Posts tagged Skype

Fred (@wingdisk) of tekimage has been trialling the INQ Mini 3G and has gone as far as to compare it to Superman!



He has been putting it through its paces testing out the Skype and Twitter apps and uploading photos straight to facebook.



Fred also talks us through his experience with 3’s 3G network and the improvements he’s seen over the months, due to the work that 3 has been doing to enhance and expand its network.



So, who does Fred see using the INQ Mini 3G? Not just the youths of today - pop over to his blog post and find out. Do you agree?

This week Stephen Timms, the Minister for Digital Britain (@stephenctimms) made the billionth Skype minute on the 3 network to the CEO of medical aid charity Merlin. 3 have donated some skypephones to Merlin to help them keep in touch with their staff on the ground in Haiti.



Stephen at UKGadgeteer (@ukgadgeteer) and Craig at geekcomputers (@geekcomputers) share their views on this milestone.



Between them, 3 customers make 3 million minutes of Skype calls a day. Do we have any avid Skype users in our midst that help contribute to this?!

3mobilebuzz friend and regular Abul has posted his initial thoughts of the N900, not something we would normally talk about but Abul’s thoughts on the device and 3 were too interesting to miss. He has not been using the device as his primary weapon because of issues with 3G only 3UK SIM cards, however this is something he’s heard will be solved soon. He hopes this will be the case (as do we) due to his views on the similarities between the device and 3:

“I think that would be a wise decision [to update the firmware]. 3UK are very much like the N900 – open (well more than their competitors) so it makes sense to make it widely available.”

We agree with this, for a network 3 are indeed open, offerings like free Skype and free WLM are a sign of this, but more notably it can be seen here, here and here in some of the activities we have been involved with this year.



In related N900 news, 3G.co.uk has posted about the built-in Skype app, a step in the 3 direction.

UKGadgeteer has posted the full list of handsets that will support 3UK’s Skype and Windows Live Messenger clients.

The clients are readily available if you have one of the listed handsets and a 3 SIM,

“All you need to do is to insert your 3UK SIM into your phone, power it on, and go to the Planet 3 link which should automatically appear on the phone (either directly on a shortcut key, or within the Favourites/Bookmarks within the browser, and you may find it’s preset as the homepage within the browser).  Once there, you can select these apps, and then download these apps.”

SIMple, and in a move described by UKGadgeteer as ‘smart’ from 1^st October placing a 3 SIM in your phone will perform the above automatically. Click through for more details and that full list of handsets.

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…

As a culmination to to our prison break stylee Set Skype Free trial 3mobilebuzz in the form of Colin @colinmercer and Michelle @michchapman got together with Alex @kinchyuk, Chris @mahadewa and 3’s Sarah @sarahbolwell and Charlotte @lotteb. After meeting outside London Bridge Tube, Col led everyone to the surprise destination of the London Dungeons where activities that read like a Scooby-doo script ensued. This notably included Chris being placed in a torture cage and Sarah being attacked by a man dressed as Jack the Ripper.

The main reason for the evening though was to talk with 3, and after surviving the Dungeon’s Hanging Ride, beverages and drinks were the order of the day. So, nestled safely in the Borough Bar for the evening, Charlotte, head of products and services for 3, discussed a variety of topics all kicked off by Skype.

After focusing on 3’s embracing of the free VoIP service things moved on to INQ, mobile broadband and the future of music on mobile. Also making the agenda was the popularity of the N97 and new products and services that are on the horizon. And by the time things started winding down everyone was feeling informed to the hilt.

It just remains to say a big thanks to everyone involved. :)

We’re always on the look out for people wanting to get involved with trials and meet-ups with 3, so if you’d like to join us do so by emailing or dropping us a tweet.

Oh, and for those concerned about Sarah, she escaped unscathed from the clutches of The Ripper.

From today 3’s data roaming charges will be the lowest in Britain, just £1.25 per MB.

Omio see the move as a continuing effort by 3 to remain as the best value network within our green and pleasant lands. They also report that 3 are keen to make clear that this is not a limited time offer only, with the pricing “available to all customers, automatically, whether on contract or prepay.”

To read more on this and find some links to other waves that 3 are making in the sector including Skype on the N97 and the £0 per month SIM Zero head through.

3, as part of their Free Calls Forever campaign, are offering free SIMs - one for you and one for a friend.

All you need to do is get your free SIM, pop it in a unlocked 3G phone and you’ll be able to Skype your day away, all day, every day for nothing. All you need to do is head here and enter your details and 3 will aim to deliver your pair of SIMs within five working days.

