3 and Skype lanch the new Skypephone

[3GScottishUser]

I have been showing off the Amoi handset and explaining the pre-pay proposition to younger folks where I work.

Most are genuinely impressed with the size of the handset and like te feel of it. Asked to name a price, most put it in the £100 range. The missing 'brand' seems to be an issue with many youngsters who are very fashion concious and now are used to very smart slim Samsungs and SonyEricssons and many seem prepared to pay a premium to get branded quality even on PAYG.

The PAYG Flat 12 proposition interests many I have spoken to especially when you add the 'stretch' option with the additional minutes/texts and 300 3 to 3 minutes.

Skype seems to be an unknown quantity to the youger crowd I have shown the handset to. They know all about MSN and Yahoo Messenger services but probably because most young folks don't pay home phone bills they are not familiar with the benefits of Skype. This could be a big problem for 3 who along with Skype will have to educate younger customers about the benefits of setting up a Skype account and getting friends to do likewise. Another issue seems to be the 300 inclusive 3 to 3 minutes when you stretch as this many have said does away with the need to bother with Skype as if friends are on the same network they can simply call them using those free minutes.

3 appear to have made great efforts with their portal and both myself and others have been impressed with the amount of free video and other material on offer an a PAYG handset.

After my 1st full day with the Skype handset I am optimistic although I note that it is stuggling to make it to the end of the day on a full charge. My battery meter is at rock bottom although I have made no calls and only used it today to view a few minutes of content and update my contacts.

Still no word from 3mobilebuzz re a replacement for the handset that lasted 15 minutes but that will hopefully be rectified by the weekend even if i have to arrange to visit a 3Store for a swap.

[Ben]

Battery: Mine ran out tonight. It did quite well really, I've tried browsing, two Skype calls totalling about 45 minutes and maybe half a dozen Skype chats since the charge on Monday. The second handset has only been on standby and has full charge without Skype connected so perhaps the Skyping is quite heavy on the battery. Still, on my 6680 I found it hard to keep Agile running for more than a few hours so I'd say the performance is acceptable.

I'm not too impressed with the Skype call quality to be honest. After a day of calling on the pair of N95's I know I wouldn't be tempted by the freeness. However, the quality is good enough, and I think it would be acceptable to the majority.

Are everyones handsets dropping down to 2G and continuing to function for Skype and calls?

[Hands0n]

Are everyones handsets dropping down to 2G and continuing to function for Skype and calls?

No - mine are not dropping out of 3G, ever! I might have to drive about a bit over the weekend to a few of my known blackspots.

Skype voice quality is never going to be on a par with regular telephony. But in my experience of Skype and VoIP in general I have to say that the 3 Skypephone does a pretty good rendition of the technology.

Saturday I expect to be trying the 3 Skypephone on a genuine call to a mate of mine in Hong Kong. If it is as good as the call I held on my Macbook Pro [using Skype] then I'll be happy.

What the 3 Skypephone gives, above all else, is a freedom of movement for Skype users that they have never enjoyed before. I do think, however, that 3 and Skype have a bit of a job on their hands marketing this to the general public. As 3GSU has found out, this is not exclusively the technology for kids. In fact, it is more likely to be those people who have friends and family scattered across the globe.

I really am waiting in eager anticipation to see how this is received by the buying public.

Battery life on the 3 Skypephone continues to be very good for a 3G handset. At the end of today I have got 75% showing on the indicator. The handset has been used for a few regular calls, some Skype Text and quite a bit of browsing and playing of video content from 3's portal.

[gorilla]

No - mine are not dropping out of 3G, ever! .

That's because you're now on a proper network. I've been really surprised at some of the obscure places I get 3g over here. I'll be in the arse hole of no where (anywhere outside Belfast!) and I'll have a decent 3g signal. The only place I don't get it consistently is at my desk at work. I'm in the basement you see and it's constantly switching.

I have one of those Belkin skype phones. I bought it on a whim and barely use it. I can however use skype in/out (shake it all about) and it works pretty well. I like the idea of skype, but I don't know enough people who use it and when you compare skype out rates to other voip providers and your own bundled minutes it's not very competitive.

