Skypephone S2 archives

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.”

Read Andy’s article in full here.

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.

Sam is on holiday in the States until the 29th September. In his absence, Simon Davies (the Watson to Sam’s Sherlock) will be the one keeping you up to date with the latest chatter about 3 across the internets. Enjoy the mix, people!

No, 3 isn’t making a dramatic entrance into the competitive bottled water industry, this is just an example of some of the free goodies being dished out by 3 and photographed by Mostly This: at Leicester Sq. yesterday. This is part of 3’s Social Notworking promotion we’ve been discussing on these pages all week. Social Notworking highlights the fact that efforts to block access to social venues such as Facebook in the workplace is totally undermined by the Skypephone S2 - which can have you poking like a crazy person through your mobby and there’s nothing the boss can do about it.

3 are at Golden Square today, adding more faces to the I Love Social Notworking Facebook group and (presumably) giving out more bottles of water. If you’re interested in showing your support, or if you’re just thirsty, head on down to Golden Square today.

On a related note, the 3 Skypephone now has a page on that ultimate bastion of communal knowledge and insight Wikipedia! Well done to the folks who put that together in all its detailed glory.

The S2 event in Soho Square yesterday has been covered by BrandRepublic and is designed to get people trying out the Skypephone S2 and promote the access the handset gives to social venues such as Facebook.

The incentive is reacting to the banning in some work places of such sites and is going under the umbrella of I Love Social Notworking.Continuing today in Leciester Square and visiting Goldon Square tomorrow the social notworking experience incorporates a interactive booth, where photo’s of notworkers can get snapped and have their image uploaded to a dedicated Facebook group.

To find out more simply search Facebook for I love Social Notworking and you’ll be able to jump in and join up. Or if you want to experience the S2, booth and notworking vibe, then wind your way to the appropriate square on the appropriate day.

3 are giving one and all the chance to get hands on with S2 if you happen to be in the vicinity of Soho Square today, Leicester Square tomorrow or Golden Square on Friday.

For those with a desire to play with the device or just to have a sit down on some calm-inducing furniture for a chat with some brand ambassadors then these impromptu gatherings are for you. By now the Soho shindig will be winding down, but don’t feel shy about turning up with your pals to Thursday and Friday’s goings on.

Gadgeteer has given the event a post worth of coverage also, should you feel like reading more.

Technology magazine T3 was the subject of the question that won me my most recent game of Trivial Pursuit (Tomorrow’s Technology Today, that was the answer). The premier tech mag has also just reviewed the S2 and given it a verdict of four out of five stars.

Not overtly impressed with the original Skypephone, “Think … everything in Woolworths really, and that’s pretty much the quality of the first 3 Skypephone”. Ouch, that’s harsh. However the new version has courted their praise, so much in fact that the review leads to a conclusion featuring the following, “3 has come out fighting with this Skype baby, and we’re impressed.”

Very nice indeed. There is plenty of detail in the review on different aspects of the device, particular attention has been paid to the S2’s upgraded looks. To get all there is go here and learn why T3 believe that the S2 will “have you nagging your mates to Skype-it-up.”

The Skype blog has rounded up the best bits of conversation on the 3 Skypephone S2 and put them together so as to gauge the blogosphere’s reaction to the handset.

Overall the response is one of praise for the upgrade on the original Skypephone, with lessons learnt and criticisms taken on board the S2 is a more than satisfactory next-gen version.

Most of the links have in one form or fashion been featured on 3mobilebuzz, but it is always nice to see things placed together. Among the links are the words of Neil Bird, Neville Hobson and Episode 22 of the Mobile Industry Review Show. There is a little bit more included also, so should you feel like delving a little deeper, click here.

Neville Hobson has been testing out the 3 Skypephone S2 and until recently had been collating his thoughts on what he made of the upgraded original handset. He has now put all this together in the form of a comprehensive video review on his technology blog, Next.

The review is 28 minutes long and runs through all the main points of interest and all that goes before your eyes when putting the integrated applications to work. A demonstration that suits the medium superbly. If the S2 is a something you’re intrigued by then this video is a must, giving you a users point-of-view guide.

http://www.vimeo.com/1637337

3 Skypephone S2 Video Review from Neville Hobson on Vimeo.

In the post where Neville presents the video he gives a snippet of his conclusion, and it seems an appropriate place finish, “It’s a terrific device, greatly improved on its predecessor”.

Mobile Industry Review were about to write something undoubtedly well constructed about the Skypephone S2 and Facebook integration, but then Ken, a MIR reader, sent them over his thoughts… Thus reader generated content, superb.

Ken’s view on Facebook wasn’t the best, it isn’t that he disliked it, just didn’t feel the need for it, so as he says himself, “it was with some trepidation that I approached FB when given the chance to try out a SkypePhone recently. Would my meagre assortment of friends do the business? Could I actually like this?”

In short the answer is yes. And why? Because Facebook on a phone works, especially in Ken’s case the messaging service it provides and the friends link, something he refers to as ‘killer’. This link gives you the update statuses of your friends, each with an option to message or call. The pull of this is the context it gives to your next meeting, knowing the state of mind of a pal or what they’ve been up to, “the serendipity that FB on my phone is starting to engender is eye-opening [...] If it’s fast and easy, people will do it. 3 have removed the pain and mobilised something I never thought I’d enjoy.”

Ken’s complete reaction was posted by Ewan here and is worth having a look at if you’re either tempted by the S2 or indeed a Facebook-aholic.