Skype for Android Plays Catch UP as VoIP Struggles on Mobile
Skype releases version 2.6 for Android, allowing users to send photos and videos to friends and family. As usual, it’s free and works over WiFi and 3G mobile data plans. Aside from added features, it also boasts improved video quality on devices using NVIDIA’s Tegra 2 chipset, which are present on devices such as Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, Motorola XOOM and Acer Iconia Tablet. HTC Amaze 4G and Motorola DROID RAZR will also be added to the list, as tested by Skype’s Engineering team. Actually, anyone with an Android device running 2.2 Froyo and above can Skype video call for free.
From Skype: “We’re excited about these new enhancements, adding even more value to the things you can already do on Skype for Android like video calling, sending and receiving instant messages for free or making phone calls to mobiles and landlines worldwide at great Skype rates. We’ve brought this out just in time for the upcoming holiday season, so you can share your special moments with your loved ones.”
In other Skype news, co-founder Niklas Zennstrom wants free broadband for all Americans. He suggested the initiative be powered by LightSquared, a wholesale wireless broadband network carrier, though it’s still processing its 4G-LTE network for a 2012 roll out. Zennstrom is a member of FreedomPop, a partner group to LightSquared in this undertaking.
“The Internet is a right, not a privilege,” said Matt Ingrid, COO of FreedomPop. “With the economic efficiencies delivered by LightSquared’s wholesale business model, we can achieve our objective to deliver flexible high-speed wireless access to anyone at a fraction of the cost and inconvenience seen in today’s market.”
On the other hand, voice-over-internet companies have been struggling over carriers blocking internet telephony, such as Skype. “Vodafone Group restricts access to web-based calls on pay-as-you-go deals, while some mobile providers do not allow VoIP at all, including France Telecom’s Orange, Bouygues, Germany’s E-Plus and its parent group, Dutch provider KPN.”
A competitor to Skype, Google Voice, plans to stay free through 2012. This offering allows desktop users to call any domestic number within the United States and Canada. This is the advantage it has over Skype, but Skype also gets an upper hand as it allows free calls to mobile devices with a Skype app.
Meanwhile, there has been a lot of recent software update and developments for the Android platform such Lightbox and YouSendIt. Nielsen also declared Google as the most popular provider of app to their very own mobile platform. Yet again, Android’s got some problems up its sleeve such as the growing population of malware invading mobile devices and webOS’ plan to go open source.
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