Over at Mobile Shop, there’s news that the number of people using Skype is set to grow in the future. But analyst Rupert Wood predicts that:
‘Until…operators start offering [VoIP] as a primary line service then people will probably be largely uninterested’
3 are leading the way with the support of the service, first with their Skypephones and latterly with the INQ range. Do you Skype? Whay do you think more people don’t? Let us know your feelings on the matter.
Ewan at Mobile Industry Review spotted, and snapped, 3 UK’s latest deal of a Skypephone S2 for £39.99, “This is a very, very good deal for anyone wanting to talk to friends for free (either in the UK or abroad).”
He’s even thinking about picking one up himself…
UKGadgeteer has news of 3’s latest offers on the INQ1 and Skypephone S2.
In line with 3’s Skype Free Calls Forever the price of both handsets has dropped. Previously £99.99, you can pick up either device on PAYG for £69.99, “for around £70 you can now buy a phone which will offer free Skype to Skype calls and not even need to top up the device to continue using it.”
Amy-Mae Elliot at Pocket-Lint has also covered this news, hailing the return of the S2 and giving a little heads up about some info gleaned from 3’s CEO, Kevin Russell, that another dedicated Skype handset will be arriving Q4…
According to Amy-Mae at Pocket-Lint, 3’s original Skypephones, the S1 and S2 which offered ‘a dedicated Skype key and free Skype calls’ are being retired. But the good news for Skypers is that with the promise of ‘as many as six INQ-branded mobiles in 2009’ Amy-Mae reckons that we ‘could be on for an imminent new model in the range, to fill the S1 and S2’s shoes’.
What would you like to see in a new Skypephone? Head over and let Amy-Mae know your thoughts.
Neville Hobson has Skyped up his iPhone and given a comprehensive overview of the service. He points out that , “[…] if you’ve used Skype before on a computer or a mobile device – with Skype Mobile, for instance, or perhaps with a 3 Skypephone – you’ll know what to expect: it’s simplicity itself, both to set up and use.”
He also mentions though that “[…] you can’t run Skype while you use your iPhone for anything else.” This is also pointed out by Karooze in a three page long thread at the O2 online forums, where discussion also takes in only being able to use the service via WiFi.
This is echoed in Digital Spy where the talk of ‘advancement’ is countered by Ricardodaforce among others, “the OP’s talk about something that “will revolutionise the phone market in the coming months/years?” seems a bit weird when VOIP on the iPhone has been here for ages!”
Boards.IE pit the app against Fring and there is more general discussion in AVForums should the above not give you the fill you need.
News of Skype on the iPhone has prompted a response from 3, as reported by Pocket-Lint’s Amy-Mae Elliot.
The operator has pointed out not only have they been offering the service since 2006, but also that Skype on the iPhone functions differently. Whereas the iPhone relies on Wi-Fi, 3 use the 3G network meaning customers can make a Skype call whenever they have a signal.
Available on contracts from £9 a month and for regularly topping up PAYG customers it is no surprise that the network sees “over 1 million minutes of Skype to Skype calls [being] made on 3 every month.”
For Pocket-Lint’s full article click through…
Know Your Mobile has put the INQ1 up against the Skypephone 2 in an inter-network bout of its head-to-head feature.
The devices are compared thoroughly under sub-headings such as ‘speed is of the essence’ and ‘more than just facbook’, there is even a side by side spec list. Under ‘look and feel’ the handsets are described as “pretty classy” despite being “sliders with no frills navigation or keyboard-wise.”
As for the verdict you’ll have to click through…
3G.co.uk has given the second incarnation of the 3 Skypephone, the S2, a good ol’ comprehensive reviewing!
Split into clearly defined sub-headings you’ll be able to find what you need to know from the review in a flash, ah-aaaa. And if words aren’t your thing then the star ratings give you an instant overview.
To see how the 4/5 of rating the S2 received stacked up, click here. The device has been in the public domain for a bit now, how are you finding it?
Mobile Shop’s Technical Markus was a fan of the original 3 Skypephone and when trawling through email yesterday was confronted with a question he felt more than qualified to answer, “Is the Skypephone S2 actually any good?”
Beginning realistially, Markus bestows where one’s expectations should lie when seeking an answer, “this isn’t a mobile phone you can compare to, say, the Nokia N96. It’s not designed to be the ultimate multimedia powerhouse, or be a portable cinema.” Once this is established he continues, “What the 3 Skypephone S2 is designed to do, though, is give you masses upon masses of communication options, and if you judge on its own terms, then it comes out as a superb mobile phone.”
