All posts tagged Skype

Skype Beta Now Available To Nokia S60 Mobile Phones!

By Nicolas On December 11, 2009 In Featured, mobility, Product review, VoIP, wifi With No Comments Permanent Link to Skype Beta Now Available To Nokia S60 Mobile Phones!Permalink

And no, we’re not talking about Skype Lite here, but about a real native-code version of Skype which has hit yesterday beta for S60 3.1 and 3.2-based devices. The app supports free Skype-to-Skype calling over 3G or WiFi, instant messaging, and file transfers. The initial set of devices it works with is still limited, but Skype promises that it will grow quickly. You can download here Skype Beta for Symbian v3

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Skype has been expanding its footprint to most of the major smartphone platforms over the last year or so. It was included on the Nokia N97 when the device launched, but lagged behind with no support for Nokia’s main smartphone platform, S60 3rd Edition. Today, Skype announced a beta version of its software for S60 3rd Edition phones.

On the feature side of things, Skype for Symbian supports:

* Free Skype-to-Skype calling
* Call phones with Skype credits or subscription
* Receive calls on your Online Number
* Instant Messaging
* Group conversations
* File sending and receiving

This beta release of Skype for Symbian supports 17 different phones. Skype says the production release is planned to be compatible with a larger number of devices, and is expected in early 2010.

Skype for Symbian supports the following S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 1 devices: E71, E63, E66, N82, E51, N95, N95 8GB, N81, N81 8GB, and the E90.

Skype for Symbian supports the following S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 2 devices: N96, N85, 5320, 6210 Navigator, 6210 Classic, N78, and N79

Remember: Skype for Symbian works over both Wi-Fi and 3G data connections and the application itself is available for free. You won’t have any excuse any more if after that you still manage to blow-up your monthly contract fee and piss-off your banker…

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Why the Nokia N900 will save you money

By Nicolas On November 25, 2009 In Featured, Headline, mobility, VoIP With No Comments Permanent Link to Why the Nokia N900 will save you moneyPermalink

Skype N900One great thing about the new Nokia N900, is that it comes with a fully integrated version of Skype, the now famous VoIP software which lets you call abroad for free or at a very low rate.

But what does that concretely mean and what will it bring to the final user?

Well, just like its little brothers, the Nokia N800 and N810, the N900 runs on a Maemo OS and embarks a built in version of Skype which is totally integrated into the phone’s operating system, with no extra downloads required. You can make free Skype-to-Skype calls and instant messaging on 3G or WiFi, and call phones abroad at great, low rates. And that’s where the revolution is!

Before the Nokia N900 was launched, Skype’s VoIP function on mobile phones could not be fully enjoyed, as mobile phone operators in some countries put some limitations to the use of VoIP on their networks as it was competing against their own services. Those guys were not ready to see their customers spend less bucks into their monthly mobile phone contracts!

From a business point of view, this is legitimate. From a consumer point of view, that clearly sucks!

Historical Issue

The Maemo software has now been running for some time on Nokia’s Internet Tablet such as the Nokia N770, N800 and N810 and it has turned to be a viable solution for new generation mobile phones (i.e.: using a  “Home” screen as the central point from which all applications and settings are accessed). But the BIG feature those three tablet were missing vs the N900 was the ability to communicate using mobile networking protocols like 3G. Only WiFi and Bluetooth were available then. They were Internet Tablets, not mobile phones.

As for mobile phones running on a Symbian OS, they had 3G, WiFi and Bluetooth, but no integrated version of Skype. SkypeLite, the version of Skype for mobile phones, was only running in a limited number of countries. The only alternative available to VoIP lovers who were not living in Australia, Brazil, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, New Zealand, Poland, Sweden, the United States and the UK, was to download a third-party software like Nimbuzz or Gizmo to enjoy from free phone calls.

The Solution

Today, the N900 blends the very best of Nokia’s mobile phone technology, Maemo and Skype software to deliver a fine mobile device that will probably help you cut on your monthly phone bill (say good bye to your monthly mobile phone bill!) thanks to its integrated VoIP feature running on 3G and WiFi.

You’ll just need an unlimited monthly data contract (I pay 4€ monthly for a 1Go data contract), or a wiFi connection, and your Nokia N900 to call the world from anywhere for free or almost, and save on your mobile phone bill!

Mark Douglas, Skype product manager for the N900, reveals more in the video below

10 useful tools and tips to help you (better) work remotely!

By Nicolas On October 13, 2009 In Featured, Headline, How to, investigation/survey, mobility, Paris, technology, telework, wifi With 3 Comments Permanent Link to 10 useful tools and tips to help you (better) work remotely!Permalink

a happy teleworkerBeing able to work from (almost) anywhere is not a fiction any more. Technically speaking, we have the ability today to work from absolutely anywhere in the world and stay connected: should that be in the middle of a desert, somewhere over the ocean (or under its surface), or a hundred miles above, in a capsule orbiting around the earth. And as long as you can afford paying for your satellite communications, working from any of those places is not an issue. But in the real business life it would definitely be!

