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Free Skype Client Lands On the iPhone
Posted by
ScuttleMonkey
on Mon Mar 30, 2009 12:54 PM
from the not-just-build-it-and-they-will-come dept.
from the not-just-build-it-and-they-will-come dept.
CNet is reporting that a free Skype client will finally be landing on the iPhone this week. Unfortunately some are saying that it seems many of the "critical" pieces of functionality are still missing. While the Skype engineers claim their native client will offer better audio quality (because there is no need to route through another server and transcode audio) they are still missing text messaging, file transfers, and integrated voice mail. Since the iPhone does not allow for multiple programs running concurrently, many are expecting existing multi-function apps like Fring and NimBuzz to continue their reign at the top.
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Technology: Group Pushes FCC To Investigate Skype for iPhone 131 comments
Macworld is reporting that an internet advocacy group has asked the FCC to investigate whether the WiFi-only restriction on the Skype for iPhone app is in violation of federal law. "Since its release on Tuesday, Skype for iPhone has been downloaded more than a million times — that's a rate of six downloads a second, according to the company. All this despite the fact the software only works via the iPhone's Wi-Fi connection, and not AT&T's 3G network. [...] The letter cites the FCC's Internet Policy Statement (PDF link) which states that 'consumers are entitled to run applications and use services of their choice' in order to 'preserve and promote the open and interconnected nature of the public Internet.'"
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If so won't last long (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Its funny, I've had a full featured Skype client running on my Windows Mobile powered HTC Apache on the Sprint network for a few years now. And I can use the 3G connection for Skype calls. Why people keep going crazy about the iPhone is completely beyond comprehension.
Why, iPhone already has other VOIP apps (Score:2)
I think some of the Apple Hater froth around your mouth got into your eyes, as you seem to have missed the fact that the iPhone already has other VOIP clients - just not an official Skype client until now. AT&T doesn't care a whit, these all work over WiFi.
Re:If so won't last long (Score:5, Insightful)
It only works on WiFi, and Apple has explicitly stated that VOIP over WiFi is allowed - they wouldn't say that if AT&T were going to fight it. It's better for the telcos anyways - you're paying them your monthly rate regardless of whether you use their bandwidth, so the less you use, the more profit they take in.
Parent
Re:If so won't last long (Score:4, Insightful)
Parent
captain obvious: it'll never be full featured (Score:5, Insightful)
And this Skype client will never be full-featured because it would take revenue away from the phone company, who profits by selling voice plans. You might be thinking a data-only plan with a Skype client would save you money, but you'd be wrong: Apple doesn't want you to do that. AT&T doesn't either. Or any other wireless provider. Sure, we could invest in a decent wireless data architecture, but why do that when we know we can keep bumping up prices and not improving infrastructure, and then blaming "high consumption users" for the problem. You will pay, like the good consumer you are. Oh yes, you will pay.
Re: (Score:2)
The rich get rich and the poor get iPhones?
Re:captain obvious: it'll never be full featured (Score:5, Interesting)
Parent
Re: (Score:2)
Re:captain obvious: it'll never be full featured (Score:5, Interesting)
No, it doesn't.
What it's got is a little application that makes a standard telephone call to a Skype server, which gateways your call onto the Skype network. Which means you use up mobile call time as well as Skype calltime. No VOIP is involved.
Right now we're unlikely to see an aftermarket Skype client for Android because you can't do aftermarket native code on Android yet. (You can only do native code on Android if it gets built in when the phone OS image is made, which means it has to be done by the phone provider... and I'm sure Skype are working on that right now.)
Parent
Re:captain obvious: it'll never be full featured (Score:5, Interesting)
I don't know about the "any other wireless provider" thing.
Look up UMA on T-Mobile. My BlackBerry Curve 8320 supports it, so I use my WiFi for voice calls when I'm at home.
AT&T may not want you to do that, but T-Mobile seems to be okay with it.
Parent
Re: (Score:2)
You might be thinking a data-only plan with a Skype client would save you money, but you'd be wrong: Apple doesn't want you to do that. AT&T doesn't either.
I'm not sure Apple has much reason to keep you from doing that except for maintaining their relationship with AT&T, but in general you're right. But besides them not wanting you to do it, it's not clear to me that any mobile carrier's network is good enough to support it even if they were willing to allow it. Even current 3G networks pretty well stink.
