Nokia and Skype have joined forces today to announce the release of Skype for Symbian phones. The app is available now from the Ovi Store for free, allowing users with a Wi-Fi or 3G connection to call other Skype users free of charge over the internet.

Initially, the Skype for Symbian application will be compatible with the following Nokia touchscreen models: Nokia N97, Nokia N97 mini, NokiaX6, Nokia 5800 Xpress Music and Nokia 5530 and the following non-touch devices: Nokia E72, Nokia E71, Nokia E90, Nokia E63, Nokia E66, Nokia E51, Nokia N96, Nokia N95, Nokia N95 8Gb, Nokia N85, Nokia N82, Nokia N81, Nokia N81 8 Gb, Nokia N79, Nokia N78, Nokia 6220 classic, Nokia 6210 Navigator, Nokia 5320.

Plans are in the works to bring Skype to Symbian phones from other manufacturers, such as Sony Ericsson too.

"Skype, the king of Internet communications, running on Symbian, the world's dominant smartphone platform, makes for an explosive combination," said Larry Berkin, Head of Global Alliances and GM USA, Symbian Foundation. "With Symbian's global reach, Skype is that much closer to becoming the ubiquitous real-time communications platform for hundreds of millions of Symbian-based mobile users."

It's great news for Nokia owners on unlimited data plans who are looking to save some of their precious minutes, or those looking to make calls from abroad.

For more info, click here.

Bambuser is an innovative live service which allows its users to stream video content from their mobile phones or webcams to anywhere on the web in real time. It lets your friends check out exactly what you're doing, as you're doing it, and can be incorporated directly into your Twitter or Facebook stream.

Bambuser began life as a university project, in which a student was looking to give his long-distance girlfriend a tour of his dorm room over the web.

With the demand for immediate information growing thanks to the popularity of sites like Twitter, Bambuser looks a handy tool for keeping on top of the fast world of personal and worldwide news.

For more info and to pick up the app, click here.

At last, Skype has come up with a new version of their VoIP software that I actually want to download for reasons beyond the fact that it happens to be the latest. The Skype 4.1 beta sees the addition of screen sharing across Windows, Mac and Linux plus other trinkets like birthday reminders and a more in-depth contacts search.

Naturally, none of this costs any extra and, in case you're worried about the privacy issue, it's totally up to you whether you share the whole screen or just a part of it.

With the Star Trek film out on Friday, it's high time everyone started cashing in on Kirkmania and, after Toshiba's protective plastic, it's now the turn of the Star Trek Communicator VoIP handset.

Now, before you get too excited, this device is a lot more useless than you might think. Yes, you can use it for Skype or whatever kind of chat service you use but only when it's plugged into your computer via USB. There is Wi-Fi or 3G involved here.

On the plus side, if you are an incurable Trekkie, then you'll be pleased to hear that it comes complete with 21 different communicator sounds and a six foot USB cable with which to parade your new toy about while in your Star Fleet Dressing gown and Tribble slippers.

Buy one

In a world's first, 3 is offering all those with Skype enabled phones free Skype-to-Skype calls and IM from 1st May. Whether you're pay-as-you-go or contract you will not have to pick up a penny of the cost for your Skype data so long as you have a 3 Skype-enabled handset and you are calling within the network. In theory, all you'll have to do is buy a 3 SIM, stick it in a Skype-enabled phone and away you go.

What's more, for the summer, 3 is extending the deal such that anyone on an unlocked 3G handset will be able to take advantage of the offer whether or not they're on 3's network.

The deal looks like a fantastic way for the youngest of the networks to grab a whole load of customers and pick up the money from the non-Skype calls at the same time. It's an excellent move and really good offer. Time to fork out the £1.99 for a 3 SIM.

CLARIFICATION:

Just had a word with representatives of 3 to understand all the ins and outs of the deal. Firstly, the offer has no end date at the moment. It is indefinite. Secondly, so long as the call is made over Skype then it doesn't matter what network the recipient is on. So long as you are making the call from 3, then the call will be free. Presumably, though, if the other person is on another network, then they'll be picking up a data cost at their end.

The service will work on all handsets so long as you can run Skype on them and you stick a 3 SIM into the back. Capiche?

3 Skype Offer

S2 Skypephone Review:

The Nintendo DSi takes a step closer to becoming a mobile phone after Skype reps confirmed that a VoIP client is technically possible for the device. The company refused to confirm or deny the suggestion that it's actively developing for the device.

It's already possible to run VoIP software on the DS and DS Lite, via the installation of the SvSIP homebrew application, but homebrew applications are currently blocked on the DSi due to piracy worries.

Skype applications are already available on most mobile phones and the PSP, so it wouldn't be surprising if the company had at least some form of DSi client in internal development.

Given Nintendo's intention to build the DSi into more than just a gaming device, it's difficult to see any reason why they wouldn't approve such an app, unless they're planning a VoIP client of their own, which has been rumoured.

