Apple, AT&T hobble Skype for iPhone 3 Ways
BBC News' Rory Cellan-Jones is right when he asks Is Skype on the iPhone a big deal?
- No-VoIP Clause (Wi-Fi tethered). Apple's deal with AT&T (and presumably Apple's other carrier partners) forces Apple to force Skype off of mobile networks for voice or video calls. So Skype can only make or take calls when connected to the Internet through Wi-Fi.
- No background apps (no Skype dialtone). Apple's iPhone OS prevents multiple apps from running. So I can only have Skype dialtone when it is in the foreground. You need Skype dialtone, connection to the Skype network, to share presence, to get chat updates, to receive Skype calls. When iPhone OS 3 launches at the Apple WWDC, this may get better.
- No eye (no video). Apple doesn't have a camera looking at the user. Needed for video calls.
So Skype for iPhone is less than what it could be. Will customer pressure change AT&T's and Apple's attitudes?
See the only Skype for iPhone video demo, courtesy of the BBC.
tags: skype, apple, iphone, att
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7 Comments:
whatever. The real shame is Skype has had a symbian client for 2 years, and it still won't be able to release it to the end of 2009. Pathetic.
When I tried to buy some SkypeOut credit for my iPhone 3G, I was directed to a Japanese-language site that I could not understand.
Anyone know another way to buy SkypeOut credit for the iPhone?
how about you buy it online and then log in through your account on iphone?!
about this things Apple cant stay there to see what happen ... the background of skype it's necessary!!! it's important first! with app backgrouder (cydia) is not the same. when iPhone put sleep you are offline. and if u stay in home and someone send u a mess you can see nothing, like mail that u have a red ball that says that u have an email... second what about send / received files???? i tried to send me one picture from another account .. but nothimg..
One way to get round the iPhone's background app problem is to use a service like HulloMail. Basically you forward your Skype's voicemail to the service and you get a text message notification from them http://hullomail.com/htm-extra/hullomail4skype.html
iPhone is using the lowest quality camera for its phone.
And on top of that it only has ONE, facing away from the display.
iPhone needs a hardware upgrade:
1. From 1 cam to 2 cams for video calling.
2. Upgrqade the cameras to at least 3 Mega pixels each.
And the Skype video can handle the bandwidth by using Vp7 / Vp8 video codecs on the iPhone.
(these video codecs save you 50% in bandwidth costs)
(and... the video is BETTER at the same time, AMAZING)
Time for VIDEO CALLS Mr. Apple.
If you jailbreak and install Cydia and then install:
mobilesubstrate
voipover3g
backgrounder
you get skype running on background AND on 3G and perfect quality.
You simply cannot stop people artificially by these draconian measures. The flood gates are open and more openness is unavoidable. Good-Bye high per minute charges.
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