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Tag: skype

  • Gizmo5 CEO Challenges Skype For SIP


    The CEO of Gizmo5 Michael Robertson has responded to last week’s announcement of Skype for SIP by posting a comparison (see below) of the new service and his own company’s OpenSky.

    While welcoming Skype’s initiative, he described it as a "vaporware announcement" with "murky pricing details".

    Writing on his blog, Robertson said he has been a vocal advocate for open standards, both in music with my company MP3.com and in VOIP with Gizmo5.

    He said open standards have always give consumers more choices and ultimately better value.

    "V0IP standards got a huge boost this week with two announcements," he said.

    Roberston said these were Gizmo5’s launch of its SIP for Skype service called OpenSky, which lets any SIP device call Skype and receive their Skype calls, and Ebay’s announcement of Skype for SIP.

    "These announcements are a huge boost for SIP as the open standard which will let calls move freely from any calling device or network," he said.

    "It’s great to see Skype inching towards a more interoperable world. Even if this is a vaporware announcement at least their heart is in the right direction."

    Robertson compared Skype For SIP with Skype for Asterisk, announced last year, saying that Skype’s business offering is not yet available and pricing details are murky.

    In response to Robertson’s blog comments, Skype said its SIP offering is available now.

    While there are other details that will undoubtedly be challenged by Skype, Robertson’s riposte will certainly give any enterprise pondering the services something to chew over.

  • Nokia's New Handsets To Feature Skype


    It seems that eBay-owned Skype has the knack of always living up to its promises – at least if its new deal with mobile giant Nokia is anything to go by.

    Skype is linking up with Nokia to embed its calling software in the Finnish company’s new handsets, writes Aftab Bashir for VoIP.biz-news.

    The pair announced the deal at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on Tuesday.

    It will see Nokia integrating Skype on its N97 handset by Q3 2009, and also in other N-series devices.

    Skype is to be integrated in handset address books and will give users access to online Skype contacts.

    Callers will also be able to use Skype’s instant-messaging client.

    N97 owners will be able to make low-cost and free calls over the internet, using either Wi-Fi or 3G.

    Skype-to-Skype calls are free while calls to mobile phones and landlines from Skype will be charged at low rates, according to the company.

    Nokia isn’t alone in announcing this type of arrangement at MWC – Sony Ericsson has also revealed that it is to add new Skype panels in its Xperia X1 Windows Mobile device.

    The panel will open Skype on the Xperia and offer presence, IM and calling functionality.

    The addition of Skype in handsets is being seen as a boon for international travelers as well as domestic users.

    As with many other VoIP providers, Skype is intent on driving down rates for international mobile calling.

  • eBay To Sell Skype?


    Skype’s future as an eBay company is looking increasingly unsure as speculation mounts over its possible sale.

    eBay’s chief executive, John Donahoe, has done nothing to ease expectations of a sell-off. Last week he told analysts that "synergies between Skype and the other parts of our portfolio are minimal" and that it is "a great standalone business".

    This follows his comments early last year when he said the company would be reassessed and sold if it did not benefit eBay or Skype.

    Analysts point to the lack of a logical integration between the telephony service and the auction site.

    Names being touted as potential buyers, include Google, which has shown interest in Skype in the past, and US telecoms giants AT&T and Verizon.

    eBay purchased Skype for USD $2.6bn purchase of Skype in 2005.

    In the auction company’s financial results for the last quarter of 2008, revenue fell 7 per cent to USD $2.04bn, below market expectations.

    Skype has seen revenues rise by 26 per cent.

    Skype is also said to be preparing new applications for its VoIP software which could be introduced at next month’s Mobile World Congress in Spain.

    These are expected to involve a dedicated application for Apple’s iPhone, a similar app for the BlackBerry Storm and via an update to Windows Mobile 6.5 itself.

    This month, the company introduced Skype lite, a no-frills client meant for Android-powered devices and the many mobile phones that are capable of running Java applications.

  • FCC Inquiry Into Comcast


    The departing Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairman Kevin Martin announced another investigation is to be launched into Comcast shortly before leaving his post.

    The regulatory agency is to focus on allegations that Comcast is deliberately downgrading its rivals’ phone services.

    Among those whose sound quality is said to have been affected are Vonage and Skype, competitors of Comcast’s own VOIP service.

    The FCC has ordered Comcast to reply to the inquiry by 30 January.

    Comcast has responded by saying it has "fully complied" with the FCC’s so-called congestion-management practices and that it is "reviewing the FCC staff’s letter".

    Julius Genachowski is expected to be named as the next head of the FCC.

  • Skype and IBM collaborate on LotusLive


    Skype has announced that it is to integrate Skype functionality with IBM’s LotusLive.

    The new cloud services from IBM are designed to help individuals build communities to work more effectively and efficiently across and beyond their own companies.

    Effectively, Skype’s voice and video calling adds real-time communications capabilities to LotusLive.

    Employees of companies using LotusLive will be able to use Skype to initiate voice and video calls by clicking on their contacts’ Skype names or phone numbers within LotusLive.

    Future possibilities include the ability to import Skype contact information into IBM cloud services to enhance online collaboration.

    Scott Durchslag, Skype’s chief operating officer, said the collaboration showed how serious Skype is about bringing the benefits of ‘anytime, anywhere, any mode’ Internet communications to the enterprise environment.

  • Choice of VoIP iPhone Apps Growing


    The options for VoIP calling on the iPhone are expected to continue expanding with both Skype and Truphone expected to join a growing list of VoIP apps for the Apple handset.

