August 2008

Over the last week we’ve seen some fun coverage of the 3 Skypephone S2. A few bloggers have been lucky enough to get hold of sneak previews of the handset, and I thought I'd share some of what they’ve posted.

Photos from Neville Hobson:

Continue reading "Photos and videos of the 3 Skypephone S2" »

Although it hasn't exactly been kept a secret, we're all very excited to announce that the new 3 Skypephone is here. It's called the S2, and as with the first 3 Skypephone, Skype is fully integrated, so you can make and calls and send instant messages to Skype users anywhere in the world absolutely free.

Equally, it's absolutely free for other people to call you or message you on Skype while you're using the 3 Skypephone S2. Of course, it does all of the other things you'd expect a mobile to do too - make calls, send text messages, take photos and browse the web.

How does the S2 compare to the the original 3 Skypephone?

New user interface — even easier to use than the original 3 Skypephone, with a carousel interface which makes switching apps speedy. It preserves the integrated Skype phonebook, so your contacts' Skype names appear alongside their landline or mobile phone numbers.

Better build, screen and camera — it has metal keys and back as well as a bigger screen (2.2" vs. 2") at higher resolution (240 x 320 vs. 176 x 220) and a better camera (3.2 megapixel vs. 2 megapixel).

HSDPA broadband and built-in dongle capabilities - it has built in modem drivers so you can use the cable that comes in the box to plug it into your laptop and get online.

Facebook and Last.fm apps and RSS reader - convenient access to Facebook and Last.fm, plus your top RSS feeds, while on the move.

Where can I get one?

It's available in the UK only at present, and it's available to buy now. It's priced at £69.99 on Pay as You Go, and it's free with a contract from £15 per month.

We're always trying to come up with ways we can improve Skype, and to help us do this we are inviting Skype users to talk to us about how they use Skype in Central London. This time we will be focusing on people who have Skype for Windows Mobile. The sessions will be held on Wednesday 13th August.

We've hired a research agency called Criteria to help us organize this research. If you are interested in participating in these interviews, please drop them a line at research@criteria.co.uk (please include your phone number in the email, so they can follow up with you) or call them on 020 7431 4399, with the reference code Skype WM.

Just so you know - replies to your email will be directly received and processed by Criteria rather than Skype.

As a thank you for taking part in a session, we will compensate you for your time

I'm not normally one to mix blogging and politics, but I found this quite interesting: After Labour MP John Prescott made some comments on political blog Labourhome.org last week (and these were widely reported on in the mainstream media), PR Week UK hypothesized that in the near future "candidates will use Skype to travel around the country 'virtually'."

The candidates in this fall's American presidential election have been using the internet a great deal to drum up support (even if John McCain is only just learning how to use it). And recently Elizabeth Edwards, wife of American senator and former presidential candidate John Edwards, was using Skype to participate in a conference when her husband came home and made an impromptu appearance himself.

Are UK politicians ready to join the conversation on Skype?

Did you know that 73% of people in Britain don't like the sound of their own voice?

Apparently so, according to our friends over at Spinvox and Nokia, who have just started a fun new site — We Love Your Accent. Call up and tell them which accent you love (or hate) most, and it'll be posted automatically on to the site. There are some goodies to win, too.

The British Library has a minisite on language, dialects and accents, which includes an interactive accent map of the UK.