iSkoot for Skype got a sweet little nod from Mashable a few weeks back, earning rank as one of the top “15 Free Tools to Turn Your BlackBerry into a Communications Powerhouse.”
That’s right. Powerhouse. Nice!
Mashable’s Sean Aune points out that BlackBerry isn’t just the province of hardcore enterprise users anymore. It’s more accessible than ever, and with new users gravitating towards the handiest PDA around for pure and simple personal use, the biggest trend on the device, Sean explains, has been “easing communication.”
So what other communication tools does Sean list along iSkoot signature mobile Skype solution for BlackBerry? AIM, GoogleTalk, Facebook, Flickr, and Twitterberry to name a few.
For the complete list, check out Sean’s post here.
Last month TechRadar did a side-by-side comparison of The Big 4 in mobile app stores: iPhone, Nokia, BlackBerry and Android. It was a pretty comprehensive size-up.
Zooming past Nokia and BlackBerry, iPhone and Android came out as the front runners in what TechRadar’s Miriam Brent calls “a two-horse race.”
Earning points for the iPhone: an intuitive interface that’s “unmistakeably Apple” and a browsing experience described as “a joy.”
Earning points for Android: Downloading is simple; navigation, a breeze. And as Miriam spotted:
“Currently all apps in the Android Market are freebies…That doesn’t mean there’s any lack of quality, though, with plenty of genuinely handy apps available like iSkoot for Skype access, MySpace Mobile and the ShopSavvy barcode scanner price comparison app.”
Nice! It’s good to be a selling point - especially where Android’s concerned. Miriam concluded what we suspected long ago: “the Android Market is certainly one to get excited about for the future.”
Seeing is believing. The folks at AndroidApps.com have posted a quickie video demo of iSkoot for Skype running on the new Android-powered T-Mobile G1. Feast your eyes, iSkoot Fans:
For those of you who might have missed the buzz, the first and long-awaited Android-powered mobile phone, the T-Mobile G1, finally hit stores today. And one of just a handful of cool apps made available right out of the box in Android’s Market (the only mobile VoIP app the Market currently offers) is none other than everyone’s favorite mobile Skype solution, iSkoot for Skype. Of course, it’s always been a big priority for us here at iSkoot to get iSkoot for Skype working across a wide variety of mobile devices; and designing our solution for one of the slickest new platforms around just makes our job that much sweeter.
We’re also fairly giddy to report that people are already liking what they see! The folks at Techcrunch –concluding after a week of testing the G1 that for them “it’s all about the apps”–gave kudos to iSkoot as one of their Top 10 Android Launch Apps this morning. As early as last week, before the T1 had even hit the shelves, early reviewers at jkOnTheRun and Switched were sizing up the new device, running test calls via iSkoot for Skype, and declaring that “it’s the third party applications that will truly set the device apart.” ZDNet also highlighted iSkoot as one of the Market’s cool new apps to try.
Guess there’s only one thing left to do…go grab yourself a G1! In the meantime, we’ll keep you posted as the buzz continues to unfold.
Another point scored for iSkoot’s “VoIP via voice” approach to mobile Skype this past weekend! Jim Courtney over at Skype Journal was tinkering with a data channel-based mobile VoIP app for the iPhone on Friday, and in a virtual side-by-side comparison with iSkoot, the result was, well…read for yourself!
“The benchmark in call quality would be my experiences earlier this week where twice, when my home office cable was disconnected due to “cable plant” improvements in my neighborhood, I used iSkoot on the Blackberry Bold to call into SquawkBox via the CalliFlower voice conferencing service over the Rogers 3G network.
Let’s just say in the iSkoot calls, the technology was transparent to the discussion and I could lay the phone on my desk while still actively participating.”
As it should be! In this day and age - mobile Skype shouldn’t be about what you can do, but what you can do well. Thanks–as always–for the positive plug, Jim!
While the phenomenon that is “Voice over IP” has been around for ages, it’s really only found a happy home in the non-technophile vernacular in the past 5 or 6 years. Our friends over at Skype put VoIP center stage with the launch of their PC-calling software back in ‘03 - a service so fabulously handy and easy to use that (as of this summer) more than 309 million registered users have gotten on the Skype train worldwide. Michelle Robart, an editor at TMCnet, suspects that even still, the large majority of VoIP usage happens in the hands of businesses and fresh-faced, early adopter types. Indicating as much in her recent piece, “VoIP for Baby Boomers and Generation Y,” Robart endeavors to rally the broadband-compatible 55+ demographic to join in on the fun by offering some essential knowledge around the options for and advantages of a VoIP-ified lifestyle.