    Truphone already provides an app for the iPhone which enables users to make low-priced international calls via the GSM network even when the smartphone is not connected to the Wi-Fi network.

    But the company announced at the recent Macworld 2009 that callers will soon be able to use Truphone to make and receive Skype calls and instant message.

    Not to be left out, Skype itself announced at CES that it is also developing a native client for the iPhone.

    The subsidiary of eBay said that a version of its Internet calling and instant-messaging software is available for Google’s Android cell phone platform as a free download – and an iPhone Skype program is expected shortly.

    Fring also has an app that you make Skype calls using the iPhone.

    Keep them coming?

  • Skype Users To Get Access To Boingo Wi-Fi Network


    Boingo Wireless has agreed a deal that will allow Skype users to access more than 100,000 Boingo Wi-Fi hotspots worldwide, and pay using Skype Credit.

    The feature, called Skype Access, will be embedded into Skype as a core feature, first in the Skype for Mac 2.8 Beta software just released and then in versions of Skype for other operating systems sometime in 2009.

    The new application lets users connect to a Boingo Wi-Fi hotspot with a single click and to pay per minute only for what they use.

    Skype Access actively scans for available Boingo hotspots and presents a pop-up dialogue box displaying the price per minute to use the Boingo network using Skype Credit.

    Boingo’s Terms of Service and Acceptable Use Policy apply and access to all Internet services will be provided on a simple, per minute billing basis.

    Boingo offers Wi-Fi hotspots by combining more than 100,000 locations from more than 150 leading Wi-Fi operators into one worldwide network spanning 90 countries.

    Luis Alfonso Serrano, vice president of network strategy for Boingo Wireless, said the agrrement meant Skype users will be able to access hotspots around the world via the Boingo Network for their Skype calls.

    "Boingo provides digital nomads – no matter where they are in the world – with an easy and fast way to get online," he said.

    By sharing one authentication and enrollment process, one download and one payment method, the Skype-Boingo collaboration clears a path between one of the most popular communications platforms on the Internet with the world’s largest network of Wi-Fi hotspot operators.

    In addition to Skype credit and a Wi-Fi-enabled laptop, users must have Skype for Mac 2.8 Beta installed and running.

    Prices will vary based on location and currency. There are no connection fees or monthly charges for Skype Access.

  • Skype Launches Computer-free Videophone


    ASUS has launched the first Skype certified videophone allowing unlimited video calling over the Internet.

    The AiGuru SV1, part of the Eee Phone product family, has a 7" display and a built-in webcam, speaker and microphone.

    WiFi-capable, the videophone lets users make unlimited video calls for free to other Skype users without the need for a computer.

    The AiGuru SV1 is Skype’s first foray with a partner into the videophone category.

    But with more than 25 per cent of Skype-to-Skype calls including video, it would seem like a logical step.

    Designed to be simple to use, the AiGuru SV1 has an icon-based interface and intuitive button layout which should make it easy for anyone to make and receive Skype-to-Skype video and voice calls.

    Users can also join voice conferences, which could make the videophone attractive as an all-in-one voice and video conferencing solution for small businesses.

    The AiGuru SV1 also allows users to make and receive calls to and from fixed and mobile lines at cheap rates.

    Priced at USD $299.95, the ASUS AiGuru SV1 is now available in North America from Skype’s online shop, and will be available from ASUS authorized resellers later this year.

    Consumers in Europe can pre-order the videophone from Skype’s shop, priced at €269.95/£219.95, with shipment beginning next week.

    The videophone will also be available in retail outlets in Asia Pacific later this year.

  • iSkoot is First VoIP Application in Android Market


    iSkoot has announced that its mobile application, iSkoot for Skype, is launching in the Android Market.

    It is the first VoIP solution available on Google’s new mobile application store.

    Available immediately for download, iSkoot for Skype also runs on nearly all major mobile platforms, including J2ME, S60v3, UIQ, Palm, Windows Mobile and BlackBerry.

    iSkoot’s solution supports the Skype software, offering Android users on any cellular network the ability to make Skype-to-Skype and SkypeOut calls on their mobile phone. Users can also receive Skype calls and use Skype text chat.

    Although the service offers greatly reduced prices, the calls are not free. See iSkoot’s website for pricing details.

    Jim Hudak, iSkoot vice president of business development, said: "iSkoot continues to work on delivering innovative products that give people a rich mobile experience so that they can cut the cord from their desktop."

    San Francisco-based iSkoot has built significant momentum during the past year with the recent acquisition of Social.IM, the social network IM client.

  • Mobile Operator Extends Skype Calls To Landlines and Abroad


    From today, customers of mobile operator 3 in the UK and Ireland will be able to use their mobile phones to call landlines and mobiles abroad at low rates using Skype.

    The move applies to anyone using a Skype-enabled 3 mobile phone – including the 3 Skypephone range, Nokia N95 and Sony Ericsson C902.

    Access to Skype on 3 was already free and allowed Skype-to-Skype calls and Instant Messaging, regardless of the end user’s location.

    The new development now allows callers to get cheap Skype rates from their mobile phones to landlines and mobiles abroad.

    Scott Durchslag, COO of Skype, said the move was an industry first that allowed 3’s clients to use their mobiles to make calls regardless of where in the world they may be and what device they are using.

    Meanwhile, Skype’s desktop client continues its slow progress towards version 4.0 with a new beta release.

    The changes include system-tray alerts and drag-and-drop file transfer, as well as automatic grouping of contacts for those who have too many friends to manage manually.

    The move follows criticism from users after Skype issued the first beta of Skype 4.0 for Windows in June with radical design changes that put off some of the service’s over 300 million users.