The word on the street is, Skype for the iPhone is coming

According to Om Malik "Skype for iPhone to be released as early as next Week" - he says he had a tip that it will be released next week at the CTIA Wireless event in Las Vegas

The full story is at. http://gigaom.com/2009/03/26/skype-for- ... next-week/

Ian

I have to say, from my point of view this is typical, something I have been waiting for, for a long time is released in the one week I'm in the far north of Sweden....

Reply from fenlander on Mar 30, 2009 - 08:49 AM

Good preview here: http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-12261_7-10206786-51.html

Reply from dean on Mar 30, 2009 - 10:51 AM

... and also over on Skype Journal:-

http://skypejournal.com/2009/03/skype-f ... shots.html

Looks well featured - includes conference calling.

Quote:

Kurt Thywissen, the principal engineer for Skype for iPhone, thinks Skype's iPhone app will replace competitors like Nimbuzz and Fring. He says what the other apps use is a workaround that requires them to channel calls through a server and transcode audio, resulting in poorer-quality calls than Skype can do in its own app.

Reply from andyk on Mar 31, 2009 - 01:24 PM

Here is what The Register said about it not long ago

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/03/30/iphone_skype/

I think these bits are interesting:

Quote:

CNet got a good look, and concluded that what's missing is text messaging, file transfer and integrated voicemail. It also lacks an integrated way to pay for additional SkypeOut credit - surely an appropriate use of the recently announced incremental-billing platform available through iTunes. The iPhone's inability to run more than one application at a time would seem to make multi-functional applications, such as Fring or NimBuzz, more popular. Both those applications integrate with multiple messaging and VoIP networks, including Skype. Nimbuzz and Fring are required to route connections through their own servers, so ...

So to a possibly naive observer like me, it seems Fring with Skype and/or SIP could be run over 3g on other phones, but Skype's client can't on the iPhone; that's barred and it still relies on having wi-fi coverage. So perhaps it isn't quite yet time for Skype to subtly criticise the opposition

... especially when Skype's forums are full of queries from people who haven't grasped and solved the ambiguities of Skype's product descriptions in the past, for example (when) can I use the 3 Skypephone for Skype calls in this or that country; answer only where there is a 3 network


[yes, I do realise this thread is in a board about wi-fi usage, but is it churlish to hope for a bit more ]

Reply from satphoneguy on Mar 31, 2009 - 02:13 PM

it would be interesting if nimbuzz, skype, truphone, etc. found a way to 'connect' to the skype client running on phone instead of routing all calls through their servers. this would eliminate the quality/latency concerns but still provide the intergrated service. it would also save the above companies alot of bandwidth and add to 'scalablity.' of course the downside is that skype would have to be installed on the phone alongside the other client.

Reply from dean on Mar 31, 2009 - 04:51 PM

Quote:

a way to 'connect' to the skype client running on phone instead of routing all calls through their servers

That's an interesting thought - Skype as a network and termination provider. That I believe would fit squarely into their current position target. I'm not sure if it's technically possible without Apples help though.

Quote:

it seems Fring with Skype and/or SIP could be run over 3g on other phones, but Skype's client can't on the iPhone; that's barred and it still relies on having wi-fi coverage.

It works over 3G on iPhone 3.0. Time will tell if Apple get pressurised to block that:-

http://www.9to5mac.com/skype-works-on-3G-3.0

My belief is that the mobile operators should now move to a data model. Data growth on mobiles is up 31%, voice growth on mobiles is currently at 0% (figures for this quarter). So anything which drives continued mobile data usage is probably a good thing for the encumbent MNO's.

That's why I think Zer01 have the right idea:-

http://www.voipuser.org/forum_topic_15462.html

Critical they get their data plans at the right price point now.

Reply from andyk on Apr 01, 2009 - 01:53 AM

oh, there seem to be sonme differences of opinion then

TheReg article had: though they'll still be prevented from making calls over 3G connections

Quote:

My belief is that the mobile operators should now move to a data model. Data growth on mobiles is up 31%, voice growth on mobiles is currently at 0% (figures for this quarter). So anything which drives continued mobile data usage is probably a good thing for the encumbent MNO's.

Well, maybe, maybe not - data might be up, but revenues may not be following quite so fast, especially with free add-on internet on some contracts (precedented by the iPhone of course), and there are already opinions available that data use is being sold too cheaply at the moment, and the networks may not be underwriting the cost of more capacity to avoid contention problems

Reply from andyk on Apr 06, 2009 - 03:56 PM

The networks don't like it, are barring 3g use etc

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/04/03 ... cks_skype/

http://www.mobiletoday.co.uk/Uproar_as_ ... works.html

unsurprising

Reply from dean on Apr 09, 2009 - 05:23 PM

Dan York has posted some of his thoughts on the product:-

Quote:

All in all I've been quite pleased with how the Skype For iPhone client works in my initial usage. ........It does, of course, suffer from the two inherent issues in the Apple iPhone platform: 1) you can only use the voice portion over WiFi; and 2) there is no background processing - any app has to run in the foreground. Of these, #2 is really the larger annoyance because you can't be doing something else on the iPhone and still receive Skype IM messages or calls. Still, it's great to have a Skype client on the iPhone.

http://www.disruptivetelephony.com/2009 ... ughts.html

Reply from andyk on Apr 11, 2009 - 12:48 PM

That quote to me encapsulates what I regard as the mystery of why Skype on iPhone via 3g or only wi-fi is touted to become so popular.

Reply from ianplain on Apr 11, 2009 - 10:28 PM

Simple, For me and many others, it's the text chat. Many business users use Skype to chat about projects send files and generally communicate.

And being able to call over wifi is a benefit as well.

Have you tried it yet on your iPhone ?

Ian

Reply from andyk on Apr 12, 2009 - 10:40 AM

I don't have an iPhone.

What seems odd to me is that people say things like some tasks cannot be run in the background, quite apart from the debate on what applications are allowed or not over 3g

On something more modest like a Nokia E51, if the owner is hyperactive enough it's possible to have Google or Nokia Maps, an internet radio station from Austria or Canada, Opera Mini browser, choice of tons of message services, incoming SIP via Fring (and perhaps Skype if I did some research), all running at once on 3g or wi-fi. I would have assumed in advance the iPhone could do all this, but the comments by some users about background tasks make me wonder

Reply from dean on Apr 12, 2009 - 12:18 PM

Quote:

it's the text chat

Exactly. It's the IM client of choice for a lot of users, especially those behind firewalls/NAT etc.

Quote:

chat about projects

I know several businesses (admittedly tech ones) who have a Skype group chat running on a per project basis. It's a pre-requisite.

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