In my world, advertisers, software developers and programmers, PR consultants, lawyers, journalists, salesmen, photographers, analysts, and all those people who can work from anywhere just as much as their office, will use one day (if this has not be done yet) at least one of those technologies or their upgraded versions, to do their job. Once you’ll have managed to convince your boss that working from home is good for you, your productivity and his shareholders, then take a moment to review those 10 useful tips that will make your home working experience, unforgettable!

10 useful tools to help you work remotely Continue Reading →

Cheap VoIP telephony using Sipdroid

By Christian On September 21, 2009 In Featured, mobility, technology, telework, travel, VoIP With 1 Comment Permanent Link to Cheap VoIP telephony using SipdroidPermalink

Hello all,

Nicolas was kind enough to invite me to share my experiences with mobile VoIP, specifically with Sipdroid on the Android platform. I’ll start by providing a quick summary of the technology, and how applications are now utilizing it.

bonhomme-androidSimply speaking, VoIP – short for Voice-over-IP – is a general term for technologies which route phone calls over the internet, rather than regular telephony networks. The result is very cheap telephony, or in the case of pure internet-to-internet communications, free telephony. Continue Reading →

The magic of Skype

By Nicolas On September 8, 2009 In mobility, technology, VoIP With No Comments Permanent Link to The magic of SkypePermalink

A cool little ad by Skype just released today. Just funny and colorful as usual
Enjoy!

MagicSkype

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want more? check http://skype.com/magic/

Achieving full mobility with Google voice: reach me wherever I am!

By Nicolas On August 12, 2009 In mobility, travel, VoIP With 13 Comments Permanent Link to Achieving full mobility with Google voice: reach me wherever I am!Permalink

googlevoice-logoEverytime I am traveling abroad, I have to let my family and friends know that they shall not call me on my cellphone until I am back at a specific date. And since I’m travelling more than often, I got tired of changing my voice mail every week.

And if until today I wouldn’t have had my SkypeIn number, my life would have litteraly been a nightmare. An online number (SkypeIn) is perfect if you have friends, family or business colleagues who don’t use Skype. Anyone can dial your online number (for instance +33 970 44 00 00) from any phone or mobile and your Skype rings and you pick up the call, wherever you are in the world! Continue Reading →

“Son, can I buy you an iPhone?” – “Thanks dad, but I’d rather have an iPod Touch!”

By Nicolas On August 10, 2009 In mobility, Paris, technology, VoIP With No Comments Permanent Link to “Son, can I buy you an iPhone?” – “Thanks dad, but I’d rather have an iPod Touch!”Permalink

mifi-1Charlie Sorell  of Wired.com just came up with an interesting concept in one of its latest posts: making the iPod Touch a true communication device just like the iPhone is.

Sorrell just got the MiFi — a mobile, battery-powered WiFi hotspot that can share a high-speed cell connection with several devices via WiFi – and coupled it with an iPod Touch.

And when you actually think about it in terms of costs, it just clearly appears that “the combo of iPod Touch and MiFi might just be better than the iPhone”! Continue Reading →

mobile phone invoice: “What’s the butcher’s bill for this month?”

By Nicolas On August 6, 2009 In mobility, technology, travel, VoIP With 4 Comments Permanent Link to mobile phone invoice: “What’s the butcher’s bill for this month?”Permalink

?Here we are again: the beginning of a new month with its procession of  bills of all kinds, falling around just like the dead leafs of some trees. Mmmm, a little foretaste of Falls @ the beginning of August…

I though just realized today, while checking my online mobile phone bills of the last three month, that I actually managed not to overrun my monthly fee! And that’s the first time since 2006!

So where’s the trick? Continue Reading →

Nimbuzz : the killer VoIP app for mobile phones

By Nicolas On February 18, 2009 In mobility, Paris, technology, travel, VoIP With 5 Comments Permanent Link to Nimbuzz : the killer VoIP app for mobile phonesPermalink

If you’re like me and split most of your “online time” between your smartphone, your computer’s chat client and your Facebook/LinkedIn page, Nimbuzz may be for you. It’ll make all those communications smoother.

My Facebook friends sometimes leave me wall messages that I take forever to respond to when I’m running between Paris and Vienna. Now they can call me or chat with me directly via a widget embedded on my Facebook profile page. The Nimbuzz widget detects presence and shows if I’m online. If I’m offline, Nimbuzz also includes a “Buzz” feature to alert me that people are trying to reach me. Continue Reading →

Skype and Nokia partner to integrate Skype into Nokia devices

By Nicolas On February 17, 2009 In mobility, New York, technology, VoIP With 4 Comments Permanent Link to Skype and Nokia partner to integrate Skype into Nokia devicesPermalink

One of the big issues of a “mobile worker”  – and mostly in the case her or she is a freelancer, works for a young start-up or travel internationally  – is to be thrifty whenever the opportunity arises. Skype, the yet well famous VoIP software, was the first to broaden the horizons of mobile workers by giving them the possibility to work from abroad and save a significant amount of money on phone calls… Continue Reading →

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