Skype (Free)
REVIEW – “Skype is one app that is worthy of all the hype!”
Skype has been one of the leaders in Voice Over IP services for sometime now, offering all kinds of different plans for people that need things like international calling, call forwarding or Video conferencing. With this entry into the app store they have attempted to bring their unique style and ease of use to the iPhone and iPod Touch.
Once you’ve opened this app and logged in, you are taken to the “Contacts” page. From here you can search through your all your contacts, those who are online, or you can search by Skype user name using the search bar at the top. You’ll also notice a “+” button in the upper right of this page. If you press the “+” button you can add contacts in three different ways. You can search the Skype directory by name email or Skype name, you can add a phone number into your contact list or you can import an existing contact from your iPhone. I was very impressed with how easy it is to find and add pretty much any kind of contact into your contact list.
At the bottom of the screen is a menu with four other main pages you can view. The first is the “Chats” page. This page allows you to view all of your current conversations, as well as give you the option to view only conversations that have new messages that you have not viewed yet. You can then quickly jump into a conversation and send a message by pressing on that conversation. If you have a lot of people that you talk to on Skype, this makes it much easier to keep track of all your different conversations.
The next menu option at the bottom is the “Call” page. From here, you can dial any number directly, or you can dial a number in your list of contacts on your phone. The dialer’s look and feel are pretty much exactly like the standard dialer you are used to, the added interface for Skype integrates very smoothly. After the “Call” page is the “History” page where you can view all of your incoming and outgoing calls, as well as the times calls were made and any added information that the app has about the recipient/caller.
The final menu option is the “My Info” page. Here you can edit your profile, set your online status and view your current account credits. If you don’t have any Skype credit and wish to add credit you 
can click on the “Skype Credit” tab to add some. Unfortunately, this particular feature will close the app and take you to Safari, which just isn’t on par with the experience that you get from the rest of this app.
I tried making several test calls with this software. I called the “Echo/Sound Test” number and the call quality was excellent on my WiFi at home. I also called my home computer and made a collect call (which are free btw). I had no dropout or sound quality issues, and the app was very responsive to input while the phone calls were being made.
There are a few things that Skype could work on with this app, such as being able to easily buy Skype credit and add/remove features on your account. But that aside, I was very impressed with this app. If you are the kind of person who travels and needs to make international calls on a regular basis and you have an iPhone or an iPod touch, then you need to install this app! Even if that’s not you, I would recommend this app, and the Skype service, to anyone that needs to save minutes on their cell phone plan, for very little cost.
- David H.
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Developer – Skype Software S.a.r.l.
URL:
http://www.skype.com/go/iphone
DEVELOPERS NOTES
Skype gives you free calls and instant messages to anyone else on Skype. You can also call landlines and mobiles and send SMS anywhere in the world, at great rates. Skype is free to download and easy to use.
Free Skype-to-Skype calls.
With Skype on your iPhone or iPod touch, simply sign into Skype from any WiFi zone, and call friends and family on Skype totally free.
See who’s online and instant message them. Sign into Skype via a mobile data connection (3G, Edge, GPRS) or WiFi and check who’s online – then instant message them whenever the mood strikes.
Save money on calls and texts to phones abroad. Call phones anywhere in the world at great rates from any WiFi zone, and send low cost texts (SMS) via a mobile data or WiFi connection.
Skype website http://www.skype.com/go/iphone
Please note: Skype is not responsible for errors or crashes which result from modifications to the underlying iPhone OS.
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