October 2007

After yesterday's announcement (and before it's in stores on Friday) I thought you might like to see some photos of what the 3 Skypephone's user interface looks like. It runs Qualcomm's BREW platform.

When you first turn on the phone, you see the 3 logo (followed by the Skype logo and then the iSkoot logo--iSkoot is the company that helped develop the Skype software in the phone.). On the right you see the phone's main home screen. The top soft buttons launch 3's Launcher and Planet3 web services, and the Skype button opens up the Skype client.

Continue reading "3 Skypephone: UI Tour" »

It's a go! (Well, nearly...)

High Quality Video on Skype brings the resolution of video calling on Skype up to 640 x 480 pixels (from 320 x 240) and up to 30 frames per second (from a max of 15) when you meet the necessary hardware and software requirements.

The difference is pretty amazing--it's the sort of quality that was previously only available to big businesses (for lots of money), but now it's available to everyone on Skype (for free)!

Continue reading "Clearer, Sharper, Smoother: High Quality Video on Skype!" »

It hasn't exactly been a secret, but today is a big day for the Skype team. It's the launch of the 3 Skypephone!

It's Skype in your pocket, wherever you go. It works with 3, the mobile provider in the UK (and Australia, Austria, Denmark, Hong Kong, Italy, Ireland, Macau and Sweden) that's already providing Skype on its compatible handsets (through its X-Series internet offering and more recently on all its Mix & Match tariffs if the phone supports it).

The 3 Skypephone does work as a regular mobile phone (on 3 pay as you go or pay monthly), but as you might have guessed from the name, it's the first phone to build Skype functionality into the core of the device. You can import your Skype contacts into the phone's contact list and there's a single call history list for Skype and regular mobile calls. You can always broadcast your Skype status and make unlimited Skype-to-Skype calls wherever you go (subject to a very reasonable fair use policy).

It's also a pretty slick piece of kit: it's a 3G phone with a 2 megapixel camera, bluetooth, a 2" 220 x 176 screen, and a microSD slot to add up to 1 GB of memory. It has an internet browser (with 3's Launcher for easy access to popular sites like eBay, Facebook and YouTube), a music player, and it runs Java applications and games. And did I mention you can make unlimited Skype-to-Skype calls? All in all it's pretty awesome.

The 3 Skypephone will be available at 3 stores in the UK for £49.99 on pay as you go and for free on pay monthly from this Friday, November 2 (it'll also be available in the Skype Store in the UK before Christmas). So over the course of this week I'll be going in depth on the 3 Skypephone--showing off its functions and talking to some of the people who put it together about what it means for Skype, 3 and the mobile internet. I'm excited, I hope you are too.

Check out Villu's post about it on the main blog, and the press release for more information.

The Philips VOIP 841 is one popular phone--well reviewed here and elsewhere, it's one of the best ways to combine Skype and landline calls in your home or office without the need for a computer. Now Philips is offering a new competition for buyers of the VOIP 841 in the UK and Germany. If you live in the UK or Germany and purchase a VOIP 841 at the Skype Store between now and January 5, you're automatically entered to win one of three snazzy Philips prizes.

Continue reading "Another Philips Competition for UK & Germany" »

You probably already know how great video calls on Skype are (and if you don't, you've got to give it a try!). Seeing the face of a far away friend or family member never fails to put a smile on my face. But if you're not always making video calls (or you have an extra webcam), there are a bunch of neat applications for webcams that go beyond the call of the video call. What else can you do with a webcam?

Continue reading "Cool Things to Do with a Webcam (or two!)" »

You may recall how we very excitedly noted the launch of Skype on the Nokia N800 Internet Tablet a few months back. In case you've been living under a rock, the Nokia N800 is a Linux-based WiFi Internet Tablet with a 4.1" 800x480 touchscreen and 330 MHz processor. In addition to a Skype client, it has a great browser (Opera), email client and RSS reader, as well as a player for music and video. It has an active and open development platform and new applications are coming out for it all the time.

On that note, I've got a few updates and recent reviews to share...

Continue reading "Loads of Updates for the Nokia N800" »

Hey UK readers--you may have caught it in Wednesday's Evening Standard, but if not... Skype has been highlighted in the latest 'Really Useful Ideas and Bargains' column by Alison Cork (the item is also on her blog here). Clark mentions the Philips VOIP841--the cordless dual phone for Skype and landlines that we and many others love--and also a contest that the Standard is running in conjunction with Skype. There are 10 Philips VOIP841 phones up for grabs, and it's really easy to enter to win...

Continue reading "UK: Win a Philips VOIP841 cordless dual phone!" »

Late last month SMC put out a new firmware update, version 1.0.0.22P1, for its popular WSKP100 WiFi phone. This SMC phone was one of the first WiFi phones for Skype to come out, so it's great to see the company standing behind the product and continuing to make improvements. This page lists the new features and improvements, of which several are noteworthy:

• New Hotspot Manager (in the Network menu) to make it easier to connect to FON hotspots
• Improved sound quality
• Improved key lock function (so it doesn't accidentally dial in a pocket or bag)
• Over-the-air firmware updating--this is the last firmware update that requires you to plug into a computer to update

Read on to see where to get the update and my impressions of it.

Continue reading "Another Firmware Update for SMC WSKP100 WiFi Phone" »