December 2007

Hosted over at Articlesbase, Samuel Herrick’s review gives an outline of the device, letting all those interested know what they need to.

He is keen to make a point of the phones ergonomics, stating how easy it is to hold the 3 Skypephone. He then goes on to highlight its other virtues, including the 2MP camera, MP3 Player, large screen and the ability to record video before finishing by listing some of the “excellent selection of applications” available for the device via the web.

As Adam has been asked by numerous people about his 3 Skypephones he thought he’d give everyone a chance to snag one.

How’s he done this? By mentioning our competition of course… hurrah! He points out that the giveaway is not limited to bloggers and that anyone can enter by simply producing linkable content around why they want a 3 Skypephone. He’s included as an example Dave’s entry, currently an extremely strong contender for a top three finish.

Not wanting to miss out himself, he’s sure to highlight that should the winner be referred to the 3mobilebuzz contest from his site then he is set to win two devices also!

It’s that time of year, yup, Crimbo. The mad rush is now well and truly on: Riots ensue in your local ‘Toys R Us’ (or other child-themed store) over this year’s Tracy Island, supermarket assistants taking shelter and avoiding flying umbrellas and swinging handbags as the once-a-year desire for a turkey possesses even the most sane and rational of individuals. What does this all mean? More going out than in and the January payday still a spot on the horizon! Who can’t love Christmas?

Well the Telegraph has decided to focus on the important part: Family. In an age when the globe as effectively shrunk, it is not unusual for those special people to be strewn across continents, making the obligatory phone call and handset passing an expensive expression of good will to all. Fear not however, as Emma Lunn has addressed this and how one can do it on the sort of income that would barely stretch to a piece of coal and an orange. In her section on the VoIP alternative the 3 Skypephone is mentioned specifically, and why not? Seeing that while roasting a turkey in the Home Counties you can be talking for free to your far flung siblings in Australia barbecuing on the beach.

There are reviews and then there are TechCast reviews. Their analysis of the 3 Skypephone is comprehensive beyond the call of duty, and as such well worth reading should you desire some all-encompassing knowledge on the device.

Referring to the Skype functionality as “killer” and “something very special”, it is no surprise that the 3 Skypephone has made it on to the TechCast recommended roll. They are also keen to point out that, despite its name, the phone isn’t a one-trick pony - specifically mentioning the inclusion of web features saying: “What is impressive is how well 3 have managed to get the right balance of integration for ‘cloud’ services and the software that runs on the handset and not just sticking with one service and one provider.”

As if the written word wasn’t enough, they have included within the review some excellent photographs - see a couple below…

Gordon Smith of Silicon Republic has been discussing the 3 Skypephone and its disruptive role within the market sector.

He sees VoIP technology as a classic case of the opportunity/threat dilemma for mobile operators, and the review of the device is built around 3’s decision to embrace and promote it as the phones primary feature. Literally, centralising the concept with the dominant Skype button on the handset.

As the review winds down, Smith remains level-headed about not currently being able to Skype to landlines at a lower cost, “it’s an obstacle that prevents the SkypePhone from being truly compelling instead of just interesting.” He then moves on to pose what can only be described as a leading question. 3’s exclusivity will end in June, and it is at this point when other providers will be able to snuggle up with Skype in similar collaborations - his question is, “will they?”

Conversation on the 3 Skypephone…

Girl with a One Track Mind: ‘Sexy ain’t it?’
Friend: ‘It’s alright.’
Girl with a One Track Mind: ‘Well I like it. F***ing saved my life the other day.’

The truth about this incident is all divulged in her own unique way on her blog. To whet the appetite, all I’ll say is that it was a matter of Second Life and death…

As if Girl with a One Track Mind required any more exposure (3mobilebuzz, guilty of blog envy, never ;-)), she is going to be featured on Channel 4 tonight, 10:00-11:05pm GMT in Sex in the Noughties. So, if you want to know a little more about her rise and rise, then be sure to tune in.

At Geektown, the 3 Skypephone has been well received although, admittedly, Dave and Daryl took some time coming to a conclusion as the guys, who are self confessed gadget and gimmick lovers, struggled to agree on a final analysis on the device.

Well, that final analysis expressed as a figure was 80% - not too shabby at all. Obviously this was not a number merely plucked from the ether, and (as you’d expect) there is some considerable review-age before this overall rating is reached. To find out how they reached their conclusion jump here.

Before heading off though, I’d like to quote part of their conclusion, “There are little niggles, […] but nothing that would stop us buying the phone, and nothing that won’t get ironed out in time. A really good little gadget.”

The great 3mobilebuzz 3 Skypephone competition is gathering pace, and in no small part thanks to the numerous bloggers letting all the 3 Skypephone hungry peeps know about it.

More notable mentions must go to Damien Mulley who featured us in his Fluffly Links post, and also to Digital Examples who offered a proverbial ‘big up’ for the giveaway - cheers chaps! The competition has also been featured at The Prize Finder, Loquax and Competitors Companion.

To find out more, head to here… Come on, there’s six handsets up for grabs! That’ll ease your Crimbo shopping nightmares!

