January 2008

Whilst hotel bound and hogging the wi-fi connection with movie downloads, Gerrymoth decided to hook his 3 Skypephone up to his Nokia N800, using it as a bluetooth modem.

Ever the man to share his experiences, Gerrymoth details the process of setting up the technological symbiosis from pairing to creating the new connection. The link has been impressive, “the two devices [have] been great and I haven’t had it drop out once on me yet.” Recently Gerrymoth has been using the 3 Skypephone as a back up device, but with this development he expects to be putting it to work more and more.

At Mobile Phones and Technologies Brett Gian has written about his love at first sight moment with the 3 Skypephone blue.

Stating as early as the post title that the “3 Skypephone is phone communication technology”, Brett is enamoured with the features that are jam packed into the lightweight and slimline design, making a point to mention the full support of Windows Live Messenger.

To take in all that he holds affection for, relating to the 3 Skypephone head to here.

Wadds’ tech pr blog is an extremely well put together affair, full of all the type of posts that you’d want - and expect - to be reading on a technology PR-themed blog.

Stephen Waddington (the Wadd of the blog title) has put together a quintet of reasons as to why he believes the 3 Skypephone is the “best bit of kit that [he has] been sent to date.” Obviously one point of his pleasure pentagram regarding the device is the Skype functionality, but also featuring and maybe less predictable is Mobile TV, which in his words is “bloody amazing!”

For the whole shooting match ravage your way through the post here. You can also cast your gaze via Flickr upon images taken with the 3 Skypephone whilst Stephen was browsing retail outlets. See one such picture below…

Those four stars are out of a possible five, so overall the 3G community is impressed with the device.

The article is long and strong, but for those with limited attention spans all that is at the forefront of relevancy has been neatly summarised. An example of one such précis covers performance; “Everything we tested worked well. Mobile TV works a treat and internet browsing is fairly rapid. This phone punches well above its weight.”

Calculated by scoring in a variety of categories including ‘Style & Handling’ and ‘Feature Set’, the four star rating is accompanied by an overall verdict expressed in text, “3 has struck gold with the first phone built specifically for Skype calls.”

To read the full review and peruse a comprehensive specification list follow this link.

It’s all very well stuffing our mobile phones full of the latest technology – and who can deny that free worldwide calls via Skype, or nifty in built cameras aren’t the way forward. However, for those of us not immersed in the culture of exactly which buttons to press to customise our 3 Skypephones to become the personal tool of our dreams, the intrepid ‘amycorcoran’ has served to remind us that all the answers lay just a virtual stones throw away from this very article, slap bang in the official 3 Skypephone forum.

‘How’, cried Amy, can I ‘change my ringtone, and turn the key click off without putting the whole phone on silent?’ – Two tricky posers indeed, but ably explained in click-by-click detail by friendly forum type ‘mob’ in, get this, under 1 hour!

So please join 3 Skypephone in saluting the genial ‘mob’, and remember, that if you have any problems with your phone, or have a question about anything to do with the device whatsoever, then jump on board. From changing your background picture, to the ins and outs of Skype chat – join up and post your query!

When it comes to issues of finance, Winsonlee of Winson-Talks is on the proverbial ball. The most recent product to feel her most frugal of gazes is the 3 Skypephone.

After first outlining the benefits of Skype as a service, she moves onto the positives associated with 3’s mobile Skype solution. She suggests that for keeping in contact with a loved one, the 3 Skypephone is superb, even making a poignant valentine gift, offering effectively 2hrs of free calling a day.

The crux of this is that for anyone making regular international calls, the 3 Skypephone is too good to be missed.

The 3 Skypephone has landed in Hong Kong, though it did require some confirmation, as illustrated by AdnanHasnainAlam in the Skype forum.

… But with the confusion brushed aside like discarded polystyrene packaging, it is with pride and delight that we can announce the arrival of the 3 Skypephone in the land where East meets West, Hong Kong. For all the details and specs, leap to here where you will also find a link to an FAQ… What could you possibly need to know that you don’t already I hear you exclaim? Well, as those who scanned through the AdnanHasnainAlam thread with eagle eyes will have already spotted, the Hong Kong version of the 3 Skypephone comes with SkypeIn. A fact confirmed by the FAQ.

It might have taken a bit of time to arrive, but it is here, and certainly an interesting addition to the 3 Skypephone features. Could this be a sign of things to come?

With just over a week to go until 3’s Facebook based competition closes, there’s still time to let them know about that moment you splurged huge amounts of cash on making international calls, and have the 3 Skypephone bods pay most of it back for you. Whether, like current entrant Chris Chattaway, you were chasing a foreign love or simply calling mates to the tune of £600 (ow!), head over to the page and leave your details to win, win, WIN!

