October 2007

Dale of Learn Something New has posted about his away day at the 3 Skypephone launch event. The post is informative, full of images and exhaustive in its relaying of what went on and his thoughts on the device.

Formatted as responses to suitable questions there are, as the title of the blog suggests, things to learn. So I suggest to anybody with a query on the 3 Skypephone to rifle through Dale’s post and come out the other end more knowledgeable. There is, for those that feel like expanding their horizons further, some interesting points about the step forward the 3 Skypephone has made over the previous incarnation of mobile Skype options, namely the all-in-one data service X-Series.

The spread of discussion on the launch of the 3 Skypephone has moved like the proverbial wild fire. As such, I thought I would take the opportunity to post a few links that have popped up talking about the arrival of the new phone on the block.

Gearater sees the potential for businesses to utilise the 3 Skypephone to save costs on conversation between employees, or in the word of work - increase productivity. Middle managers will be going crazy for it. There is this thread on MoDaCo that has Paul (MVP) leading discussion on the virtues and value.

Both Tech Digest and Absolute Gadget have given up some tasty ‘first look’ themed pieces, and finally for those that missed us linking to Neville Hobson.com, Webpronews has published Neville’s superb article.

“This is a really cool thing. I’ll be interested in seeing how it takes off. I like it!” chirrups the infectiously enthusiastic Natali Del Conte, of todays edition of the new 3 Skypephone, on technology show Textra, the online technology news vodcast that films on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Lamenting only the fact that the device is not going to be available in America in the short term, she nonetheless is delighted to see that finally “you can actually make VOIP calls on the move!”

And with other news on Leonardo da Vinci’s famous depiction of The Last Supper, and online ideas for frightening your pals included in the show, it’s certainly worth a look!

In eager anticipation of the a pair of 3 Skypephones arriving, Fresh Plastic has collected his thoughts. These include preemptive praise for the three colour schemes, a refreshing option that he points out is not always available at launch, and often rolling out later in the form of cheap fascias. He does hold some reservations on the single mini-USB port, an opinion that contradicts Alan Williamson’s viewpoint.

As the phones are yet to arrive, we’ll have to wait and see whether Fresh Plastic’s prophecies are misguided or reinforced when the expected package arrives at its destination, and he begins his trial of the 3 Skypephone. Until then feel free to leave a comment.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so just imagine how many letters are covered by an 11 page slideshow. Ideal for anyone still trying to get their heads around exactly what the 3 Skypephone has to offer, this nifty little presentation should outline exactly what you can expect from your device in handy bullet point form. And lo, here it is.

Gadget Venue, who have already offered one lead article on the 3 Skypephone, now deliver their unboxing of the device ritual. The images of the arrival and unveiling of the device punctuate a heavyweight description of seemingly all that one could want to know in terms of the handset. They have included dimensions of all parts of the phone, and explain the functionality and layout of all buttons in simple to understand terms.

With the physical aspects of the phone detailed, Gadget Venue then does a comprehensive job of covering usability and functionality. Obviously impressed, GV’s Matthew concludes positively, “I am happy with this phone and am seriously tempted to continue using it myself. Three has made a cool step in mobile phone telephony and I look forwards to more features being launched.”

Fancy an all encompassing guide to the new 3 Skypephone? A journey through the user interface of the device with the aid of a number of pictures, detailing almost every aspect of the unit from the multimedia aspects of the phone “you can see there’s a media player (for video and music), a camera for stills and video, and a voice recorder. You can also load all sorts of Java games and apps,” to the handily placed 3 Launcher.

So what better place to get some juicy images from the 3 Skypephone than the official Skype blog? And do pop back tomorrow, where Andrew Brennan will be sharing some more of the multimedia features of the phone.

Phones Review, the users choice for anything mobile and phone related, have gone all out to bring you coverage of their first moments with their pair of 3 Skypephones.

3 Skypephone hands-on review part 1: WP-S1 out of the box gives an inventory of all that comes with the device. The first reaction from the Phones Review guys is one of enthusiasm. And since this is ‘part 1′, be sure to catch their subsequent posts on the 3 Skypephone. Naturally they have photographed the whole unboxing process and would greatly welcome your comments.

