Mobile Skype!!

Tech, TV, Mobile, Internet and Geek Corner
1
Hi guys,

I see on the Skype website, you can now download a Skype lite application, to be used via any mobile phone, and communicating via the internet.

This would be perfect for me as I could get a I Phone with a low call useage and a high data tarrif, and just use Skype to communicate.

Has anyone got this yet?? Any experiences??

Cheers

2
The iPhone Skype app does not work via your carrier's 3G network, only through wifi for licencing reasons. However there may be 3rd party or cracked apps that can overcome the restriction.

3
I use skype via Fring with my mobile - it's not an iphone though. I can't really tell you more though, my husband set it up for me

Cheers

Nats

4
Hi, yes I have heard that Skype will work only in Wifi but you can get a 3rd party ap like what you have mentioned, or ISkoot, which will use data via GPRS.

I will have to get this working, would save a fortune!

5
Yes skype for iphone and any win mobile device works properly. my wife (iphone 3g) called me (htc diamond) yesterday via skype from manila to geneva with no problem. we were both using wifi connection.

6
Gotta find Skype for Blackberry in that case.

7
Its available for most Blackberry's by the looks of it, my bird back in the UK has one so we're going to configure it tonight, fingers crossed

8
Thanks ... I'll go download it when I get home to my WiFi connection.

9
I'm using VOIP providers (cheaper than Skype) when using my HTC magic. I can use it with 3G but sometimes it's with very bad quality and I should call with my phone.

10
We got this going for a while last night. My partner downloaded iskoot for skype, and she appeared online, we were chatting for a while but then it turned itself off. Looks like its possible though!

Great news!!

11
I've been using skype since it was first released and i believe that they are one of the pioneers in VOIP. I even cancelled my landline subscription with swisscom (DSL+natel offer) to cut off my 25chf charge. I don't used mobile skype with 3G/HSDPA connection, that's expensive. I only use mobile skype where WiFi is available.

12
I am a raving fan of skype in terms of making free skype to skype calls but I have given up using it to makes calls to mobiles or land lines. Too many complaints about call quality and increasingly frequent dropped calls.

I use VOIPBUSTER for all my outgoing calls and it is more or less perfect, at least as good as a landline often better with many countries being free to call (e.g. France)

Worth checking out, especially as it is quite easy to make a local connection to their system then place an international call at local rates.

http://www.voipbuster.com/en/index.html

Bill

13
As Castro mentioned, there are ways to place and receive Skype calls on the iPhone on an "always on" basis.

This means that the phone is constantly connected to the Skype network regardless of whether you are on a WIFI or your provider's 3G connection.

A very good friend of mine (not me!) has set up his 3G iPhone from Orange Switzerland so he has unlimited calls to the US and Canada for $2/month and be reachable via a US number for $25/year. The latter, of course, is very useful for his friends in the US, who can now virtually call him on his Swiss cell phone for free.

The setup my friend used requires three steps:

- Jailbreak

- Cydia 3G Unrestrictor to allow Skype via 3G and not just WIFI

- Cydia Backgrounder tool to keep Skype up and running in the background

You will also need a Skype account with the USA/Canada package ($2/mo) as well as the Online Number package ($25/yr).

A good generous internet package (1GB/mo and up) from your mobile provider is also definitely a good idea.

14
Interesting ... how good is the battery life with this setup ?

If ony Skype implemented push notifications for the iPhone we could do that more easily ...

Another question, is it just me, or Skype for iPhone can't send SMS ?

15
Battery life is OK, although not great. It does need a daily recharge, which a relatively new iPhone probably might not need. Not sure.

Also interesting is the bandwidth usage, which isn't as bad as one might suspect.

What my good friend has not tried is Bluetooth connectivity in the car. I suspect Skype calls don't get routed via Bluetooth and can only be made/received via the handset.

Also not sure about Skype's SMS feature as all he uses it for is voice.

16

Good news, the SMS feature has now been added to the new Skype for iPhone.