Qualcomm is unexpected winner with Skypephone
THE MUCH heralded Skypephone dual cellular/Skype handset was revealed in London today [October 29th]. This 3 branded cellular handset represented a major triumph for Qualcomm. Its chipsets and Brew development environment form the basis of a low cost handset which 3 hopes will sell in tens of thousands.
The best news is that Skype-to-Skype calls on the Skypephone cost absolutely nothing. No hidden charges whatsoever. The other good thing about the Skypephone is that the same applies to Chat - Skype's IM [Instant Messaging] client.
The exact relationships between the key players in this groundbreaking project remain blurred. However, it seems that once Skype convinced 3 (owned by Hutchison) of the viability of a dedicated Skype client on a 3G handset, Skype took control of the situation.
So Skype then went to mobile phone chip specialist, Qualcomm, which came up with a suitable handset design based on its W-CDMA chipsets. The resulting design has been manufactured for 3 by Chinese handset maker, Amoi.
As far as the INQ can tell this was the first time a serious business application - other than a game - has been pre-installed on a Brew based handset in Europe.
The actual Skype handset client software - along with the associated server end programs - were supplied by specialist developer, Iskoot. The whole gamut runs on an entry level handset which costs nothing to contract customers and a mere £50 to those on prepay.
What remains unclear is exactly how tightly Hutchison/3 has tied up the hardware and software. It could enjoy the HTC experience. Not so long ago BT Cellnet (now O2) asked HTC to make a Windows based handset, only to find the manufacturer offering similar products to its rivals shortly afterwards. µ
L'INQ
www.amoi.com.cn
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I remember the days not long ago when 3's only major unique selling point was its 'Video calls' on mobiles, which of course i see people down the street bumping into lampposts using all the time . .. If you ask me, they were LUCKY that the market shifted to people wanting to have emails delivered on the move and using thier phones as 'modems' for doing 'proper computer stuff', on thier laptops. As we all know the 3G charging rates are for 'data usage', its how telecoms providers make their money at the moment now that we dont 'talk' to each other as much any more. Its great that they are implementing Skype into mobiles but are they truely serious about offering 'free' calls 3/Skype device to 3/Skype device? I dont know about you but where i live, the coverage of Wifi isnt as seamless as a GSM network, only limited to peoples unsecure routers and random ISPs, so its a given that they will be using the currently implemented 3G infrastructure, which . . . uses data . . which, at the moment. . you pay for. . .do they really, REALLY have the safelty net to allow calls to continue being free if this takes off. . guess we will have to wait and find out
Actually following developments over the year I think it may have been 3 pushing the integration of the device from the start. It seems the Mobile magazine put things together in this article http://www.mobil.se/ArticlePages/200710/08/20071008152303_MOB019/20071008152303_MOB019.dbp.asp which shows that 3's investment in brew was a while back, following on from the work they did on X-Series. 3 seems to be pretty innovative and I doubt they had to be persuaded to do an imbedded client. It might have been them who pushed it. We'll see. It'll probably become clearer soon. Whatever it seems to be a very smart product.