But be quick, for word is spreading fast! Brand Republic have deemed it worthy enough to grace their hallowed pages (bet they’ve seen some pretty pricey phone bills in their time too) and Zinkous has mentioned on Jaiku that we’re one of his favourite Stumble Upon links. What’s more, we’ve found this other handsome Facebook fan page that even boasts a 3mobilebuzz RSS feed reader - so go and join them immediately! For full details of the competition, pop on over here - read, digest and enter!

The grand prize - £500 towards your troublesome phone bill… And even more excitingly, each of our runners up will win a pair of 3 Skypephones to ensure that the chilling moment of horror when opening that troublesome overseas bill need never happen again.

Good luck!

What a coup, indie rockers, fronted by Hollywood starlet Kirsten Dunst dating, tight-white trouser wearing Johnny Borrell and the 3 Skypephone… No, I am afraid you are mistaken. This Razorlight is less post-punk revival four piece and more (exactly) a handle for Dave of the blog Listen, and may we at 3mobilebuzz say, none the worse for it.

Dave has recently purchased a 3 Skypephone and has written about the first fortnight he has spent with the device. Although admitting there is room for improvement, overall he feels “it’s a pretty good invention”. To get a more detailed account of his findings and thoughts follow this link.

It may be only January, but the nominations for the Global Mobile Awards 2008 are out and the 3 Skypephone is in the mix!

Nominated in the Best Mobile Handset or Device category, the 3 Skypephone goes up against the LG Viewty (KU990), Nokia’s 6500 Classic, Samsung’s SGH-G600 and the SonyEricsson W910 Walkman Phone. 3’s revolutionary device may be facing some stiff competition but, considering the features and cost of the device, Doggman over at the mobile review forums believes the Skypephone “can’t be beaten”. Well, only time will tell…

There is further reaction to the nominations from Mark at Phones Review, who offers insight into the runners and suggesting some devices he feels should have been in contention.

This isn’t just any Ninja however, this is London Ninja and they’ve been using the 3 Skypephone to call home.

Although named deceptively, all part of being a Ninja I guess, London Ninja is in fact from California with the ‘London’ part of the name only referencing location rather than any heritage, the tricky devil. In an effort to keep up communication with all their presumably stealthy friends out west, they have been using Skype. Therefore, when the opportunity arose to replace a previous mobile with the new 3 Skypephone, it was taken with glee.

With 3 Skypephone in hand, the London Ninja is particularly happy snapping away with the camera and utilising the mp3 player. Add to this the Skype functionality and there is only one thing they have left to say about the device - “It’s worth every pence, mi laddy.”

Relatively new YouTuber skypephonedemo has posted a video introducing the 3 Skypephone, and then provided a snappy demonstration of its Skype capability. Short and sweet, the mini-tour around the device reaches a heady climax with a conversation between our guide and the Skype Echo Test…

Extreme Saving may not be a mobile guru but he has got plenty to say on the 3 Skypephone and its virtues. One of which is promoting a healthy relationship between husband and wife as he found himself having “…made more calls to the other half in the last month than in the previous year. So as a tool for promoting marital bliss it is very good value indeed.”

Extreme Saving also revealed that he found the setup “painless” and was soon Skype calling away happily, leading him to state, “even a mobile telephobic like me can see the potential of feeling able to make as many calls as you like (potentially to skype equipped friends and family overseas).”

For all his thoughts visit the Extreme Saving blog.

At the risk of adding one intergalactic pun too many, Cosmicnut’s 3 Skypephone review is comparable in size to Jupiter!

Squeezing his planet-sized collection of thoughts on the Amoi WP-S1/3 Skypephone into a HowardForums post, Cosmicnut has crossed the T’s and dotted the I’s almost without exception when it comes to the evaluation of the device’s features. Literally any aspect of the phone that you would like some genuine user feedback on, then Cosmicnut is your go-to-guy.

There are, regarding the phone, a few marks in his “cons” box, notably the magnetic battery compartment cover, but the list is out weighed by the “pros”. This tip toward the positive is reflected in a favourable conclusion, “Personally I love this phone. It’s small, light and does everything I wanted. It’s not the smartest, it’s not the best looking and it has its flaws, but for the price 3’s charging! As I use the phone, I am more impressed by its simplicity and usability.”

All in all, a healthy recommendation we feel.

At the fantastically named Chicanery’s Requiem, a request has been sent out for Skype action. Tchrin needs you!

Taking the trouble to create “some shiny new message/txt buttons” for your convenience, the invitation to become one of Tchrin’s Skype contacts opens as the quest to make their digital address book bulge like Christopher Biggins’ muffin-tops begins! The reason behind the drive for SkypeIDs is that soon Tchrin will be taking delivery of his new 3 Skypephone and, as the Boy Scouts advocate, one should always be prepared. If that means having a vast amount of new VoIP pals, then so be it…

If you want to be part of Tchrin’s Skype circle then follow this link.