CEO and Chairman of WinWeb, Stefan Töpfer, another attendee to the 3 Skypephone mobile launch, puts himself forward on The Small Business Blog as yet another convert to the much discussed device.

“For me the real news is that the 3 Network is leveraging their network in a new way, to attract subscriptions. 4,000 minutes and 10,000 chat messages free Skype traffic is a real commitment to their new open internet strategy” he begins, going on to discuss the potential of the service. “Even more interesting, deals may be possible to make the 3 brand even more attractive, like delivering Web 2.0 applications over the mobile network at fixed prices or even for free.”

Connected Internet’s Everton, despite referring to the handset as ‘cute’, is struggling to see how users will make the most of the device. His concern expressed in this article relates to the fact that currently the 3 Skypephone does not allow SkypeIn and SkypeOut calls.

It is naturally possible to call land lines and other mobiles with the 3 Skypephone as you would with any other regular device. Everton’s gripe is that he feels he gets a better deal with his current mobile contract. In the comments that the piece has generated, there is quite an argument developing. To add your feelings jump through to here.

“It says to me - this changes everything” – the measured thoughts of Mr. Neville Hobson, purveyor of the nevillehobson.com blog, and interested attendee at the 3 launch yesterday. And about time too he suggests - “I can’t think of anything that would have prevented any other mobile operator - Vodafone, O2, T-Mobile, Orange… take your pick - from doing something like this other than maintaining the high pricing status quo.”

And true, as Neville points out, this isn’t the first time one has been able to get Skype on a mobile device – after all, it is possible to use the service on phones with internet access and Skype enabled software on a handful of devices, but he goes on, keen to emphasise that previous options were simply “not like this.” After all “this gives you a device that’s centered around Skype which simply lets you connect with people in whatever way you choose: free via Skype, as well as with any other mobile phone on a cellular network.”

As a proud owner a shiny new 3 Skypephone, Neil of Neil’s World has collated his thoughts on the device in a neatly arranged bullet point formation.

Reveling in the Skype aspect and what this means, Neil lays out the positives one after the other. After some detail on the aesthetics of the phone and the user interface, he moves onto the potential drawbacks maintaining an objective perspective, letting those that haven’t read the article 3mobilebuzz at the launch party know that he was one of our guests to the launch event.

To read others reaction and add your own to his summing up of the 3 Skypephone jump to here.

Alan has posted ‘3 Skypephone continues to impress’ a follow up article to yesterday’s first thoughts.

He takes time to point out the wisdom of having only one connection on the phone, and making that one connection a USB port. A format that the Blackberry has been utilising for years and Alan is keen on, as it lightens the load when traveling and as the 3 Skypephone charges via USB connection to a laptop/pc, it makes a quick top-up on juice swift and ‘painless’. He goes on to discuss some other points, namely the headphones along with mentioning a couple of ‘small grumbles’ that have arisen.

If have a thought on Alan’s post let him know here.

As a guest to the launch event of 3mobilebuzz Simon, author and owner of the blog Mobile Phone Development, has posted a clear and precise article on his first experience of the 3 Skypephone.

Sub-titled into relevant questions including, How well does it work?, How much does it cost? and Any catches?, resulting in an article that is a port-of-call for anyone interested in the 3 Skypephone. Also for those needing a more technological fix, there is the heading What makes it go?, which details some information on the software build. The result of this is that Simon is entirely confident that he can develop for it!

With the sudden explosion of reporting that’s followed the 3 Skypephone launch, you would be forgiven for getting rather lost in the masses of information scattered over the blogosphere. We’ve handily compiled a few links that will give you all the information you could possibly need, by the end you will be the authority on all things 3 Skypephone related!

Firstly, Andrew Brennan over at the Skype blog gives a précis of the device, what it’s all about and some tasty photos from the launch event.

Now you’re up to speed on the basics check out Dan York’s in-depth article over at Disruptive Telephony on the benefits of using Skype with mobile technology, more links and a video.

Broadstuff takes a wider look at the arrival of the 3 Skypephone and it’s place in the fast changing world of mobile technology. Now you want further reading? The guys at Webtown have trawled the net for a whole load of recommended links. They’ve also got a list of questions that you may be asking yourself.

Now you are an expert on all 3 Skypephone matters, expect Newsnight to be calling for an interview soon!