Not surprisingly, I just found Skype for Mobile released as a beta application. The fact that Skype is now paying attention to Symbian and UIQ platforms is a good piece of news for many users, but who wants this overly slapdash attention?
The Skype mobile client has been written in Java, meaning the interface is quite cumbersome and application execusion is a tad slow. Also, from an accessibility perspective, it’s not compatible with Symbian screen readers like Nuance TALKS and Code Factory Mobile Speak – confirmed on my N82 which has TALKS installed. Obviously they have selected Java to address a wider range of handsets without being forced to adopt a costlier platform-specific approach. Equally important is the way Skype handles VoIP conversations. It uses your internet connection for text chats, but routes all calls through the PSTN (phone) network. This very limitation defeats the rationale behind developing and using Skype. It’s worth mentioning that iSkoot for Skype also makes use of such a solution for VoIP conversations, but Fring doesn’t.
To download Skype for your cell phone handset, visit http://www.skype.com/ on your cell phone. At the end of the day, it seems to me that if IM+ for Skype adds free Skype-to-Skype call capabilities, it would become the best Skype client, surpassing iSkoot for Skype, Fring, and the newly released Skype for Mobile beta. I’m a bit disappointed because the Skype client for Nokia tablet devices does make use of the available internet connection for all sorts of Skype calls, but Symbian S60 users shouldn’t keep their hopes high.
Related Info: iSkoot Chat Application
Tags: cell phone, skype
April 25, 2008 at 4:10 pm |
[...] through the phone network, thus defeating ‘the rationale behind developing and using Skype’. He is less than impressed. Apoc, on the other hand, reckons that this Skype app can become ‘a part of your day’, but [...]
April 27, 2008 at 3:36 pm |
We agree that Skype’s new service is not a true mobile VoIP solution. We look forward to a clearer debate on what true VoIP really stands for.
We question why Skype has chosen the option of routing calls over the GSM network rather offering a true internet or Wi-Fi solution, and look forward to hearing Skype’s response on the reasons for this.
June 3, 2009 at 11:42 pm |
[...] a few VoIP and IM applications for the S60 operating system, but only one of them closely mimics Skype, and it is called iSkoot. Unlike Fring, for instance, iSkoot doesn’t work with other VoIP/IM [...]
June 16, 2009 at 9:49 pm |
[...] readers. What’s more, who doesn’t need Skype these days? Furthermore, both iSkoot for Skype and IM+ Mobile Messenger – which aren’t true VoIP mobile applications – are absent in the [...]
June 16, 2009 at 9:51 pm |
[...] over GPRS” capability and support for almost all popular VoIP/IM clients), if it provides Skype support. Anyway, this release offers the following new [...]
June 16, 2009 at 9:58 pm |
[...] a license. At any rate, I was supposed to give two IM+ Mobile Messenger licenses and two IM+ for Skype licenses to the winners – courtesy of SHAPE Services. The winners [...]
June 16, 2009 at 10:01 pm |
[...] Enabled file transfer from Yahoo! & Skype. [...]
July 3, 2009 at 1:37 pm |
[...] put, if Talkonaut supported Skype and were screen-reader compatible, it could be called the most feature-rich Symbian S60 VoIP/IM [...]
August 5, 2009 at 11:36 pm |
[...] put, if Talkonaut supported Skype and were screen-reader compatible, it could be called the most feature-rich Symbian S60 VoIP/IM [...]