What's the point of multitasking? (Score:2, Troll)
Since the iPhone does not allow for multiple programs running concurrently
What's the point of including multitasking if you cannot make it pretty and shiny? I applaud Apple for continuing the fight to keep our lives pretty and shiny rather than attempting to make our lives more efficient and easier to manage. I mean, let's be serious, isn't shiny and pretty the real reason we carry personal digital devices.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
It may be a limitation of the hardware or some other practical reason but the iPhone doesn't really multi-task. It only appears to do so using some hacks that Apple has done.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
In all seriousness , the reason the iPhone and the iPod Touch do not multitask is not related to hardware or software. The sole reason Apple enforces the no-multitask policy is to ensure that multiple running apps don't drag down the system. Apparently, WinCE has a tendency to be bogged down when running multiple apps and Apple wants to avoid that.
http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2008/03/13/iphone-20-sdk-the-no-multitasking-myth/ [roughlydrafted.com]
Re: (Score:2)
"bitter iPod Touch 2g owner"
Er, you mean "shiny and pretty" iPod Touch 2g owner, right?
whut? (Score:2)
Can someone explain to me why I'd want to make a phone call over a crappy VOIP system from a cell phone that I bought to be able to uh .. make phone calls?
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Because: ... I'm sure i could go on..
1) the quality of skype calls is far better than that of a phone call
2) skype to skype calls are free, and skype to outside phones is really really cheap
3) many people prefer to use skype because it is so much cheaper, and as a result do not have a regular phone or choose not to use it
4) Calls using Skype don't use up your cell phone minutes
Re: (Score:2)
Can someone explain to me why I'd want to make a phone call over a crappy VOIP system from a cell phone that I bought to be able to uh .. make phone calls?
Because the cell phone provider charges you an arm and a leg for phone calls. And all you REALLY want from them is cellular data so you can use a crappy voip system.
Cellular long distance rates are stupid high.
Even prime time cellular minutes stupid expensive unless you fit neatly into some bizarre rate plan dart board where you only call 5 friends during
Re:whut? (Score:5, Insightful)
Parent
Re:whut? (Score:4, Funny)
What does being a woman have to do with you having access to WiFi?
Parent
iPod Touch (Score:3, Insightful)
VoIP quality depends on what your QoS handling is. (Score:2)
As for crappy VOIP, that's baloney. VOIP quality is indistinguishable from regular calls.
That requires a minimum link speed and depends on what your carrier's QoS rules are (or if it's implemented).
If your VoIP packets get "best effort" service along with everything else you're sending/receiving (which is both typical with ISPs who didn't pay extra for QoS or configure it right and the fallout of the simple interpretation of "network neutrality"), you're hosed whenever things get congested.
Try running both
Oh, look what Windows Mobile can do (Score:4, Interesting)
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
I'm not certain that Skype would work on a 3G network. It's not the bandwidth, but the latency. All mobile data networks I've used (GPRS, EDGE and 3G) have had *terrible* latency, and not only terrible latency but very unpredictable latency. If you use SSH over 3G, you'll find you type a bunch of stuff and perhaps 15 seconds later, what you typed will echo back. Other times, 3G latency is somewhat better, it only feels like doing ssh to a machine with a high load average on the other side of the planet. But
So (Score:5, Funny)
Only need Wifi (Score:5, Interesting)
I only need Skype in wifi hot spots. Domestically, I use my cell phone minutes for phone calls. If I need to call internationally from my iPhone, I use Skype-To-Go, their relay service.
I only need VOIP when I'm out of the country. I'm not going to use iPhone data roaming because it is too expensive. But there are plenty of free wifi spots around the globe.
Fring has been so unreliable for me, an official Skype client has me very excited. When I'm in Cabo or Canada (or anywhere overseas) for a weekend, and I want to call home, this is where a Skype client is perfect! Find a wifi hot spot and dial away!
it is available in Japan already... (Score:2)
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Re:Iphones can only run one app? (Score:5, Informative)
It's an arbitrary restriction and only applies to third-party apps. The aim is to avoid third-party apps draining the battery by doing a lot of things in the background, or preventing other things from working by using all of the RAM (the iPhone doesn't enable swapping, I believe).
