Tag Archives: Skype
App review: Time to Call by Vonage
You’d be forgiven for thinking that most of the innovation to be done in VOIP apps had already been done, but US-based Vonage has other ideas. A few days ago Vonage announced their new Time to Call app and to be completely honest I ignored the press release as my understanding of Vonage was that they were a US company providing services to US customers only. That’s not so with this app, which is a truly innovative VOIP solution that can be used in New Zealand and is a god-send in both terms of convenience and cost-of-use when travelling not just overseas but even within NZ.…
Read More
Posted in All, iPad, iPhone, iPod touch
Skype for iPad goes live (UPDATED: back again)
Wow… busy day! Skype for iPad has gone live in the last few minutes, giving those of you with an iPad 2 a shiny new app to get to grips with. We’ve not tried it yet, but why don’t you give it a go (iTunes link) and let us know what you think in the comments? Thanks to Paul for the heads-up who is totally on the ball today. You saw it here first, folks!
UPDATE: ….And it’s gone again. Skype tweeted earlier to say that it was release prematurely. D’oh!
UPDATE 2: It has now officially been released and is available in the app store here
…
Read MoreFTW: Skype for iPad demo video leaks, silently | This is my next…
Looks like Skype is getting ready to release an official video chat app for the iPad 2, something the company hinted would be coming sometime this summer. Here’s another hint: Skype purportedly posted a demo video on their YouTube channel and then took it down, but not before reader Shason caught a silent video of it.
The interface here looks pretty nice (and a darn sight better than the latest Mac version) and looks to have the features you’d expect: camera swapping, full-screen video, integrated messaging that can pop up over your call, and reasonably snappy animation. The disclaimer on the video notes that “Actual video and audio call quality may vary based on the speed and quality of your WiFi or 3G connection. Operator charges may apply.” That leads us to believe that it will support video calling over 3G, but whether carriers will let that happen is likely another matter. Catch the video below.
Update: TUAW spoke with Skype VP of Consumer and product design Rick Osterloh, who wouldn’t give away the release date but did note that the app should be approved “soon” and that Apple has been “super supportive.” The app should have roughly the same feature set as the iPhone version, meaning that desktop features like file sharing won’t be supported.
View video at source article here: Skype for iPad demo video leaks, silently | This is my next….…
Read MoreiPad 2 Quick Hands On
America. Land of hope, Land of opportunity, and land of the iPad 2. The latter of these 3 is in extremely short supply at the moment. With online orders now showing a 4 to 5 week delivery time and retail stores, including Apple’s flagship stores, reportedly sold out we are considering ourselves very lucky right now as our iPad 2 was delivered on Thursday. We will be doing an in depth review closer to or around the NZ launch but for now hit the read more for a quick look and our initial thoughts.…
Read MoreiPad as sole means of mobile communication: is it possible?
A question I get asked a lot and I’m sure some of you will have been asked, too, is “why do you need an iPhone and an iPad?” The honest answer (although rarely admitted) is you don’t need both… you just want them both.
Recently I have been considering saying goodbye to my iPhone 4 and once released later this year using a 64gb WiFi 3G iPad 2 as my sole means of communication. No this is not an early April fools’ and yes, you did read that correctly: goodbye, iPhone 4.
I realise the stage I have chosen to propose ditching the iPhone 4 on could have been better. Proposing this to iPhone enthusiasts on an iPhone blog isn’t going to be an easy sell but before you judge me and shout blasphemy carry on reading to find out why.
…
Read More
Skype 3.0 goes live with video calling
Skype have just updated their iPhone app, adding video calling features that really should have been there back when the iPhone 4 launched. You can now make video calls from iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS (although you’ll need some crazy mirror array for it to be useful on that device due to its lack of front-facing camera) and iPod touch Gen 4 to any other Skype client capable of receiving video calls including Mac and PC, and non-video equipped iOS devices such as the iPad (but don’t get too excited, it’s still not a universal binary).
We’ve had a quick play with the app and although video quality is sadly noticeably inferior to that of FaceTime, it’s perfectly adequate and matches the quality you’ll be used to when using Skype on a desktop client. Unlike FaceTime, Skype does support calling over 3G although as mentioned in our VoIP round-up article, both parties will need to be signed in which does chew through battery life so Tango is still a serious competitor as far as the iPhone goes. Now if Apple would just enable FaceTime over 3G without a jailbreak we can all stop making-do with the next best thing!…
Read More
Posted in All, iPhone, iPod touch, Other News
Do you really need a voice plan? Answer: no
If you’re using an iPhone in New Zealand, you probably have a voice plan that you pay your carrier a pretty sum for every month. Despite the ‘free’ minute allocation they include, the average price per minute still makes voice calling a costly exercise. The iPhone, however, with it’s fast data speeds and ability to install third party apps, opens up options that can dramatically reduce the price of calling. If you’ve not looked into this, read on and your next phone call might well be to your carrier to have your voice plan cancelled. …
Read More
Posted in 2degrees, All, Digital Island, iPad, iPhone, Telecom XT, Vodafone
Skype 2.0 brings 3G calling to iPhone…. free until the end of the year [Updated]
Skype 2.0 has finally been released and with it comes free 3G calling. However those “free” calls will only be until the end of August 2010, after which you will have to pay a monthly subscription fee.
Although calling it “free” 3G calling in NZ is a bit if a white lie, cause lets face it with the high cost of data charges here it’s never going to be a free way of making calls. It may however work out to be cheaper to make international calls using 3G.
Hit the read more for the full list of 2.0 improvements [and the Update].…
Read More
Posted in All, iPhone, Other News
App Store Essentials: Skype
It’s easy to forget with its miriad of features and functions that the iPhone is just that… a phone. And while making and receiving phone calls on the device is just as much of a joy as performing any other function, there are two ways to improve on the experience: one is to be able to make cheap phone calls, and the other is to be able to make free phone calls. In the second in our series of App Store Essentials where we highlight the absolute must-haves that were launched prior to the 3GS and OS 3.0, we take a look at Skype.…
Read More