These phones are sounding promising though, and am I right in thinking that you all are enjoying this experience? You're all a bunch of 3 wannabees

[Ben]

Just to clarify, I want the handsets to drop down to 2G so I can use them when I'm out and about. Three's own coverage here is not good.

[Hands0n]

That's because you're now on a proper network.

Cheeky sod My T-Mobile and Vodaone don't drop out either - I'm just in a very well served area, except for O2 which is pathetic throughout.

These phones are sounding promising though, and am I right in thinking that you all are enjoying this experience?

Yes, definitely enjoying the experience although as a PAYG handset these are extraordinary value. I would not, however, be tempted much to get one of these on 3's 18-month contract. I think they're being a bit optimistic there. It is the sheer quality of the build that is impressive. They function very well indeed. The Skypephone part is exactly what one might expect of Skype in any scenario - a faithful reproduction on a tiny handset. The entire thing oozes quality.

I am chuckling a bit at the comments by Bloggers and other forums involved in the trial where they're bemoaning the loss of Skype if you use another SIM. They just don't seem to get it. In the 3 Skypephone the Skype function is a client/server app with the server being within 3's network. It is an innovative approach that ties the Skype user to 3's network. This is all good in my opinion, and helps up the call quality. VoIP over 3G can be variable at best, although it works fine via WLAN. In taking the approach that 3 and Skype have they have created a product that can be mass marketed to the technically illiterate. In that they have done the right thing.

[Ben]

Ok, I have new Skypephones and I'm very pleased to report they drop down to GSM now when Three's network isn't available as they should. I can actually go downstairs in my house or take them to work now!

I'll charge 'em up and start playing again.

[Hands0n]

I did rather wonder where you went

[Hands0n]

An odd thing happened this morning (well, I was watching a late night/morning movie on Sky). When I went to put my "primary" 3 Skypephone on overnight charge I noticed that the "secondary" had gone offline and was displaying "Limited Service" and no bars on the signal strength meter. I fiddled around with it - tried removing, wiping and replacing the SIM but nothing would get it to connect to the network.

I called 3's CS who were very polite and attentive - trying not to be cynical here - and they wanted to run through some set-ups with me, but fortunately their computer was down. I asked them to check that the SIM was still validated on the network which they confirmed that it was. Okay, back to me then. I bade them good morning and left the call.

Deciding to explore the possibilities in the handset a bit more, I performed a "Master Reset" which was very quick, not too sure what it does, but that made no difference. Then I checked the Network Settings, they were set to Auto. I set them to manual and then selected the 3 3G network and Hey Presto! up it came. I switched it back to Auto and it stayed locked on to the 3G signal.

How very odd. Bear in mind that this particular handset is not in use very much. I carry the "primary" handset around wtih me all of the time. It is the first failure I've had on this one.

The "primary" handset has, however, started to exhibit a rather strange habit of re-setting itself randomly. Not during phone calls, but occasionally through the day it will reset itself and come back into service.

Is it the handset or the firmware? Who knows. If any of our other triallists is getting this I would appreciate knowing.

[3GScottishUser]

Good news..... DHL are delivering my replacement secondary Skypephone on Monday. Thanks 3mobilebuzz!!

Meanwhile I have been using the primary handset and have to report that so far all calls to landlines and mobiles have been stable with no problems and good call quality.

Skype has been logging itself off every now and again fo no reason. The handset plays a tune and you have to go to the Skype log-in screen and retype your password to reconnect. Very strange!!

3 really have improved the range of free video clips and other information on their portal. So much so its hardly worth bothering with the Internet add-on if all you want to do is keep up with the news, weather etc. If you do pay the £5 you can get BBC news but none of their video or audio plays on the Skypephone so you really are better off sticking with the free stuff on Planet 3. Absolutely loads to view including free comedy, horiscopes, sports news and movie trailers. You can even watch clips from x-factor! The TV option at 49p a day is a good idea as you can catch up with stuff whilst travelling without committing to a monthly charge that you might not get value from.

Overall the handset is impressive and fits in your shirt pocket easily. I bet a few of these end up getting lost!! After almost a week i am wondering what I am missing on the N80. I think i prefer the little AMOI Skypephone as it seems to have just about everthing you could want on-board and it's a lot more convienient than much bigger Nokias or SonyEricssons which for me are packed with functions that I rarely use. Proof of the pudding is in the eating and at this point I think I will be topping up at the end of the £30 free credit period and maybe even considering dumping contracts..... it's very tempting!!

