iPhone finally gets Skype

From tomorrow iPhone users will be able to download a Skype application from iTunes, though they'll still be prevented from making calls over 3G connections, and will still miss out on the functionality offered by alternative Skype clients. Announced at the CTIA show currently taking place in Las Vegas, the native iPhone …

[Anonymous Coward]

Why? I'll tell you why

You seem to be forgetting that the "iPhone" also includes the iPod Touch.

Then with a $20 mike-earbud combination I can use my iPod to make phone calls.

Since I have a non-AT&T cell phone that's only medium interesting, but I can imagine a day perhaps when wireless is ubiquitous enough that I could dispense with the cell phone entirely.

Paris, because she's in a lot of people's dreams too.

[Aaron Singh]

iPod Touch?

Does anyone think this will work with thte iPod Touch , even just for some of the Skype group calls.Or will they make us fork out for an external mic ; or worse... an iPhone.

[Martin]

@iPod Touch?

The touch has been able to make and receive Skype calls for a while now - although you have to get a bit 'unofficial' to install it.

[Anonymous Coward]

Places that wifi

Sooo many people who are now able to make international calls using their work provided wifi networks. And from hotels and home without any additional handerts / being behind their PC.....

Paris, as she can always find a use for a handheld tool.

[Kieran]

Incremental Billing

"surely an appropriate use of the recently announced incremental-billing platform available through iTunes."

Er, that'd be the incremental billing platform that's part of iPhone 3.0 - which isn't available until 'this summer'.

[Tony Martin]

Fring supports Skype on iPod

I've used Fring to use my Skype account on my iPod touch. Works nice, but I'm looking forward to using the Skype app, as Skype on Fring was buggy (to dial a local number I had to pretend it was out of country by dialing 011 then the number.

[Paul Dundee]

Yet another cock up

I'm impressed with it so far. I installed it this morning, rebooted my phone and voila - skype crashes without letting me put in my username/password. Well done skype!

[Anonymous Coward]

Not Very Well Tested

The chat window won't let you scroll, so no way of seeing any new messages when the screen is full, jolly useful! Is any testing done these days??

[salada2k]

Not THAT bad...

The client is a little bit crashy, for sure. But i i didnt have the scrolling issues mentioned. Apart from that it does what it says on the tin. It wouldnt be the first v1.0 of an iphone app that was plagued with issues, issues that usually get fixed rather quickly once the feedback gets back to them. It looks nice and it's free and it will certianly be my client of choice when they fix it. For those that simply can't put up with that/like to whinge/bitch/moan then try Nimbuzz in the meantime which is ok too.

[Anonymous Coward]

yeah and? its the back end that needs a kick in the arse

What is the oft-mentioned grizzle with cellular? The cost. Just love the arrogance of most users bitching about how expensive cellular is... most are clueless on the amount of investment is creating an infrastructure.

Until WiFi is here there and everywhere, and has the coverage and concurrent capacity of cellular, you have to suck it in and pay for cell, whatever that cost is.

In the interim, the kludge is roaming between WIFi and cell services - it's not seamless, nor simple, nor deterministic given WiFi hotspots are *not* free and cell charging regimes are wildly variable - try including algortihms on the mobile handset as in when/where to switch between WiFi/cell?

Want to go WiFi totally? WiMAX....