(via Tech Radar)

If this month's news of Skype all over mobile phones of the world got you thinking how hot the VoIP company is right now, then you might be pleased to hear that eBay is letting the communications service loose on the stock market with an IPO all of its own.

Skype generated a cool $551 million in revenue in 2008 and, although they are beginning to run into the old market saturation problem, it doesn't take a genius to see it's all about the services they'll be offering in the future rather the number of accounts.

So, if you think the future is sky blue, then you might want to set aside some cash for next year. Buy low in 2008, sell high peaking some time around 2013. That's my completely inexperienced and entirely non-culpable piece of financial advice for the day.

Press Release

S2 Skypephone Review:

The Skype application for the iPhone hasn't even been out a week and already they've clocked up over 1 million downloads for the world's favourite VoIP service. To put that in perspective, that's one downloads every six seconds.

Naturally, they won't keep up this rate for long with market saturation on the horizon but it looks like Skype has shown the fastest uptake of any app for the Jobs 5800 since they started accepting external software.

Perhaps the networks have been right to fear Skype's pulling power when it comes to undermining their profits but for more discussion on that, check out our Tech Digest podcast.

Skype

I have a dream that one day the mobile nation will rise up and cast off the shackles of the networks. I have a dream that one day phone contracts will drop below the £5 per month mark. I have a dream that one day we will all see each other when we talk. I have a dream that my little children will be able to use their mobiles the world over without suffering a penny of roaming charges. I have that dream, but I'm not sure that dream is VoIP.

Today we heard that Skype is to launch on the iPhone 3G and BlackBerry in the coming weeks. According to Skype Chief Operating Officer Scott Durchslag, it was the number one request from customers, and I can't help wondering why? Let's ignore the oversized elephant in the room that is the fact that this isn't the first time using your Skype credentials for mobile VoIP on the iPhone has been possible (see Nimbuzz, TruPhone and Fring). Let's also forget that there's already other mobile VoIP services that people could have been using instead on other handsets (see Vyke, Tesco Talk WiFi, etc). What I want to know is how much of a difference will the mass use of mobile VoIP make should mobile Skype be its saviour? Will it bring me closer to my dream?

Skype will be available to use on the iPhone from tomorrow. The news was predicted last week for the hugely popular VoIP service to hit Apple's handset but the added bonus for many is that Skype will also be out on the BlackBerry too as of May.

"The No. 1 request we get from customers is to make Skype available on iPhone. There's a pent-up demand," said Skype Chief Operating Officer Scott Durchslag.

The service will also be available on the iPod Touch, which has been fitted with a microphone as of its 2008 incarnation, and users will be able to integrate their Skype contacts list with the numbers on their phones.

Video calls will not be possible at the moment but it's something that Skype is seriously considering with the only caveat on quality. However, CCS analyst Ben Wood believes it would be a incredibly important step if it did come about. He said:

"I'm firmly convinced that if Skype could find a way to bridge all those cellphone cameras and laptop cameras it might kick start a video telephony opportunity."

(via Reuters, images Skype Journal)

Rumours have it that a long-awaited Skype application for the iPhone will be announced at CTIA Wireless next week. The word comes through a tipster via GigaOM and it would seem to be as good a time as any with the mobile industry trade event just around the corner.

VoIP and IM aggregators currently on the iPhone already allow Skype account use but with over 400 million Skype log-ins in existence, you can bet there are a tonne of people out there who haven't woken up to the likes of Nimbuzz and Truphone or just plain don't want to use them.

There's currently no threat to most carriers but with unlocked iPhone on the horizon and PAYG handsets, it's another reason for the networks to start tremmoring

(via GigaOM)

Damn. I want this so bad. Google Voice, formerly known as GrandCentral and acquired by the company in 2006, has finally launched officially in the US. It's a service that gives you one phone number that can access all your phones, for life, for free.

It's been invite-only for nearly two years, and there are apparently tens of thousands of people on the waiting list, but Google will shortly be letting some of those people in. Accounts have, in the past, gone for up to $650 on eBay.

The way it works is that you get given a mobile phone number, and then a web interface lets you redirect that number to any phone you like. Going on holiday? Redirect it to the hotel you're staying in. Leaving the office for an afternoon? Send people to your mobile phone. Expecting a call you don't want? Put the caller through to the fax machine.

There's also Spinvox-esque voicemail transcription, text messaging, friend settings (so that certain people can bypass your voicemail) and call recording. There's even conference calling, and you can add credit to the account to make very cheap international calls, just like Skype.

Sadly, the service is only available in the USA. That's a big :( for me. When can we get that going down in the UK? It's got to be possible, right?

(via TechCrunch)

Spinvox, the voice-to-text service, has been quietly gaining plaudits for a number of years, and they've just announced a deal with VoIP service Skype whereby you can get your voicemails as texts.

You'll be charged 17p per message, plus any SMS charge you've got, but depending on how much you're charged to listen to voicemails and how annoying you find listening to them, you might think it's worth it.

