Saturday, May 17, 2008

iskoot: skype for mobile phones

I received an email from a good friend, telling me to check out iskoot. It is a 3rd party application that allows you to access skype on your mobile.

It allows for texting, calling etc all through Skype. You are able to see if your contacts are online (check out the view below). If you call a Skype user, it is free. If you call a landline or mobile number, it charges your Skype Credit. Obviously, if you have a monthly plan, than the fees will be covered. I have recently switched to the Unlimited World Plan. It allowed me save over a $110/mo. on my office phone. I actually cancelled my office landline. I can use call forwarding, voice mail when on the road.



I just recently tested this out for a week in Europe. Works great. The only requirement is to have a data plan. It's not clear whether or not my mobile carrier will charge an additional SMS fee? So I only used it sparingly.

But, if I do not incur any additional fees, this will change the way I can communicate when traveling abroad. Currently text messages can cost up to $0.50/text. So if this works out, I will be able to save a fortune staying in contact with members of our team.

So, where's the catch? Not exactly sure?! I suspect there are more hidden costs than advertised. We'll see at the end of the month. Also, where does iskoot make their $$$? I recently read an interview with their CEO, who implied that there will be a small monthly fee once a network of users has been established.

Skype recently announced a Skype for Mobile package. I tried downloading it, but failed every time. Currently it is in BETA, so I will let you know how things progress. Even if there is a fee, Skype has certainly changed the way that I stay connected. The best thing is that it is at a fraction of the cost of the traditional methods.

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