Skype’s been teasing us with the promise of this for a while now, and we postulated they’d add the feature after Apple revealed iPhone OS 4 would include background VoIP — and yesterday it finally arrived: Skype’s iPhone app now works over a 3G network.
Of course, apps like Goober and Fring have given iPhone users this ability since early this year, But big boy Skype’s adoption of the feature makes for quite a hefty swing at the foundation of the current telecom business model.
Right now, Skype-to-Skype calls over 3G are free, but the company says that’s only guaranteed unitl “at least August 2010,” after which thew’ll most likely begin charging a subscription fee.
Still, a test call I placed to a friend’s cell (she doesn’t have Skype) over 3G using my SkypeOut account revealed pretty good call quality — and considering a basic SkypeOut account (which includes unlimited calls through the U.S. and Canada) is $3 per month, downgrading to a low-minute plan will likely make sense for many, and heavy users in particular.
The one annoying problem is that Skype still doesn’t support use of a Bluetooth headset; nor does it support SIP, only somewhat less annoying. And of course, the really big question is: By how much — because we’re assuming they’re going to shoot up — will the price of those SkypeOut accounts increase?
When he was eight, Eli Milchman came home from frolicking in the Veld one day and was given an Atari 400. Since then, his fascination with technology has made him an intrepid early adopter of whatever charming new contraption crosses his path. He calls San Francisco home, where he works as a journalist and photographer. Eli has contributed to the pages of Wired.com and BIKE Magazine, among others. Hang with him on Twitter.