At the Engaging Brand, Anna Farmery has been weighing up the positives against the negatives in regard to the 3 Skypephone.

Mentioned as a potential problem is the size of the handset, although appreciative of the slim, mini design, her “other half” finds some of the buttons a little awkward due to the compact nature. On the plus side of things Anna believes, “The connections have been excellent and often better than ‘normal calls’” and the “Screen is really clear and strong so despite being smaller it is easy to see.”

On the whole, Anna appears to see the 3 Skypephone as a device able to enhance her communication in both personal and business spheres.

The 3mobilebuzz 3 Skypephone competition has stirred to life with a few posts announcing its commencement, along with a super entry or two.

Entry wise we’ll cover a picture, video and some eBay Match Ups… An excellent array that demonstrates all the possibilities open to you.

First up is the Naive London Girl who is basically after the devices because of their sass. Yup, she wants them because they’re sexy, especially when paired with her underwear!

Besides being a groovy entry, the NLG’s post is a hefty review that really gets into the nooks and crannies of what it is all about. Anyone remotely interested in the device, could do a whole lot worse than read these well formed words.

Dave discovered our competition through Tamebay and got right on board enthusiastically with this video.

Maybe the most inventive of entries so far is that submitted by Rosie. She has used the linkable medium of eBay Match Ups, creating four all of which can be seen here. Our favourite bit of reasoning among the Match Ups, “I for one am sick of spending a small fortune on my mobile bill each month, the sooner 3 mobile give me a Skypephone the better!”

There is also within the blogosphere a strong presence of bloggers amplifying the word that there is a competition going on. This is something that 3mobilebuzz is greatly appreciative of. It may not be entirely altruistic, as the site referring the winning entry will also snaffle a brace of 3 Skypephones, but as a Psychology lecturer once said to me, altruism doesn’t actually exist.

Rob Miles suggests to his readers that the “cheap, heartfelt, plea might hit the spot” and to be honest, we at 3mobilebuzz are a sensitive bunch. Also informing the masses are Mantex and Connected Internet. In fact CI gave us a mention while also running his own competition offering a 3 Skypephone as a prize.

That’s about it, if you fancy entering then be inspired, be inventive and be interesting! We cant wait!

A brief allude to ‘Nik’s Outter Control’ blog that has a post on the 3 Skypephone.

Titled, ‘Skype’s, network 3 and Wi-Fi Phones’ the piece does an interesting job of comparing and contrasting the 3 Skypephone and Netgear’s WiFi Phone. Making sure to cover all the important features and defining characteristics it all comes together swimmingly. To find out his thoughts and offer a retort, jump to here.

Over on our forum, there is discussion on the 3 Skypephone battery and its staying power.

It appears the little magnetic fastening fella is like a honed thoroughbred, more than capable of lasting the distance. j0hn suggests it is a slow starter, but after a few cycles of full charging, it starts to last for “aaaaaaaaaages!” Yup, that’s ten a’s… pcworks is somewhat less enthusiastic yet equally impressed, stating that the device will last three days, though “heavy skype and data use” does hit the battery hard.

Disagree with these pcworks and j0hn? Have your say…

Our wallaby watching counterparts from the south side of the globe have produced a visually spiffing advertisement for the 3 Skypephone.

Animated rainbows, pop-up cities, camels, planes and some cute silhouettes of famous landmarks, all contribute to a rather well crafted promotion. See for yourself…

Ok, it is about time we at 3mobilebuzz ran a competition – so, guess what we’re doing? Yup, a competition - the winner will get three 3 Skypephones, second place will get two and coming in third will bag you one. Also two devices will be given to the blog that refers the winning entry.

All you need to do is tell us why you want a 3 Skypehone, simple right? There is one major requirement though… Your reason for wanting one must be expressed in a linkable format; that is the bottom line, we must be able to link to it. For example, it could be a blog post, forum thread or simple webpage, a picture on Flickr (here’s something 3mobilebuzz knocked together), a link to a YouTube video (can you do better than these? I really hope so) or even a Facebook group where 100 friends sign up and support the quest for a 3 Skypephone. The more creative the better.

The only rules are:

• The content needs to be original
• Tag all your videos, pics, posts etc. with 3mobilebuzzcomp1
• When submitting an entry remember to include the URL of the site which brought the competition to your attention.
• The deadline for submissions is midday on Monday 17th December.
• Full Terms and Conditions.

All entries must be sent to the hallowed keeper of prizes, enforcer of rules and judge of all, jack@3mobilebuzz.com.

As always we’ll keep everyone updated as to the best submissions via www.3mobilebuzz.com.

So come on, why do you want a 3 Skypephone?

Simon Judge was fortunate enough to be at Mobile Monday London or MOMO, to apply its more populist tag. The event was all about Voice 2.0 and in his write up the 3 Skypephone gets a mention.

In much the same way as Digital Evangelist covered Christian Lindholm’s speech, Simon felt the presentation which included 3’s new device was worth passing on, particularly Lindholm’s point declaring that “the new 3 Skypephone a revolution since it includes presence and changes the way people are charged for calls.”

For all that Simon brought away from the event head to here.