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“Imagine a mobile phone you don’t have to pay to use,” that’s how IT Reviews begin their assessment of the 3 Skypephone, stating that the primary temptation associated with the device is free calling - more than understandable.
They are quick to follow this with the details of how the proposition works and that there are indeed charges, as they say “you don’t get anything for nothing.” This address, which brings the reader back to reality is however preceded by the recommendation that if you are looking to speak regularly with people residing in foreign lands, or just seeking to beat the regular operator costs then, the 3 Skypephone is certainly worth considering - “With the Skype capability it becomes something rather different to your run-of-the-mill mobile phone…”
They do counter this positivity by rating the handset and its features (bar Skype) in the mid to low range bracket. A fair description? What do you think? Read the rest of their thoughts here.
Having worked with mobile phones and consumer purchasing habits, she is well schooled in giving her view of how things breakdown when it comes to the type of individuals who are buying devices. Splitting the market three ways into “Techno Geeks”, “Love Phones” and “Cost Conscious Consumers”, it is those she describes as being driven by tariffs and respective value that the 3 Skypephone will appeal to most. Offering reasoning behind this choice including the obvious financial advantage of Skype, Laurence-Hélène then talks more generally, “The 3 Skypephone is a great little phone – sleek, nice blue back-light and intuitive.”
The article also features some speculation on the shape of things to come in 2008 regarding the mobile sector, all of which you can read by heading here.
Being hosted in the form of a Facebook fan page, the Most Expensive Call Competition is heading to a computer screen near you.
This ‘excessive cost of a conversation’ themed contest gives you the chance to win the prize of getting the most expensive international call you’ve ever made paid for - along with becoming the proud owner of a pair of 3 Skypephones. So what do you need to do? First and foremost check the 3 Skypephone competition fan page and then follow these three steps:
1. Become a fan.
2. Scrawl across the wall the details of your most expensive call - the cost, who you called and to which country.
3. Wait to be contacted via Facebook, signaling that you are indeed a finalist!
Over at the 3 Skypephone forum, there was a certain amount of unrest as contributors struggled with pairing devices to their TomTom.
The problem manifested as the TomTom was seemingly about to pair but, instead of completing the process, would report not being able to find the correct services on the phone - as illustrated by Crundy. It is clear though, Crundy is not a man to be messed with for he is nothing if not persistent. Two posts later he has it solved and thus, thanks to his sharing of the information, everyone is free to enjoy 3 Skypephone and TomTom symbiosis. Check Crundy’s second post on Wednesday 9th of January for all the details.
Currently working on her thesis, Stephanie has taken time out to order a 3 Skypephone and let her readers know why.
Having used Skype both personally and professionally she sees the benefits of the service as a “valuable asset” available on the move and is too good to miss. From her base in Sweden, she took the notion of purchasing a device and did what any sensible sort would - read some reviews. Originally skeptical about the phone quality due to the budget price, the positive thoughts and experiences of others changed her opinion.
As I write, she awaits the arrival of her ordered 3 Skypephone - white with a pink trim.
The Mashable article discusses Skype at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) currently taking place in Vegas. In the list of mobile tools being introduced by the company is the 3 Skypephone. The article is in a variety of venues including BusinessWire and obviously Skype.com.
The shiny metal mecca of talent and technology that CES is, has given rise to a 3 Skypephone rumour as outlined by Andy over at VoIP Voice, “Hottest rumor at CES–I can unlock my 3 SkypePhone that I use in the UK and pop in a SIM from AT&T here in the USA and make calls to Skype users. Now the question is do I get hit with minutes or do I need a data plan? Is this simply iSkoot on the phone doing the call set up and tear down?” This morsel of knowledge clearly needs some further details, but I’m sure Andy will keep everyone up-to-date.
It is irreverent, it is an unboxing and it is Australian, what more do you need to know! Oh, it’s about the 3 Skypephone.
xReventonx’s film is hosted on YouTube and despite his blasé attitude (note his reaction to some of the 3 Skypephone in the box peripherals) he appears to like the device, especially when considering its features against its price. His unboxing video turns into a review as the 9 minutes see him scooting around the handset and interface, along with a brief demonstration of his Tetris talents.
Also, for interested parties, the entire thing was filmed using a 3 Skypephone.
As fans of Skype, Notts PC Repair thought it was their duty to review the “little beast” that is the 3 Skypehone.
Beginning with a spec list including a rundown of features and price plan details, they dive in to “The Pro” and “The Con”. On the plus-side they mention the size and design of the phone and refer to the multi-task button as a “Lifesaver.” On the other hand, their main gripe seems to be that the soft keys cannot be customised. They also list “Your friends can call or instant-message you constantly, free” as a downside, though it is worth mentioning that this also made it on to the “The Pro” list. ;-)
So the verdict, “This one has to get the thumbs up from us.” For all the details of their review follow the link.
