From the category archives:

Mobile Devices

With the release of Skype 4.0 for Windows beta 3 a year ago February, Skype first introduced their superwideband SILK codec. A month later at eComm 2009, Jonathan Christensen announced SILK’s availability for third party partners with royalty free licensing of the SILK codec. Since then it has been incorporated into all subsequent releases [...]

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Categories Communications Stories, Embedded Skype, Mobile Devices, Service Providers, Skype Hardware, Skype Platform, Skype on Mobile, Wireless Carriers

During my recent interview with Russ Shaw, Skype’s VP and GM for Mobile, he emphasized Skype’s focus on having a true Skype user experience when it comes to supporting Skype on mobile devices.
What is meant by a “true Skype user experience” on a mobile device? Some examples, based largely on my own experience with several [...]

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Categories Communications News, Mobile Applications, Mobile Devices, Skype News, Skype on Mobile, Using Skype

Announcement of the Skype – Verizon agreement certainly has generated buzz around both the Mobile World Congress and the blogosphere. Last Wednesday morning, one day after the announcement, several bloggers and mobile ecosystem players came together on a CalliFlower-hosted SquawkBox conference call to discuss both the triggers for the agreement and the implementations.
Co-hosted by Carl [...]

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Categories Communications Stories, Embedded Skype, Mobile Devices, Skype Partner News, Skype on Mobile, To Be Categorized, Uncategorized, Wireless Carriers

Yesterday’s announcement that Skype will become available as a supported service on Verizon Wireless has to have sent a tsunami through the wireless operator world. To review the offering:

A Skype client will be included on nine models of BlackBerry and Android smartphones in late March; current customers with these devices will be able to download [...]

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Categories Communications News, Embedded Skype, Mobile Devices, Skype News, Skype Partner Solutions, Skype Platform, Skype for Personal, Skype on Mobile, Using Skype, Wireless Carriers

Full disclosure: This post was prepared prior to today’s press conference using information that was publicly available prior to the conference. In the second post I’ll discuss the service as announced at CES today.
When you can advertise “Free phone calling internationally”, they will come! In the CES interview with Skype CEO Josh Silverman, Josh [...]

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Categories Communications News, Embedded Skype, Mobile Applications, Mobile Devices, Skype Channels, Skype News, Skype Partner News, Skype Platform, Skype Software, Skype on Mobile, Using Skype, Wireless Carriers

At CES 2010 last month I had the opportunity to record interviews with Skype CEO Josh Silverman as well as Russ Shaw, Vice President and General Manager of Skype Mobile and EMEA, and Matt Jordan, Enterprise Business Development Manager.
In this second interview Russ Shaw covers a wide range of questions about Skype on different [...]

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Categories Communications Stories, Embedded Skype, Mobile Applications, Mobile Devices, Skype Hardware, Skype News, Skype Partner News, Skype Platform, Skype on Mobile, Using Skype, Wireless Carriers

Launch of the iPad last week and the Apple’s recent change in their developer terms of service involving the removal of restrictions for using VoIP technology over a carrier’s 3G network have had the Skype mobile team busy reviewing the opportunities.
In a Share Skype post, An update on Skype for iPhone and calling over [...]

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Categories Communications News, Mobile Applications, Mobile Devices, Skype on Mobile, Using Skype, Wireless Carriers

But it’s neither; it’s an electronic version of a briefcase (or attaché case) which can contain everything we carry around with a roughly 8.5″ x 11″ form factor Consider the items we would carry around in a briefcase: newspapers and magazines

…Many are disappointed by the fact it’s not a phone; however, that issue was best addressed by this photo and an accompanying comment found on an acquaintance’s social networking: Look at this picture of Steve Jobs holding his iPhone.

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Categories Communications Stories, Mobile Applications, Mobile Devices, Skype on Mobile

Traveling in a Bipolar Mobile Mode

by Jim Courtney on Wed, Dec 30, 2009 3:12 pm

The past six months, with three trips to Europe, have given me the opportunity not only to experience roaming on European 3G wireless services but also the strategies and alternatives that allow me to minimize roaming charges while traveling with both a BlackBerry and iPhone. A key to the achieving this goal lies in [...]

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Categories Communications Stories, Mobile Devices, Skype on Mobile, To Be Categorized, Using Skype, Wireless Carriers

At about 5:30 (GMT+1) this afternoon members of the Skype Public Chat discussion learned that not only was there a new beta version of Skype for Windows 4.2 available for download but also Skype had released its first beta version of Skype for Symbian (for Nokia smartphones).
Shortly afterwards, while listening to the final Gillmor [...]

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Categories Communications News, Mobile Applications, Mobile Devices, Skype News, Skype Software

In the lead-up to the forthcoming eComm Europe Conference organizer Lee Dryburgh interviews some of the speakers. This past weekend he posted an interview with GIPS CTO Jan Linden (picture below) and CMO Joyce Kim where they talked about (i) the role of codecs in delivering overall high quality HD voice and (ii) the emergence [...]

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Categories Communications Stories, Communications Technology, Conferences and Events, Embedded Skype, Mobile Devices

So why would Skype announce support for, and In Store Solutions develop and launch, the FREETALK® Everyman headset in a seemingly crowded market? Let’s step back a bit and look at some issues related to headsets:

Skype’s research has found that a Skype user’s “end point” configuration is one of the main contributors to churn. [...]

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Categories Mobile Devices, Skype Hardware, Skype Partner Solutions, Skype Software, Using Skype

On a recent trip to Spain, where I turned off my BlackBerry Bold’s and iPhone’s  mobile carrier network connection except when really required, I was able to use WiFi connections at my various hotels quite effectively to keep up with my “data” activities on these devices. (Except in a situation mentioned below I used [...]

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Categories Communications Stories, Mobile Devices, Service Providers, Skype on Mobile, Using Skype, Wireless Carriers

The past Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday I attended my first Canadian Telecom Summit – where Canadian telecom carrier and vendor executives have an opportunity to provide an overview of their goals and directions encompassing both recent accomplishments and future plans. Overall many of the speakers succeeded; however, there are still a few telecom executives who want to [...]

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Categories Communications News, Mobile Applications, Mobile Devices, Service Providers, Wireless Carriers

Yesterday Rogers launched the first Android phones available in Canada with two devices: the HTC Magic (touch screen only) and HTC Dream (touchscreen and slide-out keyboard). Rogers is the first carrier worldwide offering both these devices and also the first North American carrier to offer the HTC Magic.
Over two years ago, in a post [...]

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Categories Mobile Devices, Skype on Mobile, Wireless Carriers