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Skype-Ready Phones From Motorola

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the more-than-one-way-to-talk dept.

Hack Jandy writes "Seamlessly integrating VoIP and GSM might not be a fantasy after all, as Motorola announced their decision to build cell phones and handsets that have Skype Internet Telephony integrated into the devices. Obviously, one could use Skype for outgoing calls near wi-fi hotspots (essentially free) but default on GSM for outgoing calls in areas that lack coverage."

15 of 217 comments (clear)

  1. Wi-Fi is mostly free now... by Jonboy+X · · Score: 4, Insightful

    But for how much longer will local restaurants let people suck up all the bandwidth that is supposed to be serving all of the customers?

    For that matter, how much bandwidth does a Skype VoIP call actually use?

    --

    "In a 32-bit world, you're a 2-bit user. You've got your own newsgroup, alt.total.loser." -Weird Al
  2. Non-free hotspots? by arc.light · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I don't suppose the phone can be configured to automatically login to a fee-based hotspot service like T-Mobile? Bringing up a browser on the phone and keying in the username and password each time would be a pain.

  3. Re:skype eh? by smartsaga · · Score: 2, Insightful

    If motorola is making a phone that works with both maybe it will work with both, both ways.

    Why bother with making something that nobody will support. This means that it is closer than we think.

    Youre VoIP are belong to us... get it?

    Have a good one

    --
    ===== "Every head is a different world so don't invade mine you FREAK!" smartSAGA said
  4. Who pays for it all? by rsilvergun · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Just something I've been wondering. Who pays for all this Wizbang Voip networking? Voip is all well and good until enough people use it (or if it's all on interconnected public wi-fi), but what about the backbones, or the Satelites used for international calls? Once it's easy and cheap to do Voip, who's gonna sustain the network?

    --
    Hi! I make Firefox Plug-ins. Check 'em out @ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/youtube-mp3-podcaster/
  5. Please do not use Skype! by hairyface · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Dear Consumer, Skype have based their products on a proprietary protocol. They hope to corner the market, and if they succeed in that aim, their services will not remain free. If you care about the future of VOIP, go with any other solution (even if it's currently less slick, technically), using the open SIP protocol. The choices you make as a consumer (even of so-called "free" products) determine our future.

    1. Re:Please do not use Skype! by FireballX301 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      By that same argument, since Google uses proprietary code and is hoping to corner the market, we should all stop using Google.

    2. Re:Please do not use Skype! by lovebyte · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Skype have based their products on a proprietary protocol. They hope to corner the market, and if they succeed in that aim, their services will not remain free.
      You're probably right. But name an alternative that my non-techie friends can install and works in MSWindows, Mac and Linux.
      When such a beast will exist, I'll be more than happy to switch.

      --

      I'll do it for cheesy poofs.

    3. Re:Please do not use Skype! by Raphael · · Score: 3, Insightful
      SIP is a crappy protocol that any person with an ounce of concern for security would look very long and hard at before using.

      You are of course aware of the recommendation to use SIP over IPSec or TLS, right? So what are your security concerns, exactly?

      In fact, I believe that the implementation of SIP in the mobile world (using the 3GPP standard IMS) makes it mandatory to use IPSec or TLS with SIP. SIP may not be perfect, but I think that the current best practices for its deployment are taking care of most of the issues.

      I welcome Skype's technology. Hopefully it will drive innovation for standards based protocols.

      I doubt that it will. They are using proprietary protocols and they made it clear that they do not intend to standardize. Not only that, but they also designed the Skype clients in such a way that they must check for updates and always run the latest version before being able to communicate with others. So they could change the protocols as soon as someone manages to reverse-engineer them.

      Skype's technology is nice and works well. But if you value standards, open source and compatibility between multiple applications, then you should look at Skype with a more critical eye. You do not have to - it's your choice in the end.

      --
      -Raphaël
    4. Re:Please do not use Skype! by Gadzinka · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Unfortunatelly, Skype is the only VoIP product that "just works" in today's Internet with all the NATs and firewalls.