And oh, how far the VoIP conversation has come. Where 5 years ago the average reader was liable to identify the word “skype” as a typo, these days the first order of business seems to be “So how do I get this PC-calling goodness on my cell phone?” Michelle Robart is all over that one:
“Use your cell phone to make Skype calls with iSkoot. You can still take advantage of the free or discounted calls with Skype, but you don’t need to be sitting at your computer to make them.”
Truer words… Because let’s face it: You don’t need to be sitting in front of your computer. We’re coming in fast and hard on the days of Web 3.0’s “ubiquitous connectivity” and putting the communication revolution where it really belongs - on mobile.
After being selected as “Nokia’s S60 Application of the Week” two weeks ago, iSkoot for Skype earned kudos last week from John Halamka–Chief Information Officer at Harvard Medical School and the CareGroup Health System (to name a few)–as his “Cool Technology of the Week.”
With iSkoot enabled on his BlackBerry 8320, John has cleverly unlocked the secret of using local SIM cards to enjoy iSkoot for Skype when he travels internationally. His assessment: “iSkoot and local Sim Cards - a Cool Technology solution for the international traveler.”
iSkoot offers network service in over 40 countries around the world. To use iSkoot when you’re on the road abroad, just pick up a local pay-as-you-go SIM, enter the local phone number into the iSkoot application, and you’re in business. Another handy way to bring Skype with you, wherever you go.
And a big thanks to John for naming iSkoot as his choice of “Cool Technology” last week!
Ah, hardware. You can’t live without it, but nonetheless it seems to have a funny way of deciding all on its own when (and how) it’s going to suicide mission on you.
Eerily, Friday the 13th left more than one case of “learned that one the hard way” in its wake. This iSkoot blogger recently witnessed the watery demise of her BlackBerry Curve in the Barton Springs of Austin, Texas. Last week, Dameon Welch-Abemathy (a.k.a. PhoneBoy) reported the untimely end (in spite of his best attempts at resuscitation) of his MacBook at the Ottowa airport. Jarring as these hardware casualties may be, they do have an interesting way of bringing into sharp relief those Web 2.0 features that are truly indispensable. Case in point: our favorite VoIP service, Skype.
Dameon warns those folks with a serious dependency on PC-based Skype to ready a contingency in case your computer suddenly bites the big one. A handy alternative? iSkoot for Skype of course! Dameon points out that iSkoot for Skype was prepped and ready on his Nokia handsets to save the day when his Macbook met its bitter end. Nice! And an interesting reminder that iSkoot for Skype doesn’t just free you from your PC, it can actually come to the rescue when your PC leaves you in the lurch.
And for those of us who watched an iSkoot-enabled BlackBerry take a fatal dip in Barton Springs? Lucky I work at iSkoot, I was able to sneak a 3 Skypephone out of the office to use for a couple of days. Jealous?
Robert Poe over at VoIP News did a stellar “how to” piece on our iSkoot for Skype software recently. With a step-by-step explanation of how to get going with iSkoot, Robert’s “How to Use iSkoot’s Mobile Skype Service” takes the reader by the hand through the basic iSkoot for Skype experience.
Another step forward for Operation: iSkoot Education.
Underscoring the Skype community’s eagerness to get mobile with their favorite Internet voice community, Robert explains, “Until recently…mobile users hoping to use the [Skype] service were mostly out of luck. iSkoot Inc. was among the few to recognize such users’ pain, having introduced in 2006 the beta version of a service that allows consumers to make Skype Internet calls from their mobile handsets. The client software earned Skype certification in January 2007.”
Robert’s write-up goes on to detail the 3 easy steps for “Getting Started” with iSkoot:
1) Register on our website
2) Choose to either get iSkoot delivered to your phone OR to download to your PC first
3) Install iSkoot on your phone
As he explains, “Once you’ve loaded the software, iSkoot for Skype will be one of your handset’s applications. Launching it will take you to a sign-in screen requiring your Skype name and password. You can also opt to log in to Skype automatically every time you launch iSkoot.”
Robert then dives into the good stuff - making and receiving calls with Skype. Step one: program iSkoot with your complete mobile phone number, so iSkoot can route your incoming and outgoing Skype calls to the right place.
“First, enter your mobile number in standard international format, including country code. Then scroll down to the field that says “Receive Skype calls to mobile” and click “Yes.” This setting is important because of how the calls arrive.”
Once you’ve set this up, you can easily call and receive calls from anyone on your contact list.
Robert reminds that “[a]ll iSkoot Skype calls, including SkypeOut and incoming and outgoing Skype-to-Skype calls, travel between your handset and a Skype Internet gateway via your cellular voice network.”
For those of you who haven’t tried our software yet, this set-up lets us offer you the highest quality sound for those Skype calls. Just ask our users!
The folks at AndroidApps.com have posted a quickie video demo of iSkoot for Skype running on the new Android-powered T-Mobile 
