New Dell XPS luggables to preload Skype

Stan Beer
Thursday, 01 June 2006 18:39

Your IT - Home IT

eBay owned internet telephony service Skype and Dell have announced an agreement to ship Skype software with the newly released Dell XPS luggable computers - the XPS M1210 and XPS M2010.

The agreement will allow Dell to pre-load Skype on the XPS 2010, a heavy laptop aimed at the entertainment market, which features a 20.1-inch high-definition display with integrated webcam. The XPS 1210 can be configured with Skype as part of an optional audio-video communications package that also includes an integrated rotating webcam, noise-isolation earbuds and mobile broadband capability.

Skype which has more than 100 million users worldwide was bought by eBay in September 2005 for between US$2.6 billion and $4.1 billion depending on performance targets being reached. The service, which originated in Europe, offers free computer to computer VoIP calls and a paid telephony service called SkypeOut, which allows users to call ordinary telephone numbers at a cheap timed rate to wide range of countries at a typical cost of 1.5 Euro cents a minute.

Despite its success in Europe, however, Skype has yet to gain real traction in the North American market. As an incentive to build the North American customer base, eBay last month announced that SkypeOut calls would be free for all North American customers until at least the end of 2006. The Dell agreement can be viewed as another way for Skype to reach out to the North American market.

"Dell customers will be able to experience the benefits of Skype, optimized for their computing environment. This gives Dell customers a simple way to use the Internet to talk to their friends and family from home, in the office or on-the-go," said Don Albert, Director of Business Development, Skype North America. "Dell represents a new distribution channel for Skype. New products from Dell will complement the breadth of hardware designed for the convenience of Skype callers."

"As the leading notebook supplier, Dell is committed to delivering cutting-edge technology that provides voice and video connectivity virtually anywhere," said Brett Faulk, worldwide marketing director, consumer notebooks. "Teaming with Skype, the trend setter in Internet communications, will provide our customers the very best experience when reaching out and staying in touch with friends and family around the world."

Unveiled today, the Dell XPS M1210 and M2010 are available immediately worldwide. However, don't plan on taking them on long journeys, the M2010 weighs 20 pounds. {msocomment}