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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."

7 of 217 comments (clear)

  1. Great for college! by toetagger1 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    We got wifi here in most places. Be it academic, residential housing, or in appartments. Even most employers have wireless infrastructure now. Could this be a major threat to the current telecommunication infrastructure and the breaktrhough for Skype and VoIP?

    --
    who | grep -i blond | date cd ~; unzip; touch; strip; finger; mount; gasp; yes; uptime; umount; sleep
  2. does it......... by SETY · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Does it:
    A) Hand off from Skype to GSM network when you go out of WiFi range?

    B) Spoof call waiting when you are on Skype?

    If it doesn't do these things it is fairly irrelevant for business.

  3. Re:Wi-Fi is mostly free now... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I'm talking on skype right now and DU Meter says it's using 3.9 kBytes/s up and down.

  4. [OT] is there any opensource equivalent of Skype? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Skype is doing really well in term of technology. Do they have competitors with as good tech? How about open source?

  5. Call ANYWHERE without GSM by mboverload · · Score: 3, Interesting
    Do not forget the bounty of unsecured networks around the nation. Drive up to someone's house and you get a free call.

    If they don't care enough to lock down their connection, then it is free for the taking.

  6. It's almost there. by smartsaga · · Score: 3, Interesting

    If Motorola is making it then it might just happen.

    Most of you out there are thinking that it will require a WiFi hot spot, maybe it does. Now, what about the possibility of the internet becoming a public service like the street cleaning or garbage collection, just saying, that it will become a part of our every day lives, it will be available everywhere. If it becomes available everywhere, then most mobile phone service providers will include internet service free of charge or low cost. Paying a low monthly fee and being able to make long distance calls under that same fee sounds good to me.

    Now, can somebody make a Point to Point tunnel with SSH for phones so that uncle sam can't packet sniff your conversation about whether you are going to wear a tin foil hat or not in your birth-day with a giant penguin coming out of the cake?

    Have a good one.

    --
    ===== "Every head is a different world so don't invade mine you FREAK!" smartSAGA said
  7. Re:Article Text by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Good luck getting major carriers to pick these phones up.
    This creates direct competition with regular cell service.
    With an unsubsidized price, I don't think most people will find this option very attractive.

    Of course, this could also prove to be a tool for the Wireless carriers to help potential customers drop their landlines. If your house has wifi then you don't need to worry about cell minutes.

    I wonder how this will end up and how much they will cost.