phones. Skype for your mobile will expand the available options even further.

Skype says that it will use the beta to "gauge the response of technology-savvy users whose feedback will help tweak the offering." This phase is expected to last several months. The beta version can be obtained as a direct over-the-air download to a compatible mobile phone, or it can be downloaded to a computer and then transferred to the phone. Details at www.skype.com/go/mobiledownload .

This Web page also includes a directory of currently supported mobile phones and the list of markets where the full feature set is available. Skype says additional phones and markets will be added over time.