The potential of the 3 Skypephone is not lost on Mad About Gadgets, as they begin their review with the statistics that Skype has 246 Million users worldwide with 2.5m of those internet telephony savvy individuals residing in the UK.
Theming the review on the title of the the ever-so-popular Clint Eastwood western (see here), Mad about Gadgets adds a fourth category beneath the good the bad and the ugly - the beautiful. Although the other categories give plenty of scope for discussing the 3 Skypephone, it was necessary to add the further sub-heading to allow ample opportunity for praise in the form of a David Dickinson catch phrase, “The price of the 3 Skypephone is surprising and almost unbeatable. To get your hands on a fully functional mobile phone, which is the second-smallest 3G phone available on the market in the UK at under 50 pounds. Cheap as chips!”
To read all that Mad About Gadgets make of the 3 Skypephone put on a poncho and ride a mule through this link.
Rob at MyHotspots Blog has posted a review on the 3 Skypephone.
His first impression is that the phone is “basic”. He quickly accentuates the positivity of this claim however, suggesting this negates any cumbersome navigation - “This [3 Skypephone] is light in the hand and very spritely to use, with menus very responsive to key presses and simple to understand.”
Skype is explored fully as Rob is a regular user of the service. He mentions the downside of not having SkypeIn/Out enabled, but counteracts this with comments regarding the audio quality and ease of use of the service stating, “If you use Skype have a plenty of contacts, this phone is going to be perfect for you.”
Rob has also written in relation to 3mobilebuzz about engaging with bloggers and how he believes it is a great method of launching brands and new products. This article is over at Monetise This.
As a final point, it is necessary to correct a minor piece of misinformation in Rob’s MyHotspots article. When discussing using the phone as USB modem he claims that this can be done via the HSDPA network, however this is not the case. To use it to get Broadband on your laptop you’ll need to get the Broadband Lite plan and then the 3 Skypephone will connect via the 3G network, effectively functioning as a dongle.
What does this have to do with the 3 Skypephone I hear you cry!? Well, the post that was made pick of the week was ‘Geek’, and featured The Girl talking about her experiences with, yup you guessed it, the 3 Skypephone.
The reason for Blog Search Engine’s giving the title to the ‘Geek’ is explained by Lorie who found the article while searching for information on the 3 Skypephone. One reason amongst others is that The Girl, is in Lorie’s words “more than sex and leather”, an important point, as it is likely that people will have heard of the celebrity blogger’s legend, yet never fully explored her site.
You can view the Blog Search Engine post here and all of the reasons why Lorie felt it deserved the ‘pick of the week’ treatment. Should you feel like viewing the Girl with a One Track Mind piece in it’s natural habitat then you can do so by following this link.
‘Disparate, Divergent Opinions. Apparently.’ author Dave Stevens has been in possession of a 3 Skypephone. This has resulted in some experimentation, leading Dave to get his device working as a modem paired with a PC running Ubuntu Linux.
With the Broadband Lite plan in place, he needed to find an alternative for the pairing software as the out-of-the-box setup is Windows based. Dave wasted no time and via Davesource.com found this solution, which required some minor refinement all of which he explains.
So should you want to create such a harmony resulting in a technological nirvana, then click here…
Making a virtue of the large screen and the Skype functionality, they roll through the specifications with an efficiency and accuracy usually reserved for German Engineering. This is followed with comprehensive details of the purchase and tariff options, for those considering becoming part of the mobile Skype community.
Although, in conclusion, Tripleeagle believes the phone to be little “too basic”, they do state it does have a valid space in the market to fill and that “all in all it is a good phone.”
This achievement is no mean feat with the arrival of significant devices, some of which are noted by Christian, particularly the iPhone, N95 8GB and fleetingly, the seemingly forgotten Prada phone. The iPhone and updated N95 are both worthy of Phone Of The Year in Christian’s opinion, but both are edged-out just, by the 3 Skypephone. His reasoning comes down very much to price and the benefit to the consumer, a point he illustrates: “If you want a great package and want to have GBP 450 for something else, it is a phone one should look at very seriously.”
Christian has always been a fan of the “black horse” of the mobile market and six weeks into using his device admits that any novelty is yet to wear off. And therefore, he bestows his award upon the 3 Skypephone, “I cannot do anything other than award the phone my phone the year award. Congrats Skype, 3, Qualcomm, iSkoot and the Amoi folks in China.”
What a start to what is sure to be another year of much moving and shaking within the mobile marketplace…
At 3G Forum this 3 Skypephone thread is full of praise for the handset and service it provides.
All the contributors have first hand experience of the device and are passing on their thoughts. One particular topic of discussion is price, with the deal of a pair of phones for 90 English pounds being considered outstanding value - in the words of forum member bolder, “for the price you can’t beat the quality/functionality.”
There is also detailed talk about the the 3 Skypephone’s design too. EncoderX was struck by “how small, slender and light they are.” To read the entire thread and get a full appraisal on the device from those using it, click here.
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