I got one of the 3 mobile/Skypephones, the one that retail at €99 and allow you to call anyone who uses Skype and vice-versa. If you want to help me test it, add me to Skype, I’m damienmulleymobile and let’s see if this aul thing will work. Please don’t call til after 2 today though 🙂
Update: I just got two more of them in the post but these don’t come with sims so have to buy some.
Update2: Only in the past few minutes (It is now 1647) have your requests to add me to your contact details come through. 11 of you so far. 🙂 Bit of a bloody lag there. Rax, I think I accidently declined you!
And you will of course blog about the results. I’ve been thinking of picking one too
Haven’t the net access to try but be sure and let us know how you get on with it as i was looking into picking up one after christmas…
Hi Damien,
Can you use SkypeOut to avoid outbound call charges totally?
Do they bill for the data transfer?
Gary
They have a “fair usage” policy for the amount of calls you make. Currently they won’t charge for data.
[…] Damien Mulley is currently testing the 3 Skypephone. Tags: 3 ireland, 3 network, three network, technology, rant, samsung f700, 3 […]
“Currently” isn’t very encouraging when you’re signing up to a 12 month contract.
You’re telling me. I bought my brother a 3 phone on the basis that their football highlight video downloads were “currently” free. Now they’re 50c for every single clip.
It smells like some kind of pilot programme where they’ll monitor the amount of usage with the initial uptake… then adjust the data charges accordingly when ‘Currently’ is no longer current
At least with Vodafone I know how much I’m being ripped off by. My billing plan has specific data quantities, text messages and call time defined. There’s none of this “fair use” or “currently” rubbish that allow the operator shaft you once you’ve signed.
Is that post or pre pay?
They’re pre-pay phones. I saw in the initial launch blurb that there’s a requirement to feed €20 in each month to use Skype. It’s not mentioned on their website though. When you click on the “Terms and Conditions” link, (that you must agree to before you can check out) where I’d expect this to be noted you get a 404 (missing page) error!
So the phone itself is just €99?
[…] Damien Mulley » Blog Archive » Testing out the 3 SkypePhone […]
They’ve got a few phone models, but the basic 3 branded skypephone is €99. It is cheap, but it’s an expensive paperweight if they start charging so much for the data that it’s uneconomical.
Beside the SkypeOut charge is there any other charge?
Damien, they sent you phones without sim cards??? You can’t buy 3 simcards separately. Now that’s a oopsie on their part.
Jaysus, what a lot of comments.
The two sent today came from a UK crowd, not officially through 3. Whoops, just checked and they have already put sims in them. Nice one.
There’s lots of comments because most of us were waiting for someone else to buy one first. You’re the guinea pig 😉
just been guinea pigging it with Damien. Quality is good between the phone and my imac. No real delay this time but like Skype can be, might be poorer quality next time.
As I was saying to 73man, I’m going to give a phone to me Mum and my aunt. Let them test it out and gossip it to death and they can review it then.
ah the life of a tribune journo 😉
Hi Damien.
Can you IM on the skype phone or is it just restricted to calls? If you can IM could you tell me what version of the skype mobile app you have?
Cheers!
Alright Gareth, it seems to be version 1.0, it’s 851kb in size and is made by iSkoot Inc
It seems that 3’s Skype client is actually a bit of a cheat though. Here (http://www.e-series.org/archives/242) it says that the software actually makes a standard local voice call, and it’s only at a central hub that the call gets routed over the Internet/Skype network. It makes sense, seeing as the Skype clone (IM+) that actually does a full Skype implementation has fairly major lag, due to the weedy CPUs in most smartphones.
I got the sony ericson version. That’s the skype phone they offer for 149 euro. Nice phone. Took a day or two to get comfortable with the differences from my old nokia brick. Skype calls are good however i was very disappointed to find that skype text chat did not work on it. As skype text is a central communication tool in work it was one of the main reasons for buying it. Seemingly it works on some handsets and is due on the sony soon.
Walkabout with 3 Skype…
I HAVE A SKYPE phone from Ireland’s 3 Network in my pocket and appreciate its single-button Skype access. However, that feature alone would not be enough to cause me to change my current usage of mobile phones. I have grown accustomed to the Nokia and…
I’m a 3 bill pay customer they want me to pay an extra 14.99 a month for a X-series silver package so I can use Skype. Its a complete rip off IMHO.
More details can be found here http://www.irishsilicon.com/archives/2007/12/the_skype_3_bill_pay_rip_off.html
I just got a Nokia 6120 Classic on 3, and I’m happy with it apart from the fact that there seems to be no way make make SkypeOut (calls to non-Skype numbers, charges at a low rate) calls, which is annoying, and I’ve just read that Skype online numbers (formerly SkypeIn) don’t work with Skype on 3 either.
It’s a bit sneaky not allowing SkypeOut but they’d make no money at all if they did. The lack of SkypeIn support is a bit of a pain though. It’s a genuinely useful feature that doesn’t deprive 3 of any revenue.
“The lack of SkypeIn support is a bit of a pain though. It’s a genuinely useful feature that doesn’t deprive 3 of any revenue.”
It would deprive them of call termination charges that all European networks charge other networks.
Wondering if I can install Fring on my 6120.
Hey Damien, I know this topic is not up to date anymore.
I live in Germany and my parents live in Ireland. I’ m thinking about getting them a Skypephone. But only if the Skype voice quality is ok and the connection doesn’t cut off regularly.
I’ ve had some bad experience with mobile phones and mobile internet in Ireland so I wanted to ask you opinion on how the Skypephone performs after trying it out for over a year now.