Nokia adds Skype to Ovi Store, foreshadows death of regular phone calls
Skype for Symbian. A freely downloadable application that allows you to converse with your Skype-equipped friends over a WiFi or 3G connection. Seriously, why would you ever make another cellular call again? Nokia's just announced the addition of the online communications client to its Ovi Store, meaning that now more than 200 million users worldwide have access to essentially free calls over their beloved Symbian S60 5th handsets. You knew there was a reason to stay loyal to that stale user experience and here it is. There's not much else to say here, we're off to sell whatever stock we have in mobile network operators while you should click the source links for the full list of compatible handsets. High fives all around.
























@williamlau05
It's a blog, not news.
@williamlau05
Again, you want JOURNALISM.
Try down the web at cnet or wired maybe?
This kind of commie crap is exactly why america hates Nokia.
@pikakhu
Tell me one logical reason why I can't use my 3G connection to transmit whatever I want,
@Pguard Um, logical? If you don't own the connection, which you don't, you don't have the right to use it as you wish. Hence, often the cases: no tethering, no skype (this is largely changing now), occasionally no video streaming/large downloads....It's a business decision. The less data you use, the less congested a network is, the less it has to have (maintenance? and) upgrades.
However, I'm all for having more (licensed?) rights to any product or service I buy/subscribe to, and that's why it's the consumers business to push back against companies because they will try to give as little product for as much price whenever possible.
@juanvaldez Well how about they just get there networks in line like the rest of the industrial countries and stop making the consumer the bad guy for there lack of infrastructure up keep. That is the problem with the states and the main reason so many phones never make it to us. We do not have the infrastructure to support all of this. I have not had a problem with connections hardly ever in Germany or most of Europe period, neither in Korea or Japan.
@juanvaldez WTF, are you being serious? Of course you own the connection, it's your fucking rights your letting go, while calling it a commie move.
Unless the carriers enforce a restricted usage data plan, I'm using the "unlimited" cap the way I feel like it.
Three.co.uk have been offering Skype on their symbian (and other) handsets for ages now, and actively promote it.
@Boss Skill : That's handled by routing the calls through Three's phone network rather than simple VoIP, though.
iPhone already has skype
@facethefire yes but it isn't the same as it is for example on the N900
@ facethefire
Why do we always have to come back to some stupid dumbphone?
@mal5363
You don't know what a smart phone is do you?
We get it, you don't like S60! You don't have to mention it in every post about it.
@sockatume Seriously. Oh well, it's Engadget. It's still the first website I visit every time I launch my browser, LOL!
Wow... I mean I was pretty sure there that I have been using Skype (not fring) on my Nokia since 2005... but thanks Engadget for open my eyes...
I dont see this as that big a deal. To get any kind of decent handset you buy in to a contract that gives you an allowance of free minutes (in the UK at least) and allowance of data. If i have free voice mins left Ill be using them, also as nice as skype is unless im using one of skypes subscription services I cant call non skype users (which is pretty much everyone i know) or landlines. Also many contracts have quite restrictive data plans and using voip as a main source of telephony will only serve to challenge those limits. Sure i can get a better data allowance, but who will i pay for that? The aforementioned allegedly doomed network carriers. And as others have mentioned Fring has this enabled already.
stale interface......it seems fine for me.
Was testing this today actually, quality was pretty good. At least i can make cheap/free calls when im travelling America later in the year.
hope now people understands why nokia isn't successful in North America , they dont bow down to operators so operators just show cold back to them .
This is great to here!
It's dangerest path Nokia have taken. Your not going to see too much love from the carriers. It's not a problem everywhere in Europe, but countries that got heavy subsided markets like UK.
Thought this thing needs to be done by Nokia because it's the only one who can really push this. Hopefully others will keep following.
Lets make the carriers what they should be!!
I Just accessed this OVI site. For N97 it says the Skype app has been pulled by Nokia. Then for my N95-8GB the Skype app is still there. So I downloaded it OK....but when you launch it on the phone, after Sype ID and PW entry it just CRASHES miserably. I created a new Skype ID+PW from there, just in case it does not recognizes my std one....and loged on with it, it and it crashed the same way. SHAME !
This whole Software story on Nokia N series has been a forever desaster, at least for the 2 x years I've owned my N95-8G.
I will never buy a Nokia Smartphone again before they move to Professional Industry standard OS (Androïd, or Win Phone 7, forget their new Linux bought from Intel. I will not even try that non-sense).
I'd like to see Skype for Android besides just with the Verizon Android phones but once Google Voice adds VoIP, then I won't care about Skype.
Speaking of Skype, how are Skype calls handled when there needs to be a cell-tower to cell-tower handover?
I made a Skype call on AT&T's 3G network while driving on the highway and whenever the handset moved to another tower the call was dropped or extremely garbled. I hope they improve this or Skype (for me) will not be a viable solution.
I just tried it for the E72 and works fine and looks nice.
However, I still prefer using fring.
This has beens out for about a week [maybe not in the Ovi Store, but at least on the Skype page]. I downloaded it on my Nokia 5800, and its not good... Is uses up way to much ram, the account manager is kind of wierd, and doesnt´offer anything else that Fring or Nimbuzz don't (actually offers less). I'm just going to keep it on my phone as a backup...
And I'll continue using Nimbuzz [since is REALLY agregates all my social networks and IMs] and Fring for VIDEO call...
WHERE is Gizmo5???
Why did Google buy them and do nothing???
Or did they buy them SOLELY to stop people from using VoIP with Google Voice easly... WTF!!!
ive been using skype since 2007 on my mobile phone. the problem is that you have to use speaker phone as the software never incorporated the earphone. theres hardware issues as well. It was only good for chatting andvoice chat. It's nice that european market is adopting to voip. pretty soon everyone will eliminate phone #'s and use internet based voice calls. We might even see microsoft using msn messenger and putting it on their cellphone.
I'd love to lessen my voice plan on AT&T and use Skype as much as possible to save a few bucks. Thing is, it's just not practical enough for me to do (on the iPhone.) Not only does it force me to use the phone (or headphones) since bluetooth doesn't work, but it's obviously not going to display my # when I call people. Couple that with subpar overall quality and you've got something that sounds good in theory... but isn't quite ready for prime-time.
Excuse my ignorance but does Android or the iPhone have an official Skype app? Just curious. Not knocking the platforms if they don't, I seriously just don't know and am curious, lol.
@kenny goo iphone has had one for about a year. Not very useful for me since everytime the screen went "black" the call would disconnect and i'd get signed out due to the phones lack of multitasking abilities. (yes. i know i could use cydia but thats not really the point).
Hell, the N900 _comes_ with both Skype and SIP support in its softphone. VoIP on 3G is here right now.
Are there not issues with call quality? I am a happy user of skype on the iphone but boy it would suck to never make a regular call. The interface is sloppy and the connection sounds a bit fuzzier than AT&T.
Yes to Apple for getting a $30 unlimited plan. Like it or not EVERY company is releasing products and services based on whatever Apple does (good or bad moves alike). This is one situation where it means carriers will eventually follow suit with their computer data plans.
I want the iphone-call-over-3g-skype!!
Dear Sir,
Would be a good idea if yo make the research for all of us about what are the models from diferent manufacturers that accept the Skype. Will help to us simple mortals to know who else can we talk freely with the skype