Skype goes mobiles from desktop computers
14:11, 31 March 2009
BEIJING. March. 31. KAZINFORM Internet calling service, Skype, will release its new version for iPhone users Tuesday in Las Vegas to expand beyond desktop computers, according to media reports Monday.
For years, Skype, the Internet telephone unit of eBay Inc, has been trying to land its popular software on mobile phones to appeal new and existing customers. After repeated experiments, a Skype for Apple's (AAPL) iPhone and iPod touch will be launched on March 31.
One of Skype's unusual iPhone features is it allows subscribers to use the phone numbers in their existing iPhone address book so they do not need duplicate lists.
?@Skype's iPhone application will be free to download and will allow free calls between Skype users. However, fees will be charged for calls to traditional phones.
In May, it will launch Skype for Research In Motion's BlackBerry devices, which popularized mobile email. It has already announced Skype for Nokia phones and for phones based on Android, Google Inc's mobile system, and Windows Mobile, from Microsoft Corp.
Skype Chief Operating Officer Scott Durchslag said he has high hopes for the application's success on Apple Inc's popular iPhone .
"The No. 1 request we get from customers is to make Skype available on iPhone. There's a pent-up demand," Durchslag said in an interview before the CTIA annual mobile showcase in Las Vegas, Kazinform cites Xinhua.