More on the 3 Skypephone
By
Andrew Brennan on November 9, 2007 in 3 Skypephone, Skype Mobile.
News on the 3 Skypephone continues to tear up the blogosphere--and the team at 3mobilebuzz have been doing a great job of collecting it all: reviews, forum discussions, blog posts, competitions--there's a lot there. After a week of 3 Skypephone availability in stores, here are a few more highlights they've spotted:
The TFTS Hands On Review:
Of course, a great deal of this is down to Skype being so intuitive to set up and use in the first place, but where 3 have to be wholly commended is that, in bringing the service to a mobile device they have not, in any way, placed any barrier in the way of usability. This phone, then, positively oozes the very spirit of Skype – and that is to bring crystal clear VOIP technology to the masses - in a package that is as simple as dialling from a landline (if not simpler).
3 Skypephone as a video player:
Fresh Plastic has noted a program (SUPER) and some good settings for converting videos you've downloaded to play on the 3 Skypephone. The 3 Skypephone has a nice interface for YouTube built in, but if you want to save YouTube videos to watch whenever you want, you can use Zamzar (and convert them to 3gp for the phone in the process).
More applications for the 3 Skypephone:
Gerrymoth found (and put together in a single download) a bunch of java applications that work on the 3 Skypephone, including mWallet, GoDiary and Wikipedia. I haven't tried them all (I'm still enamoured with java Google Mail and Maps, which work great), but it's pretty neat that the phone is so expandable.
Speaking of Java apps, I've got a a highlight of my own for the 3 Skypephone. This week Opera Mini 4 came out of beta--it's a java-based browser that renders whole web pages with a neat zoom feature; it works well on the 3 Skypephone. Opera Mini 4 also has support for RSS feeds and synching bookmarks with the desktop version of Opera. The browser built in to the 3 Skypephone is perfectly fine, but the Opera Mini zoom feature really puts the whole internet in your pocket--it goes well with the Skype that's always in your pocket. You can get more information (or download it onto your handset using the 3 Skypephone browser) by going to operamini.com.





Comments
Hello ! This looks great, but could you tell me if it will be available in Canada ? Maybe next year ? Thanks !
cbo-tel | Friday, Nov 16
I loved it!!! When could I buy it here in Brazil???
gabriela-domingues | Tuesday, Nov 20
I've had my new www.amoi.com WP-S1 Skype phone only a matter of hours. Purchased in Sydney Australia as a replacement for an earlier phone used in the "3" Network, I chose the Black against White model. it's a very simple phone so I won't discuss it in any detail, only the Skype side. I found my way around the menus and tried to log in to my existing Skype service but kept getting a message saying I could only do this if I had a "3 Skype phone." What do I have in my hand, so I phoned 3 support service and spoke to a kindly Indian lady who admitted the phone was new to her. However, she followed it up and hit a few keys, telling me it should work within 4 hours. I was more like 4 minutes and I was in but with only 7 contacts listed. It took the 4 hours before I had my full contacts list.
Skype to Skype calls are easy and straight forward but here is the big "Knock Back." It doesn't look like you can make SkypeIn or SkypeOut Calls. Am I right? I have made several attempts to phone into my home and business Skypein numbers and get the recorded message saying I'm not available. As for SkypeOut, there doesn't appear to be any provision in the phone to dial a number via Skype.
pca.cc | Wednesday, Nov 21
I see that the Skype phone is now available in Ireland directly from Three Ireland. When will it be available via the Skype shop?
mousebotherer | Tuesday, Nov 27
how about USA??
mostra33 | Thursday, Nov 29
How about GERMANY ???? could you tell me ? thx
ander5on | Saturday, Dec 1
how about china? can anyone tell me!
quanfeng_heng | Sunday, Dec 2
I just did an article about my new skype phone
http://crustea.vjfrance.com/article-200442.html
crustea | Tuesday, Dec 4
I just did an article about my new skype phone
http://crustea.vjfrance.com/article-200442.html
crustea | Tuesday, Dec 4
Looking for some more feedback on the day to day reality of the new 3 skypephone (thinking of buying it here in oz).
Anyone tried the Opera Mini 4, or Google Mail java app ?
How many hours do you get on Skype Presence before the battery goes flat ?
pascoedj | Wednesday, Dec 5
how about switzerland? And tell us, why don,t you give an answer? thx
theramind | Tuesday, Dec 11
I loved it!!! When could I buy it here in Paraguay ???
Maison Suisse Hotel Hurard http://maisonsuisse.org
hurardclaude | Friday, Dec 14
I can't help feeling that the Skype client on the Three Skype phone is a bit "unfinished". In particular it's missing any sort of privacy options (unless I've failed to find the settings).
When I use Skype on my computer, I have it set so that only people on my contact list can start a call or chat with me. This option seems to be missing from the Skype client on the phone. As a result, I've already had one chat request from a complete stranger in China (I think).
He (or she) also sent a request for my contact details and when I rejected this request it caused my phone to reboot.
I note also that there's no option to block someone from contacting me again (as there is in the Windows Skype client).
These are real issues, as I don't wish to be plagued with "junk" Skype calls.
mousebotherer | Tuesday, Dec 18
"...but where 3 have to be wholly commended is that, in bringing the service to a mobile device they have not, in any way, placed any barrier in the way of usability..."
Errr....apart for the total lack/blocking of the use of SkypeOut calls to call actual non-Skype users.
Maybe a bit too close to their core business do you possibly think !?
andycharity | Saturday, Dec 22
I want to bye it:)
When it available in Egypt??
kondor868 | Sunday, Jan 6
Hi, does anyone know how to block unwanted chats from the Skypephone? (which is fantastic, BTW). I have that setting on my PC but can't find it on the Mobile. Thanks, Ian.
ianthebrave | Tuesday, Jan 8
How about Mexico???? could you tell me ? thx; it's a good service
armando.manon.medina | Wednesday, Jan 9
Not having SkypeIn is a big downer. Not clearly telling customers that it won't work before they fork out to buy it is outrageous.
jock.coats | Saturday, Feb 9