Skype for BlackBerry Getting Closer

BY: Ed Hardy, Brighthand.com Editor
PUBLISHED: 5/21/2009
Skype promised that it would release a beta version of its VoIP software for BlackBerry smartphones in May, and it took an important step closer to that goal this week: it has started beta testing.

The company has kicked off a closed beta, so it’s not open to the general public, and the sign-up list is already full.

Still, the open beta is expected to start by the end of this month.

A Lite Version
Skype is calling the BlackBerry edition of this application a lite version. Like the other versions, it will allow users to talk to other Skype users, and also make low-cost voice calls to landlines. In addition, it will offer instant messaging.

But there will be a significant difference between the lite version and the other mobile versions. This software will use local air time and a mobile Internet connection to sign in to Skype, update the user’s contact list and presence and to send/receive calls or messages. As a result, users must have both a calling plan and a data plan to use the lite version of Skype.

The beta will be available for the BlackBerry Bold and BlackBerry Curve, with support for other models coming later. The ability to make calls will be limited to 10 countries: Australia, Brazil (Rio de Janeiro & Sao Paulo), Denmark, Estonia, Finland, New Zealand, Poland, Sweden, the United States, and the UK.

Source: Skype

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