      SIP is as crappy and NAT unfriendly as you can get with separate signalling and payload channels. Think sending information about voice payload endpoint to the party from behind the NAT device you don't control. You can get around some of those problems going through proxies etc, but such proxy would became major chokepoint, since lots of clients would communicate through it instead of talking directly to each other. IAX would be much better choice here.

      You see, I install and maintain commercial VoIP (SIP, IAX) solutions for a living, but when it comes to advising other people on how to talk via Internet with their technologically challenged relatives, I always tell them to use Skype. It "just works", no matter how fucked up their net connection is.

      Now, one could devise a similar P2P system, based on some open protocol like IAX (with the way SIP works it would be rather impossible), that would immitate inner workings of Skype. If it materialises, let me know.

      They hope to corner the market, and if they succeed in that aim, their services will not remain free.

      They already have a legitimate, sustainable income source. The moment they started charging for "basic" services, bundling spyware etc, people would stop using it. I know I would.

      Robert

      --
      Bastard Operator From 193.219.28.162
  6. Why would they bother with !skype by awehttam · · Score: 4, Insightful
    Why on earth would Motorola or any of the other telecomms equipment manufacturers support standardized VoIP protocols. It's not like they're in the business to help us communicate better for the sake of helping us communicate better.

    Skype, sure. It's a truly alternative internet-based voice medium that doesn't directly compete with incumbment provider/pstn networks. No +1 NPA NNX NNNN dialing or anything Aunt Tilly would be used to.

    I just don't see why they would shoot themselves in the foot by supporting SIP, IAX or MGCP.

  7. Who pays for my web browsing? by Chuck+Chunder · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Ultimately I do. At the end of the day VOIP is just data like any other.

    I don't know much about international telecoms but presumably any pipes and satellites that currently switch telephone calls internationally could be repurposed to carry 'generic' data (if they don't already). Presumably VOIP is more efficient in bandwidth terms than traditional telecoms as the encoding will minimise the amount of data sent and therefore it should be less expensive.

    --
    Boffoonery - downloadable Comedy Benefit for Bletchley Park
  8. Re:Great for college! by luvirini · · Score: 2, Insightful

    A proper VOIP/Cellular mixture phone would help really many people and companies to reduce communication costs. Though I doubt these first generation phones will be really "it", though a step in right direction.

  9. Essentially Free???? by yennieb · · Score: 2, Insightful

    How exactly is nearly 3 cents a minute to call a real phone "essentially free"? I've got calling cards that are no worse. For my $50/month cellular phone I don't need WiFi access to call and I use 2-3 thousand minutes a month, which would cost MORE at 2.6 cents a minute.

    Don't get me wrong, I'd like to see this mature, but big whoop at this point!

    - Brian

  10. Network effects by DavidNWelton · · Score: 2, Insightful

    VOIP is by definition an area where network effects are going to play a prominent role, and the uptake of Skype means that it just gets stronger. Skype is something my parents could probably use without problems, whereas I'm dubious about some of the "fancier" systems. All I want is to be able to make a call, and if my parents are around, they answer, and we don't pay the phone company more than they already rip us off for DSL.

    I'm particularly interested in something open source, though, because Skype doesn't run on my ppc-linux system.

    --
    http://www.welton.it/davidw/
  11. Transitions... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    The big problem here is that you can't hand off an in-progress call easily (or at all) between VoIP and GSM. So, a call that starts VoIP has to stay VoIP. So, if you start a call on a VoIP network (say at a wireless hotspot), you can't wander outside without dropping your call.

    Also, a lot of WiFi hotspots charge for access (e.g. Starbucks). Obviously those are out, limiting usefulness.

    Also, forgive my ignorance on Skype or other VoIP protocols, but how do they handle the occasional dropped packet or connection interruption? Having used WiFi in a Panera bread (where it's free) on several occasions, it seems that there's a lot of load on a pretty limited amount of bandwidth, meaning occasional connection hangs while I'm msurfing the web. NOT what you want during a phone call...

    And, yes, I realize "Free WiMax everywhere!" could help with these issues, but I'm skeptical of that happening anytime in the near future (read: before this phone becomes an obsolete model).