Skype Unleashed Onto Cell Phones 74
An anonymous reader writes "Today Hutchinson announced that it would provide unlimited cell phone to cell phone Skype calls via a 3G connection. This new service, called X-series, is part of a new alliance made up of Skype, Sling Media, Yahoo, Nokia, Google, eBay, Microsoft, Orb and Sony Ericsson. According to the article, users will also be able to 'search Google and Yahoo, send MSN instant messages to their friends, watch their TVs from a Slingbox, access their computer at home with Orb and buy or sell stuff on eBay.' Users will only get charged a monthly fee for access, in a similar way to broadband charges."
Fine print... (Score:4, Funny)
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Fine print... (Score:4, Insightful)
But then you're not running it over 3G, which is what this news is about.
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
Is it just me (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
I guess they're biting the bullet on this one and hoping to make some money on inbound and legacy style calls.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2, Interesting)
Re: (Score:1, Funny)
Already possible? Pricing plan the major bonus (Score:1)
I suppose the really critical thing (rather than the application and content) is that there will be no per-data fee, it's a one off monthly cost as with broadband. Internet on the go with a broadband price plan.
Is price even a bonus? (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
This is so cool! (Score:5, Funny)
Re: (Score:2)
Re:This is so cool! (Score:4, Funny)
and in soon to be news....... (Score:3, Funny)
What am I missing? (Score:1)
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
There's also the fact that this is a flat-rate plan rather than a per-minute or per-packet plan. Presumably that's aided by specific VOIP software in the cells themselves. VOIP is a bandwidth hog.
Bandwidth hog (Score:3, Informative)
Re: (Score:2)
In short, unless this network delivers TCP/IP functionallity properly, and fast this
Re: (Score:2)
Only 3 is retarded enough to block TCP/IP connections (you can actually get them to unblock, at a price).
All the other providers *already* have fully featured tcp/ip - you can even get 3G PCMCIA cards to plug your laptop in from most of them.
The downside is the data cost. They measure their data cost in megabytes at about the same rate that the DSL connections measure in gigabytes, cost wise - ie. mobile data is 1000* more expensive.
Re: (Score:2)
Don't knock it until you've tried it. It's working great for Apple at the moment. Every time they bring out a new color of iPod people automatically want them. Never underestimate the power of really good marketing.
Call me when Google Talk implements SIP..literally (Score:5, Insightful)
Google on the other hand has standardized on an open standard for VoIP (Jingle), and has said they'll support SIP at some future point (currently the most widely supported VoIP standard).
Re: (Score:2)
Skype just works. Very, very few people care that it's closed, as evidenced by its adoption rate.
Re: (Score:2)
Skype just works. Very, very few people care that it's closed, as evidenced by its adoption rate.
They'll start caring when they can't reach someone with a different VoIP provider. Communication requires open standards, not proprietary ones. If you want to work over a NAT, use IAX2.
Re: (Score:2)
IAX2 is nice, but it's not geared for personal endpoints - it's a trunking protocol first and foremost, and lacks a lot of features provided by both Skype and SIP. You can make a simple softphone with IAX2, but it won't be terribly great. That's why there aren't many around.
Re: (Score:2)
PSTN/SS7/ISDN/PCM is the inter-operability standard, much like SMTP is for Internet mail. SIP, Skype,
Re: (Score:2)
I make a lot of calls over SIP and rarely need to hit a PSTN connection... and when I do I use SIP gateways in the country I'm calling that provide a free connection to that country. Skype is horribly expensive when it forces you into PSTN - in many cases more expensive than a standard analogue phone call.
Re:Call me when Google Talk implements SIP..litera (Score:2)
SIP sucks. That's all there is to it. Ridiculous overhead, and its preferred method of handling dropped or delayed packets is to storm the network with MORE of them...
Although I would much prefer they were open, Skype is still a big step in the right direction. If not for Skype, you probably wouldn't see Google making its own (more open) VoIP offering.
Actually.. (Score:3, Informative)
Latency? (Score:1, Informative)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
eletro manifesto (Score:1, Funny)
Fuck, it's the end. The company name is 3? The service is called X-Series. And I'm living in a joke, right??! Someone allowed the (1) creation of the ultimate fortress in the history of business technology. Hopefully not! (2) the UK, a country without a Constitution,
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:1)
No networks (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Notice the absence of network providers.
Hutchison, who this press release comes from, are a network provider. However, I have heard rumours recently that they might be about to pull out of the European market, so the cynic in me says this may just be a plan to increase their subscriber base in order to raise their valuation before a sale.
Great, so I can use my phone... (Score:1, Redundant)
Uh, English, please? (Score:2)
What's the point of doing the same thing, but with 14 different acronyms, none of which will work together perfectly?
Re: (Score:2, Informative)
> fee (that is pretty low). It really couldn't possibly be any simpler.
If you've got a low monthly fee for a cell phone contract which will let you call people anywhere in the world on their cellphone for no additional fee then I want to know about it!
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
What Carrier are you with?
Bell Mobility offers some very competitively priced long distance plans.
Look at the Business Canada [www.bell.ca] plans, which have an option of unlimited E/W starting at 6pm for an extra $32 a month.
Does this mean we'll be getting Skype fo Symbian.. (Score:3)
Or do we have to rip it ourselves from the phones once we get our hands on them?
Won't work on all providers... (Score:1)
Skype on cell phones = cheaper long distance calls (Score:1)
Re:Skype on cell phones = cheaper long distance ca (Score:1)
but hey your a techy
mobile company reaction? (Score:1)
Kindly dispense with the "unleash" metaphor (Score:3, Funny)
Dear SlashDot!
Few metaphors are as worn-out and abused as the "unleash" one. Please, leave it to the marketoids, so that we can continue to spot them the same way, we spot head-hunters by the "touch base" metaphor.
Thank you very much! Sincerely,
The Audience
Already Possible with Windows Mobile Phones (Score:2, Informative)
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:1)