In theory, this is a good idea. Unfortunately, the whole philosophy of the iPhone is that Apple knows better than the owner of the device (which is probably true in the case of a lot of the users...) so there is no way of overriding this.
Parent
Re:Iphones can only run one app? (Score:5, Informative)
That is correct. The iPhone's virtual memory model does not include swapping.
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Re:Iphones can only run one app? (Score:4, Informative)
Parent
Re:Iphones can only run one app? (Score:4, Insightful)
iCall [icall.com] has been available on the iPhone for about a half-year now. (apparently in beta)
It integrates seamlessly with the iPhone. Those skype guys are behind. :P
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Does if you root it.
(Which is easy and takes about 15 minutes and no I'm not going to provide a link. Google is your friend. :P)
Re:Iphones can only run one app? (Score:4, Informative)
http://blog.iphone-dev.org/ [iphone-dev.org]
Parent
Re: (Score:2)
Re:Iphones can only run one app? (Score:4, Informative)
I'm not sure it's the background apps that are the problem so much as what 99% of background apps do while in the background. The main reason to run an application in the background is to do networking, and that means the radio has to move from GPRS mode into EDGE or 3G mode, which drains significantly more power. It's not at all surprising that it causes a much higher battery drain if background apps keep waking the cellular hardware while it should be idle.
As soon as you bring up the cellular network to get data, you're spending several seconds negotiating with the tower to switch from GPRS mode to EDGE or 3G and obtain an IP number for the interface. Then, your initial DNS lookup, at least based on my experience with AT&T's EDGE network can potentially add another 10-15 seconds in the worst case. Pull even a trivial amount of data and you've probably added another ten or fifteen seconds. At that point, you've spent the better part of a minute with the radio draining significantly more power than it does in its normal GPRS/waiting-for-calls standby state. Do this once a minute, and you almost might as well be talking on the phone to somebody. Okay, so maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration, but it does drain a lot more power....
Parent
Re:Iphones can only run one app? (Score:5, Informative)
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Re:My Question is This (Score:5, Informative)
Parent
Re:My Question is This (Score:5, Interesting)
You've got to start somewhere. Telcos are not easy companies to change. But if Skype gets a small toehold, people will get used to their free phone calls on their mobiles. Soon, when the market penetration gets high enough, they'll start complaining about being tethered to one spot. Hopefully, that will forces the telcos to (slowly) change.
Parent
Re: (Score:2)
no
Re:hate to say it (Score:4, Insightful)
After a little over two years, I'm ready for an iPhone. Why? The Internet browsing experience is better. I rarely use the office apps. I use Word to jot notes down, I can use the appropriate program on the iPhone for this purpose. I tried using Excel, the cell size is so small it is practically useless. With an iPhone I can VNC my desktop and use Excel from their on a largers screen with zoom functionality. That's better than my WM experience.
Copy and paste is coming and it's the only feature I'd really want. Tethering is again coming. MMS I could care less about personally.
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
We are doing a test rollout of blackberries, iphones, and windows mobile devices.
I get blackberries brought to me regularly because they are screwed up or the person does not know how to do what they want to do. I have not had a single iphone or windows mobile device brought to me.
iPod Touch - required hardware? (Score:2)
I too would love to see Skype run on a Touch. Unfortunately, AFAIK, there is no audio input hardware (no Bluetooth support, no suitably wired plug).
So the geeky question is: what would be required to run Skype on an iPod Touch? I can see building a plug that would enable a Bluetooth headset for it. The final step then would be persuading Skype to support such a hack (er, 3rd-party product).
You can buy external mics for the Touch (Score:3, Informative)
I too would love to see Skype run on a Touch. Unfortunately, AFAIK, there is no audio input hardware (no Bluetooth support, no suitably wired plug).
Any of the external dock based microphones will work on the Touch.
Re:iPod Touch - required hardware? (Score:4, Informative)
Parent
Depends on version (Score:3, Informative)
Apparently the v2.0 hardware _does_ have mic & bluetooth support (requires v3.0 software to activate the BT), but not the v1.0 hardware (what I have now).
Re: (Score:3, Informative)