3 launches Skypephone Mark 2
WHILST NEWS of 3's updated Skype handset had already leaked out, the company has just released the full specs for this handset. Known as the 3 Skypephone S2, its major feature is an ability to act just like a USB dongle.
The handset has built-in modem drivers so all the owner has to do is plug it into a laptop via the cable provided and it will act just like a USB 3G dongle.
Contrary to previous rumours, the Skypephone S2 really can offer the highest data throughput speeds 3 currently offers [3.6 Mbit/s]. So, effectively you have a 3G dongle with a phone capability thrown in.
The company confirmed that the handset has been manufactured by the same maker as the original version – China's Amoi.
One important addition has been the inclusion of a 'switcher' key on the side of the handset which enables the owner to navigate around the handset's applications, carousel-style.
Although it's described as a revolutionary UI, it reminds the INQ of the navigation wheel which Sony handsets sported before the merger with Ericsson came about.
Interestingly, this latest Skypephone still can't handle the 'Skype In' or 'Skype Out' facilities whereby users can break out of Skype into the traditional voice networks.
What the S2 can offer, however, is the chance to incorporate your Skype contacts into the standard handset addressbook so if you see somebody is on Skype then you can take advantage of the free calls.
Also, significantly with the S2, 3 has gone very heavy on the built-in Facebook app which enables the handset owner to update information without having to surf to the main Facebook site.
The only other strange thing about the S2 is that the amount of memory supplied as standard with the handset has dropped from 250MB to 50MB.
On the other hand the camera resolution has risen from 2 megapixels to 3.2 megapixels, which is handy.
Quite frankly for £70 on prepay you get both a phone and a 3G dongle rolled into one for a competitive price. µ
Full specs: Skypephone S2
Main display: 2.2 inch, QVGA (240x320 pixels)
Handset dimensions :103 x 45 x 14 mm
Camera 3.2 mega pixels
User memory: 50MB (Onboard)
Expandable: MicroSD memory card slot (supports up to 4GB capacity)
Battery 1150mAh
Stand-by time: 262 hours
Talk time: 410 minutes
Bluetooth: Yes
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How many mugs of beer???? Seriously what's the point of this article whiteout beerometer???
Thannks for the article, but I'm a noob with these phones and skype. Can someone explain it please, or provide a link to a good How To?

A dongle, I remember them for software lincensing etc. When you say dongle, just what do you mean, is it a "proof" for skype that you have bought the hardware so are able to logon to skype, or it gives you credit to your skype account, or the dongle has your personal skype number/account and if you plug it into to any pc then your account will sign in? Is it any of those?

If I buy a skype phone can I just use it without a pc, like a regular phone? Can I buy a wireless broadband sim card, plug it into a skype phone, and just start phoning/video phoning?

Thanks for any good replies that come this way! ;-)
I use 3 and their Symbian Skype Client and I live in Denmark. All skype calls go unincrypted via a phone number in Sweden. With the new law in Sweden, they can tap all Danish Skype via 3 calls without a warrant because they all pass the Swedish boarder. 3 doesn't tell you about this. I have no trust and no influence on Swedish law. I think this is very unfair.

This could be the case for other countries in Europe too.
You would think 3 are serious enough about the Skypephone to fix the existing service. 

How many times have I not been able to dialout via Skype or receive calls; there just isn't enough capacity in their system (circuits?).

You can use the existing Skypephone as a 3G modem, but again you are at the mercy of the 3 network, which gets very slow at night/peak times. Transfers are very blocky; not very good for streaming. You cannot call it 'mobile broadband' if you compare it to regular ADSL/cable.

Not to mention chat timestamps are when 3 delivers the messages and not when they were written! So someone chats to you and you don't have a clue when they wrote it. This is irritating as 3 often doesn't deliver them for hours (I am not joking). Not to mention ppl not being online on the phone, but checking on a PC they are! So in summary there is alot that can be done to improve the service!

However the cost is cheap; 10 pounds per month to keep online with Skype, and then you can use 5 pounds of that for unlimited internet access. So it is cheap. Shame about customer service though.