So far Skype will be available on the Motorola DROID, HTC DROID Eris, BlackBerry 8530, BlackBerry 9530, BlackBerry 9550, and BlackBerry 9630. You surely have at least one of those smartphones, right? Sure you do; press release is after the jump.
BARCELONA, SPAIN; BASKING RIDGE, NJ, UNITED STATES; AND LUXEMBOURG, LUXEMBOURG — At the 2010 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Verizon Wireless and Skype today announced a strategic relationship that will bring Skype to Verizon Wireless smartphones in March. The new Skype mobile™ product enhances Verizon Wireless' smartphones for users who have data plans by offering a new way to call around the globe, while also giving hundreds of millions of Skype users around the world the opportunity to communicate with friends, family and business colleagues in the United States using Verizon Wireless.
The two companies have created an exclusive, easy-to-use Skype mobile offering for 3G smartphones. Verizon Wireless 3G smartphone users with data plans can use Skype mobile to:
make and receive unlimited Skype-to-Skype voice calls to any Skype user around the globe on America's most reliable wireless network;
call international phone numbers at competitive Skype Out calling rates;
send and receive instant messages to other Skype users; and
remain always connected with the ability to see friends' online presence.
Initially, Skype mobile will be available on millions of best-selling Verizon Wireless 3G smartphones with data plans, including the BlackBerry® Storm™ 9530, Storm2™ 9550, Curve™ 8330, Curve™ 8530, 8830 World Edition and Tour™ 9630 smartphones, as well as DROID by Motorola, DROID ERIS™ by HTC and Motorola DEVOUR™.
John Stratton, executive vice president and chief marketing officer for Verizon Wireless, said, "Skype mobile on Verizon Wireless changes the game. For Verizon Wireless' more than 90 million customers, Skype mobile adds great value because we're effectively giving customers with smartphones and data plans the option to extend their unlimited calling community to hundreds of millions of Skype users around the globe. And you're not limited to using a single type of phone; we'll have nine smartphones ready right at launch in March."
Josh Silverman, chief executive officer of Skype, noted, "People want to take their Skype conversations with them wherever they go, whether it's on a PC, TV or increasingly mobile phones. Verizon Wireless will give U.S. consumers the best Skype experience on mobile phones and will truly change the way people call their friends and family internationally."
Customers interested in learning more about Skype mobile for Verizon Wireless smartphones can visit www.verizonwireless.com/skypemobile. Additional information about the service will be available next month.
Visit www.verizonwireless.com for more information about Verizon Wireless or follow the company at http://twitter.com/verizonwireless. Learn more and download Skype at www.skype.com or follow the company at http://twitter.com/skypemobile.
About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation's most reliable and largest wireless voice and 3G data network, serving more than 91 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 83,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) and Vodafone (NASDAQ and LSE: VOD). For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.
About Skype
Skype is software that enables the world's conversations. Millions of individuals and businesses use Skype to make free video and voice calls, send instant messages and share files with other Skype users. Everyday, people everywhere also use Skype to make low-cost calls to landlines and mobiles. Download Skype to your computer or mobile phone at skype.com.
Access to a broadband Internet connection is required. Skype is not a replacement for traditional telephone services and cannot be used for emergency calling.
Skype, associated trademarks and logos and the "S" symbol are trademarks of Skype Limited.
This is a good addition to the Did You Know? fact section of LaptopMemo. Did you know that according to Eric Schmidt at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona yesterday, 60,000 Android phones are shipped everyday, with 1.8 million handsets per month and over 21.8 million handsets per year, worldwide? Although he failed to say whether or not these devices are being shipped to retailers, or if they are being sent to owners, it’s still impressive.
A multitouch eBook Reader. Let’s see here, why would I need multitouch in my reader? Maybe when I’m waiting for the page to load I can amuse myself by pinching-and-zooming to wait even longer? Or maybe I can just look at how weird and ugly my e-reader is?
More tasty stuff coming out of MWC 2010? Yup, and here we’ve got something exciting as well as a victory for the consumer. Soon in March you’ll be able to use Skype and its user-to-user calling features to the limit, the ability to call internationally at Skype’s cheap prices, make ulimted messages to your Skype friends, and you’ll have an always-online presence, so you’ll always know what’s going on.
