Skype on iPhone
This has been mentioned in many forums, but as of yet does not have a forum of its own. I believe it deserves one.
Skype is an important step in telecommunications, and as an internet device, the iPhone is perfect for this sort of application. In fact, I would be more inclined to buy an iPhone sans cell phone but with skype support. Wireless networks are everywhere nowadays; a tiny bit of creativity could make skype a killer app on the iPhone.
Think about it; I'd be willing to bet that most everyone has wireless internet access just about everywhere they go nowadays. I myself have internet access in more places than I currently have cell phone reception, believe it or not. Besides, a product like this could potentially be industry-changing; with more and more places considering city-wide wireless and WiMax technology, I believe that cell phone use may soon be phased out in favor of internet telephony. Skype is $29 a year; a cell phone bill with a data plan, which is far slower than wireless internet, is even more than that PER MONTH!
Cell phones are nice, but wireless internet is cheaper and rapidly expanding. I wouldn't be suprised if wifi could cover entire countries before 2050 (conservatively). The cell phone is a dinosaur from the pre-internet age; things have changed, and internet technology has surpassed cell phone technology IMHO.
Skype is an important step in telecommunications, and as an internet device, the iPhone is perfect for this sort of application. In fact, I would be more inclined to buy an iPhone sans cell phone but with skype support. Wireless networks are everywhere nowadays; a tiny bit of creativity could make skype a killer app on the iPhone.
Think about it; I'd be willing to bet that most everyone has wireless internet access just about everywhere they go nowadays. I myself have internet access in more places than I currently have cell phone reception, believe it or not. Besides, a product like this could potentially be industry-changing; with more and more places considering city-wide wireless and WiMax technology, I believe that cell phone use may soon be phased out in favor of internet telephony. Skype is $29 a year; a cell phone bill with a data plan, which is far slower than wireless internet, is even more than that PER MONTH!
Cell phones are nice, but wireless internet is cheaper and rapidly expanding. I wouldn't be suprised if wifi could cover entire countries before 2050 (conservatively). The cell phone is a dinosaur from the pre-internet age; things have changed, and internet technology has surpassed cell phone technology IMHO.
Comments
Skype is an important step in telecommunications, and as an internet device, the iPhone is perfect for this sort of application
Yea?!?! Not when you're an enormous corporation that provides the cell phone services of today - corporations who profits dearly from the status-quo and in turn pay off politicians (err make 'campaign donations' wink wink nudge nudge) to ensure that the status-quo continues.
The way things work today (in the US) is the cell phone SERVICE PROVIDER makes DEMANDS/DICTATES of the cell phone MANUFACTURERS - if a given manufacturer doesn't play ball their phone will not be marketed thru their retail outlets nor will it be given any type of subsidy that would make make the phone attractive to the consumer.
Also, any phone manufacturer that goes 'over the line' (like providing VOIP in a cell phone) would in no uncertain terms be essentially black-balled from the US market - sure they'd still be able to do business in the US but without the support of ANY of the major carriers.
Nobody is willing to take such a risk (it would seem) since not a single combo/voip cell-phone exists (to the best of my knowledge). Maybe I'm giving too much 'credit' to the cellular carriers I don't think so...
Dave
Well said, Dave. I do, however, think that this is a revolutionary time for technology. Big changes are coming, and I think Skype might be a part of those changes. Cell phone providers are going to need to evolve along with the industry, and that's the way the cookie crumbles.
Oh I agree but just like every other technology enhancement they will fight it tooth-n-nail kicking and screaming till the bitter end and then act shocked as their business model crumbles before their very eyes. Not unlike what happened to the 'local phone market' from a few years back... They were getting fat as hell overcharging for .... well for everything they could...
- Caller ID: $14.99 per month
- Call Waiting: $9.99 per month
- *69 Service: .39 cents per use (they must have pulled that fee straight outta their ass)
- Local calls: freee (limited area)
- Regional Calls: various fees all of which were HIGHER than the 'normal' long distance fees of the day
- Fee this
- Fee that
- Fee the other
- I even remember the phone rental fees (yea I'm old) ma-bell charged.
Oh how about this... oldie but goodie...
- Touch-Tone Service Fee: $2.95 per month (or whatever) you actually paid more if you purchased a touch tone phone instead of a rotary!
...Imagine that, at one time not too long ago it actually cost most people more to call 'in state' then it did to call clear across the country. Then VOIP rolled in and cleaned their clocks to the point where having a VOIP line is the almost the norm. Something similar will happen to cell phone providers... It's not a matter of if it will happen... it's just a matter of when.
802.xx Wireless (like broadband) has to reach a certain level of 'critical mass' and once it does... lookout... the people will win and the cellular providers will have to move on to something else as their markets shrink.
Dave
Let's sell everyone short and leach as much out of our monopolised client base as possible.
That's it, ***now*** you're getting it!!
Dave
Nobody is willing to take such a risk (it would seem) since not a single combo/voip cell-phone exists (to the best of my knowledge). Maybe I'm giving too much 'credit' to the cellular carriers I don't think so...
Actually Nokia E61 is having built in voip, of course it's probably not offered in states, but you can buy it from europe if you want.
Actually Nokia E61 is having built in voip, of course it's probably not offered in states, but you can buy it from europe if you want.
Hmm... do you have to buy the cell service though? Like could you just buy the phone and use it as a wireless skype phone with web browsing and all of that shite?
Does anything know if a skype Web 2.0 app could be made?
Hmm... do you have to buy the cell service though? Like could you just buy the phone and use it as a wireless skype phone with web browsing and all of that shite?
Does anything know if a skype Web 2.0 app could be made?
No, just put your normal sim card in. At least that's how it works in civilized cellular networks. And what's with the skype thing, Skype may be most popular now, but it's not open standard. People want to jump straigh from one money hungry company to another. SIP is open and proven standard, and is used in most company voip systems. Google talk was promising SIP features to come, hopefully people will start migrating towards it.
No, just put your normal sim card in. At least that's how it works in civilized cellular networks. And what's with the skype thing, Skype may be most popular now, but it's not open standard. People want to jump straigh from one money hungry company to another. SIP is open and proven standard, and is used in most company voip systems. Google talk was promising SIP features to come, hopefully people will start migrating towards it.
Yep I agree... I wasn't really thinking so much about 'Skype' myself I was mainly thinking about VOIP/SIP...
Dave
Yep I agree... I wasn't really thinking so much about 'Skype' myself I was mainly thinking about VOIP/SIP...
Dave
Ditto