Referring to the Skype functionality as ‘killer’, the thrust of the praise is tied to the recent Skype Out possibilities and the double-up-ability of a handset as a modem. And his final verdict? Well it comes out with the S2 being described as “utterly brilliant”. For all the reasons why he thinks so click here.
Skype’s upgrade to the 4.2 version of their software has prompted a post from Chris Dawson at Tamebay in which he turns his thoughts to their other recent ‘big news’, Skype Out on 3’s Skypephone.
Being able to have a mobile package on which you can call any number in the world via Skype is a significant change, something that is not lost on Chris; “This is a huge step forward, with other mobile providers attempting to limit VOIP on mobiles, even over WiFi, 3 have taken a brave step in fully embracing Skype.” This concurs with the thoughts of Andy from VoIP Watch, and is certainly the reaction 3 are hoping to provoke as the market moves forward.
Stefan explains why he picked the Skypephone S2 over the far more expensive iPhone in this revealing post from his blog.
Having just moved house, Stefan found himself without an internet connection and with no phone line. Searching for a quick, cheap and easy broadband solution, he discovered the Skyephone S2, describing it as:
“…A great phone, it keeps amazing me. It has HSDPA, so access to the Internet is really fast. I have got 300 Kbps download speed. It is good enough to watch YouTube videos. The 3G speed and the fact that you are getting it through your mobile phone is really amazing.”
Comparing the £69.99 handset (on a PAYG service) to the iPhone (that an unexpected price drop has reduced to £99 on a £30 monthly tariff), he says that 3’s device offers more of what he uses the internet for than Apple’s gadget. These are email, Skype and internet connection that is possible to hook up to a laptop. iPhone, on the other hand, has only two of these functions integrated.
Where the Skypephone S2 misses out in Stefan’s reckoning is with the built-in browser which he considers only usable half the time. Overall, Stefan’s very happy with his Skypephone S2 and you can read his review in more detail on his blog.
VoIP Watch gets understandably excited by the news that 3 will soon be allowing Skypephone users to make Skype Out calls to another network or landline. Currently Skype calling on the Skypephone is Skype-to-Skype only. 3’s new rates introduces calling packages, the most expensive of which costs £7.99 and allows users to call mobiles or landlines anywhere in the world via Skype.
As Andy from VoIP Watch says, “This is Huge…”
The industry’s premier Voice-over-IP blogger then goes on to talk more about 3’s ongoing commitment to reinventing what customers expect from a mobile service provider:
“3 is by far the mobile operator with the best grasp on where the market is heading. Their data plans are about the best deals around. Their marketing is crisp and message is easy to understand.”
Duncan from shinytech.tv sits on a retro-looking sofa in front of some fairly frightening wallpaper to film a video review of the Skypephone S2.
The review lasts for three minutes in which time Duncan covers most features of the S2 including the ‘beautiful’ design and the ability to use the device as a wireless dongle for roaming internet on your laptop.
How have your experiences with the S2 compared? Leave a comment after the video and let everyone know.
Sandra Vogel, IT journalist and writer of The VogBlog, has posted her expert opinion of the Skypephone S2 on Trusted Reviews – the home of, uh, trusted reviews. The verdict? Highly recommended; a nine out of ten!
In the course of the review, Sandra praises the many improvements made over the original incarnation, in particular the robust build, stylish design and even better internet connectivity:
“It has added Facebook, Windows Live Messenger, an RSS reader (with a 30 feed limit), Google Mail, Google Maps and Google Search to that rolling menu. Then there is general Web browsing to add to the pot. And ordinary voice calls. And the fact that the phone will act as a 3G dongle for your laptop thanks to the provided cables, so hopping onto the 3 network for a bit of HSDPA speed browsing is possible.”
Of course, the focus is still on the flawless Skype integration and the free calls this brings – which is why they call it a Skypephone, after all.
Do you think the S2 deserves a near perfect nine out of ten? Leave a comment after the review and tell her what you think.
Quintessential English gent and hyper-intelligent gadget geek, Stephen Fry has reviewed the 3 Skypephone S2 as part of his “Dork Talk” column in The Guardian. Honestly, I never would have taken General Melchett to be much of a tech-head but I guess you can never tell.
Fry describes the ease of Skype connectivity and the near instant access to your favourite web services which is provided by the S2. He says it’s a ‘snap’ to hook the device up to your laptop, providing speeds of 3.6MB in a 3G area. All in all, Fry sums up his review of the S2 thusly:
“A crisp QVGA display allied to a happy thumb-feel keypad makes for a desirable and admirable phone that could save you hundreds of pounds in calls.”
Read the full review here.
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