3Skypephone launching November 2nd?

We aren't etching this in stone just yet, but we've seen numerous reports claiming that the recent partnership between 3 and Skype will soon lead to an actual piece of hardware. Reportedly, the 3Skypephone will be available on October 29th "for a pre-launch," and will be officially official on November 2nd. Specs wise, it should feature free calls to other Skype users / 3Skypephone owners, a two-megapixel camera, video capturing and an MP3 player. Interested consumers can supposedly choose from three different colors, and it should be available on the "£12 ($25) Mix and Match 100 tariff which offers 100 minutes or texts or any mix of the two." Ah well, at least we've but a few days left to find out for sure, eh?

[Via UK Phone News]

[ethan @ Oct 26th 2007 10:33AM]

Ya it finaly here!!!!!!!!!!!

[fraggle @ Oct 26th 2007 10:47AM]

So that app needs porting to the Iphone.. Seriously. even if edge is too slow be cool for wifo.

[John Slater @ Oct 26th 2007 11:08AM]

Confirmed.

I also got the e-mail from 3 (I'm an affiliate) and they confirmed that the phone will be announced on the 29th October and release 2nd November. All the details above are in the e-mail i got sent from 3.

[Aaron @ Oct 26th 2007 11:15AM]

Skype is the AIM of VoIP. In other words Skype is the devil. Engadget: you're pretty hip to a lot of cool things like Ubuntu, DRM issues, etc, yet you keep promoting the most awful, proprietary centrally-controlled VoIP there is. Please stop!

Please see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skype#Criticisms

[samson @ Oct 26th 2007 11:26AM]

...and you are the AIM of Engadget posters. I use Skype to keep in touch with people all over the world including my family, for free. I am very thankful for the Skype service.

[Simon P @ Oct 26th 2007 11:29AM]

I read that list and yeah it looks pretty shitty but the fact is that a ton of people use it (me included) and it's not engadget's job to police content based on concerns like these. it is their job to report gadget-based news that folks like us want to read. they certainly aren't jumping up and down and saying "use skype". you should stick to informing us of your admittedly interesting concerns and not slagging off websites whose job it is to report this stuff. i'm not going to stop using it even after reading that list. sorry.

[heh @ Oct 26th 2007 12:26PM]

Bah.. Engadget, please get some usability on your message system (I'm sure I clicked reply but post showed up on its own).

I gotta side with Aarron on this one. He's basically saying "there are better alternatives to Windows," and you guys are saying "But I use Windows!" Basically Engadget has the opportunity to turn people towards a better product using a fairer protocol.

[Simon P @ Oct 26th 2007 12:31PM]

whether or not they have the opportunity is irrelevant. we don't come here to be preached to about what some folk think is "better" than what's out there. we come here to be informed about everything equally and make our own choices. the comments section is where people can raise their own private issues but it's not right to criticize engadget for reporting on things you may not be keen on personally.

[heh @ Oct 26th 2007 12:35PM]

You're right, they should stop talking about Ubuntu, charity drives, and anything that's just emerging too, and just stick to ??????

[adam @ Oct 26th 2007 12:43PM]

I'm sure that Skype is all well and good when it works. If it works. And the wind is blowing in the right direction. Vonage, anyone? Also good for contacting family spread around the world. Certainly get more features, quality, and reliability.

[ethana2 @ Oct 26th 2007 1:07PM]

...and if it ties itself to Windows updates and suffers cascading failures because no one else can run servers with their protocols, then it /doesn't/ work. Get me?

Keep it open. Wengo.

[Simon P @ Oct 26th 2007 1:28PM]

@ heh

you're missing the point dude. no-one's saying they shouldn't talk about this, that or whatever. exactly the opposite. they should report on everything. even the stuff you don't personally care for.

[Aaron @ Oct 26th 2007 6:45PM]

Simon P,

As you say, "we come here to be informed about everything equally and make our own choices." I agree, but in the case of Skype, I don't think Engadget is adequately informing its readers of the serious problems and threats presented. I'm not saying that Engadget should stop talking about Skype altogether, but rather that they should temper the hype with by weighing the pros and cons of that system.

I am confident that the problems with Skype will eventually become known to the general public and that the world will reject Skype in favor of more open, secure, decentralized technologies. In that sense, proprietary hardware products such as this one represent an environmental problem and a misuse of natural resources, because when the world drops Skype, we wont simply be able to make these devices talk Jabber or SIP. Instead we'll throw them in the trash.

[Simon P @ Oct 26th 2007 7:40PM]

Aaron,

Appreciate the response, it's nice to get some disagreement that's actually civilized for a change. I read the stuff and I take what you have to add with no problems. It sounds like you have a very valid point. However, it's a very fine line between reporting the facts on a new gadget impartially and then stepping over that line to offer a social commentary on it. I have absolutely no problem with people voicing their concerns about Skype or whoever in the comments and informing us of those concerns (I learnt a lot about Skype I didn't know today) but my original comment was in response to your request to stop reporting anything Skype-related. I don't personally see anything in the above article that's suggesting we drop what we're doing and use Skype, rather, it's a simple to-the-point piece about a new gadget that happens to be related to Skype. I, like probably most people, come here just to see what's new in the world. That said, maybe we could see an informative piece regarding Skype's problems from Ross Rubin?......that seems to be up his alley.

Anyway, I appreciate you probably didn't really mean stop reporting Skype stuff altogether, you were probably just trying to get a point across yourself.

[randy @ Oct 26th 2007 11:29AM]

"free calls to other Skype users / 3Skypephone owners"

but...

"Pay Monthly and Pay As You Go"

So, ultimately it's no different from a family share plan or 'my circle' plan. If you PAY a monthly or "pay-as-you-go" fee, how are the calls 'free'?

[Alan Partridge @ Oct 26th 2007 11:41AM]

If u get the £12 Mix and Match Plan then you get 100mins. Calls to Skype/Skypephone users wont use up those minutes and you wont be charged for them = free.

[subliminal727 @ Oct 26th 2007 3:16PM]

can't you get a plan w/ skype thats like 30 dollars a year for unlimited or something? i dunno

[randy @ Oct 26th 2007 1:58PM]

...so it's like a 'my circle' plan, with everybody outside the circle excluded.

Eh, no THANKS.

[Raymanunique @ Oct 26th 2007 12:10PM]

Don't know what all the fuss is about. I have been making Skype calls on my Nokia E65 on the three network for ages. They use an interesting solution called iskoot - www.iskoot.com.

[heh @ Oct 26th 2007 12:23PM]

I gotta side with Aarron on this one. He's basically saying "there are better alternatives to Windows," and you guys are saying "But I use Windows!" Basically Engadget has the opportunity to turn people towards a better product using a fairer protocol.

[ethana2 @ Oct 26th 2007 1:10PM]

OpenWengo.

Because we need one protocol, and many service competitors.
The protocol must be open. The prices will be better.

And the next open protocol needs to include GPS data from devices or PC's, so VoIP can make emergency calls.

VoIP over WiMax is my idea of a good time. I can't understand people over Verizon 28kbps lines. I like 300kbps at 144khz.

[Jonas @ Oct 26th 2007 12:57PM]

I hear it'll be £49.99 on Prepay too ;)

[Carbonize @ Oct 27th 2007 2:31AM]

3 already have phones with unlimited Skype calls on them (well they say unlimited but then say 5,000 minutes in the small print).