[Hands0n]

Skype has been logging itself off every now and again fo no reason. The handset plays a tune and you have to go to the Skype log-in screen and retype your password to reconnect. Very strange!!

I am getting something very similar to that - except that it logs me back into the Skype app automatically, I don't have to do anything. How odd that the this fault manifests itself differently.

Things like this would put me right off an 18-month contract with this handset for sure! Such contracts, surely, are for premier devices only.

Don't top up - call 3buzzmobile and they'll give another if we're still in trial! I suspect that the offer goes once the device is in the shops.

[matt3mobilebuzz]

Hi guys,

Matt from 3mobilebuzz here, just been reading through the thread and I saw HandsOn had asked about whether there would be an update on the chat function on the Skypephone. I asked and got this response: "Currently there are no Skype Chat upgrades available, but 3 are always looking to make improvements and improvements to Skype Chat are a high priority." So it looks like there will hopefully be one in the near future.
Can I just point to the FAQ, which is useful to check any queries but if the answer isn't there, please contact me and I'll find the answer for you.

Thanks,
Matt
matt@3mobilebuzz.com

[3GScottishUser]

I have really been impressed with the size and the functions on the 3Skypephone. It's a real winner if folks can understand the proposition.

I personally will be getting a new phone on 3 as the Skypephone has proved that the coverage seems fine and there is now so much to browse on 3 for free or at low affordable prices.

I'm a whole lot more comfortable with 3 now having had experience of the dinky little Skypephone than I was previously.

[getti]

OMFG did i just see that above!! lol. Good to know you are enjoying the service though 3GSU

[Hands0n]

Hi Matt, welcome to the forum. It was good to meet with you on the big day with 3 and Skype. I am still hacking away with my pair here and having a bit of fun with them too. 3's network is its usual self with me, excellent. I did call their CS to check out a genuine issue (one of the handsets kept dropping off net). They couldn't do anything at the time but the chap was informative courteous.

[gorilla]

Oh you're a fickle bunch aren't you?

We hate 3 blah blah and now we have one bona fide convert and another who is distancing himself from all before.

So HandsOn, are you Gordon Brown in disguise?

[Ben]

Things change, gorilla, mobile networks included.

I think it's fantastic that this new and innovative product is winning hearts and minds that Three seemed to have tried so hard to push away in the past.

Personally I'm not that impressed. My coverage still isn't good, which obviously has implications on my Skypephone experience, and I, personally, just have no use for the technology or the budget phones. Don't get me wrong, they're fantastic value for money and I'll be sure my handsets continue active use and share my experiences here, but Skype isn't where it's at for me and I think the call quality over it is very sub-par.

Talking of experiences, I've had several skype chat alerts over the last couple of days, picked up the phone and found that there's nothing there. It could be a duplicate of the same alert tone trying to indicate something else to me, but I'm not sure.

Thanks again to 3mobilebuzz and Three, if this exercise was intended to raise 3's profile and perception, particularly online, then it's paying dividends.

[gorilla]

I tend to agree about skype. A skype handset wouldn't draw me to a network.

[Hands0n]

Now look here Griller - I never said that I didn't like 3 - I clearly and always said that I have a distinct distaste for 3's Customer Services who suck like something very sucky on national suck day!

That they can suck quite so bad is no accident - they study diligently for it and succeed (the only thing that they do succeed at). But, and I've always clearly said this too, 3's technology and content is pretty damn good. But, again just for clarity, I cannot bring myself to take on one of their services because I know that the first time I use their Customer Suck Centre, sorry I meant Service Centre, that I will be let down again, and as horribly as before.

Until I can have a way of avoiding the Mumbai Suck Clones I really have little faith in using 3's services.

The recent experience with the 3 Skypephone has been a ton of fun - but then it has all worked rather well. How would it be if I called 3's CS with a real problem? Same'o same'o I would expect. And if truth be told, I have seen nothing written to suggest the contrary.

I wait with eager anticipation to hear that the UK's access to Customer Service does not lead so horribly to Suckland.