Sykpe to offer free calls via Wi-Fi

[Guest Neil]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4312101.stm

Not much use to me this, living in the middle of nowhere... but do you think people living near public hotspots could use this to get free calls using the wifi instead of GSM?

[Guest xda-rocks]

Yes they can get free calls to people using Skype, but have to pay for calls to Mobiles and landlines.

[Guest Loukas]

Yes they can get free calls to people using Skype, but have to pay for calls to Mobiles and landlines.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

They will have to pay, but it's DIRT CHEAP!

For example, calls to many popular destinations are 1.7 Euros (or 1.1 pence) per minute - for example, calls to landlines in the UK, calls to ALL of the USA, Canada, Australia, Russia, many other Europeans countries, etc.

Also, their rates are highly competitive for overseas calls. Have a look here at the complete list.

http://www.skype.com/products/skypeout/rates/all_rates.html

Finally, it would be free to call your buddies who might have skype installed on their PC - rather than txt them or send them an MSN message, you could give them a quick free call.

I'm a current user of Skype on my PC, and use it to communicate accross the world. Having a high speed connection means the voice quality is excellent, most often as good as phoning them. I think this is going to be the sticky point - the processing power of a PDA and the bandwidth / quality of signal in an internet cafe will have to come together to offer good voice quality, or people won't use it.

I can however imagine myself sitting around in some Starbucks cafe, sipping on my warm coffee and chatting with my buddy accross the world using my bluetooth headset - with my pda or wifi enabled cellphone nicely tucked away in my pocket, FOR FREE!

Loukas

Edited March 3, 2005 by Loukas

[Guest fraser]

I've tested it on my Blue Angel, works a treat, at least with the echo test service. Don't know anyone else on Skype... :D

[Guest hunyango_uk]

hmmmmmmmmmm................

interesting, how can you do that?

loukas=> did you say free call with ppc on skype?

Edited March 4, 2005 by hunyango_uk

[Guest Loukas]

hmmmmmmmmmm................

interesting, how can you do that?

loukas=> did you say free call with ppc on skype?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Free to other skype users, whether they are using the PC version or PPC version.

Small chargers to phone numbers, depending on where you call!

[Guest hunyango_uk]

thanks.

just asking and clarifying

Edited March 4, 2005 by hunyango_uk

[Guest Alex_le_brit]

thanks.

just asking and clarifying

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

As there isn't yet a skype for smartphones it's a pity you can't get a small program that would allow you to use a smartphone as a bluetooth handset for skype on PC.

Is Microsoft Portrait can allow voice connections to and from the smartphone like that, then it shold be possible. Any developpers fancy this?

[Guest RichardK]

Skype on blueangel works like a dream. Whenever in europe i use it to call home (my kids use skype all night long to call their friends) for free without having to spend £1 a minute from my mobile. Skpe Out works great too and calling uk for 1 euro cent a minute is amazing.

Richard

[Guest Neil]

So, is there software currently available that would allow the PPC to connect to Sykpe-Out wifi points and then 'free' call via a BT headset or not?

[Guest zn970263]

Skype On PPC is more of a pain than freedom to me.

1, It doesn't tranfer all your existing contacts to the PPC version, u have 2 add all your contacts again manually, how daft is that?

2, After adding all your contacts, most of them appear to be pending authorization, never appear online. However, u can call them, obvioulsy by purely guessing who might be online.

3, It doesn't support BT headset. I've tested with my M2000, and it doesn't work. Huge disappointment. However, apparently the bluetooth works with some odd PPC models.

Just wonder, how does this use SKYPE free work? u just start your skype without logging on their WIFI?

[Guest dazza12]

I use Skype both on my PC and M2000.

Regarding the contact list, the PPC version of Skype is very new, if as many people as possible contact them about this it will become a feature in a future version.

The pending authorisation issue, this is because a lot of the time people ignore authorisation requests. I've had it happen to me a couple of times, contacting the users by another way and reminding them to act on the request usually does it.

It does support some Bluetooth headsets. Not all. It depends on whether your BT headset only works with the phone side of the M2000 or all the functions (such as Voice Commander). This isn't an issue with Skype, it's more to do with the Blue Angel.

It's unlikely there will be a Skype for Smartphones anytime soon. The problem is the processing power needed. When Smartphones start to get some decent CPUs in them this may change.

You can use Skype free if you can find some unlocked WiFi access points. A walk down the street running WiFiFoFum will find a few :D

[Guest zn970263]

Guess i'll just have to wait for the Orange ROM update then, the bluetooth issue is really getting on my nerves now. Without voice commanding function, it certainly minus a lot of points.

[Guest dazza12]

Even with a ROM update, it's possible your headset still won't work.

There are a few that do in applications other than Phone, I did post a list some time ago that's on this board somewhere based on O2's findings.

I tested a 'free if you are using Skype' hotspot yesterday whilst parked at site with it enabled. It seems to work ok, however I was using the wired headset for this.