Now users of Symbian phones can make calls, free of cost via their 3G data connections and Wi-Fi, thanks to the free Skype for Symbian application made available in Nokia’s Ovi store.
A beta version of the Skype application has been available from December for S60 3rd Edition devices, inclusive of the N95 &96 handsets. Nokia reported that the application has come out of beta, with flying colors, so to speak. All the more, it is available currently through Nokia’s Ovi store and is very much compatible with all the handsets of the manufacturer, operating on the latest Symbian platform version.
This equates to five of the touchscreen models namely Nokia 5530, Nokia 5800 XpressMusic, Nokia X6, Nokia N97 mini and Nokia N97 and 19 non-touch handsets too.
This does not herald the end of conventional mobile telephony by any means. But the fact that the application is directly available via the Ovi store and that you would be able to make Skype calls via the 3G network may enhance a Skype take-up in the near future.
Nokia is the pioneer in selling the maximum number of handsets and Skype is the VoIP service that is most predominantly used.
Using Skype over a Wi-Fi connection signifies free calls, but if you make use of EDGE, GPRS or 3G, you would have to pay for the data used. Based on your call scheme, this could mean considerable savings since the new application enables free Skype-to-Skype calls to other Skype users located anyplace in the world .And you can also IM, share files, videos and pics.
For many months, Skype has been available on the iPhone, constrained to Wi-Fi usage, as well as on the 3G network since May 2009.
It has been reported by Nokia that Skype would soon introduce this client to Symbian mobile handsets from all other manufacturers, inclusive of Sony Ericsson. But nobody knows when.
Skype made its name by initially serving the untapped ILD communication market, leveraging the PC as a communication device, today by extending its strategy to new devices the company is following the consumer trend but not only … NQ Logic recommends reading about the rest of the Skype evolution at http://www.nqlogic.com