3 Skype 101

Before we delve any further into the exciting adventures of the 3 Skype Phone, I thought perhaps it would be a good idea to give a short intro to Skype (and for those of you groaning impatiently in the back row, remember we were all newbies once!) Skype is a social internet service that lets you make calls for free when you call from one Skype account to another, using a technology called Voice Over IP. It’s really easy, visit the Skype site, download the software, set up a username and password, and providing you have an internet connection, a microphone, headphones/speakers and of course, some friends to call, you are up and running. And what if your friends don’t use Skype? You can purchase some Skype credits and call their normal landline or mobile numbers, whether they live locally or overseas.

But what happens when you are away from your pc? This is where the 3 Skype Phone comes in, doing away with the software installation, the computer, net connection, microphone, headphones.. in fact, all you need is the phone, a login and uhh.. yes. you still need that friend! It’s got Skype built right in, so not only is it a normal mobile phone, but it also has a Skype client installed seamlessly into the phone’s menu system (in fact, there is a dedicated Skype buton so you can choose whether you want to call a number using your normal mobile plan or whether you want to use Skype). Major savings there if you have tech savvy or overseas friends.. you might find that having such convenient 24/7 access to Skype will bring y’all closer.. awww ;)

But I have to admit that being logged on 24/7 to Skype is not always a good thing. It leaves you open to support calls from your boss at 6pm on a Friday evening, early morning weekend wake up calls from your mother and maybe 3am catch up calls from your friend in Texas who has never quite figured out the mathematics of time zones. But never fear! We know that on purchase of the 3 Skype phone you will immediately become totally popular* as people realize how easily (and far cheaply) you can be reached. So when you log in to Skype, you can also set up (and at any point change) your status – known in Skypespeak as Presence. Your Skype buddies can instantly see whether you are online, offline, or most crucially I think, in a state of do not disturb!

There is one more awesome Skype feature that I simply can’t leave without talking about, and that is Chat Messaging. No longer do you have to be shushed in movie theatres for taking calls, or wait impatiently for someone with pudgy fingers to slowly compose a SMS and send. Apart from voice, the 3 Skype phone also has Chat Messaging (an IM service) that lets you type instant chat messages to anyone on your Skype buddy list. Cool huh? Very cool methinks ;)

*Disclaimer: The 3 Skype Phone has not (yet) been proven to make anyone totally popular. We think it couldn’t hurt though.