“We’ll send you a free SIM, plus an extra one to give to a mate - so you can both benefit from free calls to each other. The more people you tell about this great offer, the more people you can talk to for free…”

Let us know what you think by leaving a comment below.

*update* Apologies on our behalf for suggesting you can Skype away all day… this isn’t as yet the case. Although you’ll be able to make regular calls, Skype won’t be available until later in the year via the free SIMs - likely early Q4.

*Further update* As there was some confusion around this we sought some clarification from 3 - Skype will work on almost all 3 branded 3G handsets, but at the moment not on 3G handsets that hadn’t originally come from 3. 3 have told us they’re working on a solution over the summer that might solve this problem for some of the most popular 3G handsets that hadn’t originally been bought from 3. In the meantime, the good news is you can use 3’s SIMs in non 3 3G handsets to make calls, send texts, and access the internet. And if you’re using one of the free PAYG SIMs currently being given away, you can get free texts and internet everytime you top up - no matter where your 3G phone came from.

Alex Kinch of AlexKinch.com is locking up his handset, and he wants you to do the same! As part of our endeavour to get people giving Skype a try, he’s been given some cages and phones to see if he can find willing participants to take on the challenge of fully embracing Skype.

Puns-a-plenty as he explains the idea, “The challenge? 3 want to lock up your mobile, and replace it with a model that’s a little more ‘3′ (yes I know, terrible pun). [...] All have a 3 SIM card and free calls for you to try for a couple of weeks. There’s also a cute little ‘phone cell’ (again, another terrible pun) for you to lock up your old handset.”

He’s looking for volunteers, people willing to don their device in prison uniform and set themselves free with Skype. If you’re interested, get in touch with him through AlexKinch.com or make an appearance at Friday’s Tuttle meet in London.

Over at One Part Truth Two Parts Mixer Priyanka has been thinking about being set free by Skype.

Admitting to not really seeing the benefit straight away, it took a comment on Twitter to get her to consider the possibilities, “I didn’t really see how it was such a big deal, but Scouse made the point that they are the first company to offer a deal which doesn’t rely on you using their network - quite radical.”

What she really wants though is critical mass. Although using Skype to phone family abroad and create video messages for her mum, that’s about it. It needs to filter in to everyday use more, there needs to be a tipping point.

Is this moment approaching? Have you got your friends Skype-enabled and chatting for free? Let Priyanka know.

On the review site Ciao the INQ1 is scoring well, especially when it comes to Look & Feel, Durability & Robustness and Range of Features.

The individual reviews pick out different aspects of the INQ1 they like with jreay21 approving of the contract despite not being sold on the device itself. This is quite the opposite though of both nivekfs and sofearbear who both praise the handset with nivekfs decreeing the INQ1 as the answer to Facebook, Skype and Ebay while on the move.

Been using an INQ1? Let us know what you think.

Since launching their free Skype-to-Skype calling initiative, 3 have seen a sharp rise in customer numbers and Skype calls according to Mobile News.

Kevin Russell 3UK chief executive said of the increase, “Sales and usage have gone up remarkably. It’s a cracking proposition, and we have seen a great jump in Skype usage and are very happy with it.”

With the Skype advertising campaign currently on TV and going into cinemas across the country throughout June the movement of 3 consumers embracing the VoIP service looks set to continue. All the details are here.

UKGadgeteer has posted an update to their article, which networks will carry the Nokia N97, suggesting 3 will be among those stocking the handset. The information came from Dan Carter at World of Nokia who posted an image of a 3 advert for the device he’d seen.

Details are reasonably slim at the moment, though UKGadgeteer and World of Nokia do outline what they believe the pricing will be on both contract and PAYG – head through to either to join the speculation.

Also, with the N97 being the first Nokia handset with fully integrated Skype it is likely to sit extremely comfortably with 3’s Free Skype Forever movement…

Our latest 3mobilebuzz trial is about to begin and is focused on the role of Skype in 3’s changing mobile forever campaign. We can’t say too much as the fun is yet to begin and we don’t want to ruin the surprise for those involved. Nevertheless we can give you a visual inkling to go with the title of this post as to the theme of what’ll be occuring…

The guys currently on board are Improbulus of Consuming Experience, Iain from CrackUnit.com, Charlie of Tantramar and Curtis James who is the man behind Not the kinda cool you’re looking for. Keep your on eye on these loveable rogues to see what they get up to…