[macflauaus]

Yahoo! News - Skype announces service for iPhone, BlackBerry by Reuters: Yahoo! Tech

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Skype, the Internet telephone unit of eBay Inc, is planning to launch its service for iPhone users on Tuesday and for BlackBerry in May as part of its effort to expand beyond desktop computers.

[. . .]

In May it will launch Skype for Research In Motion's BlackBerry devices, which popularized mobile email. It has already announced Skype for Nokia phones and for phones based on Android, Google Inc's mobile system, and Windows Mobile, from Microsoft Corp.

CCS Insight analyst Ben Wood said the new applications give Skype a chance to boost its mobile phone position, which has been weaker than that of social sites such as Facebook, Twitter or News Corp's MySpace.

It's about time!!! :D:D

[don.new]

I'm standing here waiting.

[stonce]

Originally Posted by don.new

I'm standing here waiting.

me too

[scuzzilla]

Originally Posted by stonce

me too

oh yeah

[SCOdoubleT]

Sweet!

[GRom]

Mmm... Glad to hear it!

[dankarlinski]

im excited for it. about time!!

[kurichan]

If this only works on WiFi enabled Blackberries, things are going to get REALLY interesting, REALLY quickly in Verizonland...

[mgerbasio]

I'd like to see this to finally open the door to other voip clients. Would be nice for 3G data as well as wifi but I'll take what I can get.

Regards-Michael G.

[scaevola]

iskoot has been around for ~2+ now and it does however requring dialing an # out to call someone directly.

FYI...

[kathrynhr]

Correct me if my conversion math is off, it's been awhile:

Assuming 20 kbits/sec of data usage, you're looking at around 120 kbytes per minute each way. So 240 kbytes of data usage per minute when a call is being made.

Assuming a 1 hour call: ~14 mb

Online bandwith calculator says a 1 hour data call over GSM is about 15.56 mb.

Source: FaktorTel - VOIP Phone Company - Leading Australian VOIP Service Provider for Residential VOIP and Business VOIP

Not bad for an hour, but making copious amounts of VOIP calls could definitely push someone who was already a heavy user toward their data cap. I believe most "unlimited" plans cease to be "unlimited" when one hits 5 gig.

[Dubdub]

Bandwidth is going to be an issue as well as latency. A 3G device might have acceptable voice quality, but I seriously doubt that and EDGE device will work very well.

ETA that I have heard is June at the earliest.

[XingBerry]

Sounds cool but is it possible to do anything except chat ? considering the bandwidth

[ah2819]

It doesn't look like the blackberry client is going to be a real VoIP application. Here is part of the description from the press release at Skype Coming to BlackBerry Smartphones in May - About Skype

"The application works wherever your mobile phone works, without needing a Wi-Fi connection. It uses local air time and a mobile Internet connection to sign in to Skype, update your contact list and presence and to send/receive calls or messages. As a result, you must have both a calling plan and a data plan to use the lite version of Skype."

"You will be charged by your mobile operator for local air time and data usage based on the type of calling service and data plan you have purchased."

"however national calling rates apply from your mobile operator due to the use of local air time"

That's too bad. I was hoping that this was going to be a real VoIP client.

[proussak]

So while it may be useful for making international calls on the cheap from the US (putting Truphone out of business?), it does nothing for calling back to the US from overseas (unless you go the local SIM card route) - how disappointing!

[ah2819]

That's what I was hoping to be able to do as well. Skype isn't going to help much when a local call while roaming internationally costs as much as a call back to the US. A local SIM would make phone calls cheaper, but that means swapping SIMs to also use my existing unlimited international data plan.

[JLP]

From the Skype PR:
"*Costs for using the lite version of Skype:
You will be charged by your mobile operator for local air time and data usage based on the type of calling service and data plan you have purchased. Since the lite version of Skype uses a mobile data connection to sign in to Skype, update your contact list, update presence and send/receive messages, you will be charged by your mobile operator for data usage. You will not incur charges from Skype when you make Skype-to-Skype calls or send instant messages to friends on Skype; however national calling rates apply from your mobile operator due to the use of local air time. Skype will charge its regular very low Skype rates when you call landlines and mobiles using Skype or when you receive calls on your mobile handset from other Skype users or people calling your personal online number."

So...this sounds like iskoot and all the other VoIP for BB clients out there (using both data and voice plans), except it will work over Wi-Fi without requiring voice plan usage - right? That's what it sounds like for the iPhone: "Sign in to Skype from any WiFi zone and reach friends and family free with Skype-to-Skype calls." If voice plan usage is required for Skype-to-Skype on BB, it seems pointless to me.

[markyeungcy]

Why cant Skype make a real VOIP client for BB when there is one for Iphone?
I just dont see why....

[proussak]

Isn't there some issue of the radio on the BB not handling two-way communications as required for the Skype app - I read somewhere that's why there's never been a fring app for the BB.

[steveoevets]

Originally Posted by kathrynhr

Correct me if my conversion math is off, it's been awhile:

Assuming 20 kbits/sec of data usage, you're looking at around 120 kbytes per minute each way. So 240 kbytes of data usage per minute when a call is being made.

Assuming a 1 hour call: ~14 mb

Online bandwith calculator says a 1 hour data call over GSM is about 15.56 mb.

Source: FaktorTel - VOIP Phone Company - Leading Australian VOIP Service Provider for Residential VOIP and Business VOIP

Not bad for an hour, but making copious amounts of VOIP calls could definitely push someone who was already a heavy user toward their data cap. I believe most "unlimited" plans cease to be "unlimited" when one hits 5 gig.

I agree - Everyone is making a big deal about sticking it to vendors by making VoIP calls over 3G where as the only real difference is going to be the protocol. It's still traversing the providers network.

I am in Canada and have Skype on my iPhone hacked to go over 3G and the sound quality way better than if I just made a regular mobile call.

It will be interesting to see how it all shakes out.