Skype Voicemail to Text (via ShinyShiny)

Skype has just announced that it's giving away its SILK speech codec, which is the bit of software that processes your voice into a small enough stream of data for you to be able to communicate over a slow internet connection. A codec is basically a balancing act between file size and audio quality.

The SILK codec has been in development for three years at Skype and was finally bundled with the most recent release of the software - Skype 4. It's a major step forward in audio quality and scales depending on the bandwidth available.

So if it's so great, then why is Skype giving it away royalty-free to its competitors? Good question. My best guess is that Skype has the VoIP market so firmly tied up that it wants some competition to help grow the whole market. Then, I suppose, it's confident enough that those users will switch to Skype thanks to its fantastic software.

It might also be a sign that Skype's considering offering an API. Opening up the service, which is famously closed, would mean that other programs could be able to make Skype calls natively, without people having to open and install Skype itself. It could mean that you'll just be able to highlight phone numbers on websites and right-click to call them from the browser.

More information's available on the SILK website, and TechCrunch has an interesting take too.

Skype has just announced "the most distinctive new release" of its communications software for Windows.

Version four claims to offer far better full screen video calling as well as optimising itself depending upon your PCs specifications. Those with at least a dual core processor, fast broadband connection and Skype-certified video webcam can get up to 30fps high quality video.

More importantly for many will be improved audio quality. Thanks to a new codec, there's wideband audio quality but using 50% less bandwidth than in previous versions. There's even super wideband audio for those with compatible headsets and fast broadband.

There are many families who have to cope with the pain of separation - if Daddy has to fly away on business trips a lot, for example. Well, now Daddy (or Mummy, we're a politically correct organisation here) can read a bedtime story to his (or her) little sprog over Windows Live Messenger, wherever they are.

The website - timeforastory.com - is currently populated with three Noddy stories. 'Rocket Ship', 'Rainbow Chaser', and the intriguingly titled 'Bounce Alert!' The stories are interactive - as Mummy or Daddy reads, their kid can click on images to trigger animations.

All you need to get it going is a PC, a copy of Windows Live Messenger on each PC, a microphone and a webcam. Modern laptops generally have all those things inbuilt. So if you're in Japan, thousands of miles away from your poor son or daughter, and it's their bedtime, then stop reading Tech Digest and go read them a bedtime story.

Time for a Story

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Good news for iPhone users who have been waiting to use the Nimbuzz mobile instant messaging and VoIP client -- it's finally available to download for free.

It offers free voice calling over a Wi-Fi connection to users on Skype, Yahoo! Messenger, Windows Live Messenger and Google Talk, among others, as well as instant messaging to a whole host of other services.

Good afternoon grappling fans. It's taken an extra couple of weeks to have the broken glass elements swept up and the ring re-sprung after the inaugural clash two weeks ago between Nikon and Canon, but floor -32 of the sub-sub-basement of Shiny Towers is open once again for the bloodiest match-up in the world of the chipset smack down - Technology Deathmatch.

There's a chill in the mouldy air today. It's two-for-one at the arena with many of the rich, foreign businessmen abroad or in offices with their accountants assessing the damage to their stocks, but with cheap entry comes a cheap crowd: Guinness soaked mothers with their screaming children, gangs of late thirty-somethings waiting for Mecca Bingo halls to open and sacked City traders at the hollow ends of long vodka bottles just looking for a way to forget.

They cry blood, they scream, "entertain us" and that's exactly what they'll get in the 'Battle of the Mobile VoIPs'. Telecommunication giants were twitching but now it's the mobile operators that are all a-mutter with the rise of new ways to bypass their networks. There are many companies jumping in as mobile middlemen but today, going toe to toe, are two very different contenders.

In the blue corner with thinned turnbuckle pad and rusty post is the young contender from the streets of Maskina in Olso, Norwary is the Nokia favourite, the Scandinavian SIP supplier - Vyke!

fring, the VoIP and instant messaging aggregator software, has now received approval from Apple and is available to download from the App Store for the iPhone and iPod Touch.

A previous beta version, which required a jailbroken iPhone to work, proved extremely popular. Now anyone can get hold of the app that allows them to instant message their contacts on Skype, MSN, Google Talk, ICQ, Twitter, Yahoo! and AIM, as well as make cheap calls via a Wi-Fi connection.

Finally, it's possible to keep in contact with everyone when away from the desktop environment, and all from the single application.

Everyone's favourite voice-over-IP application, Skype, released a beta version of its new application on Wednesday. It's a near complete redesign from the ground up. It's quite different, but I've been using it a few days, and I think it's a very strong improvement on the previous version. Here's why you should give it a shot:

Hardware
Skype's now a lot better at recognising the random assortment of gadgets that you need to plug into your computer to use it. Although they only promise that "Skype ready" gadgets will definitely work, it's managed to recognise pretty much everything that I've plugged in so far.