Skype has released a lite version of Skype that can be downloaded on Java-enabled mobile phones as well as Android-powered devices.
According to the company, the lite version delivers core Skype capabilities including Skype to Skype calls, send/receive instant messages to/from individuals or groups, Skype calls at low rates to people on landline or mobile phones, receive calls to your online personal phone number on Skype, and see when your Skype contacts are online/available to chat.
Skype’s COO, Scott Durchslag said, “Making the Skype experience available for download to Android-powered devices, as well as hundreds of other mobile phones from the world’s leading handset manufacturers is a major step forward for Skype. Nearly half the world’s population are mobile phone users today and we know that many people who already use Skype want the option to use Skype on their mobile phones. We are committed to working towards our goal of getting Skype into the pockets of the mobile masses.”
The lite version of Skype works wherever your mobile phone works, without requiring a Wi-Fi connection. The lite version of Skype uses local air time and a mobile internet connection in order to sign in to Skype, update your contact list, update presence and send/receive calls or messages, so you must have both a calling plan and a data plan on your mobile phone to use it.
The lite version of Skype is currently available for Android devices, which today include the T-Mobile G1, the first Android-powered mobile phone currently available in the United States and the United Kingdom. It is expected to also work on other future Android devices.
It also works on more than 100 of the most popular Java-enabled phones from the world’s top five handset manufacturers – LG, Motorola, Nokia, Samsung and Sony Ericsson. For instructions on downloading the lite version of Skype to LG, Motorola, Nokia, Samsung and Sony Ericsson phones, users can visit www.skype.com/m using the mobile browser on their phone or www.skype.com/go/mobiledownload from a computer. The web page includes a directory of the mobile phones currently supported.
The lite version of Skype is available globally, with the ability to make Skype-to-Skype calls and low cost calls to landlines and mobiles abroad currently available in ten countries: the United States, United Kingdom, Poland, Brazil (Rio and Sao Paolo), Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Estonia, Australia and New Zealand.
See: www.skype.com
