FreshPhoneNews.com

Skype, the company that brought cheap and free calling to the internet is about to give the same relief to mobile handset users. Specifically it will be Google’s Android phones that will be getting some love from Skype.

Skype is a unit of the internet auction giant eBay, and the mobile version of its web-based voice and text service is called ‘Lite’. The software can be downloaded for free to over 100 Java enabled handsets or those rocking Google’s open-source Android platform. 

With ‘Lite’ users will be able to make free Skype-to-Skype calls and low cost calls to landlines and cell phones in 10 countries; the United States, Britain, Poland, Brazil, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Estonia, Australia and New Zealand.

As far as carrier endorsement is concerned, you’ve probably guessed it, carriers are definitely threatened by the move since their revenues are at risk if users start preferring Skype to using their call services, but the growing popularity of Skype is now forcing them to think otherwise.

Skype has more than 370 million users around the world and it’s positioning the Skype Lite software to also support phones using Java software and devices running on Microsoft’s Windows Mobile operating system.

The T-Mobile G1 runs Android software while phones from LG, Motorola, Nokia, Samsung and Sony Ericsson are Java-enabled. iFans don’t get Skype Lite yet, but don’t be disappointed, it will come. Here’s to free calls!

Nimbuzz is known as one of the most comprehensive VoIP, IM and presence provider of our times. The company has long been aiming to provide online communities with real time web and mobile communication. And now it seems the goal has materialized, the company has entered into its first revenues sharing partnership with StudiVZ.

StudiVZ is the biggest German speaking social networking site and is the first in what will be a series of international networking sites which will integrate Nimbuzz technology into their community. For the first time, the members of StudiVZ will now have real time web and mobile communication. Integrating Nimbuzz’s VoIP, presence and IM features into the social networks will take the social networking experience to a new level. Nimbuzz is also making deals with similar social networking companies in Turkey, Italy and Asia.

Yesterday saw the launch of the Nimbuzz powered web and mobile clients for StudiVZ. One of its greatest features is the web chat which is fully integrated with the StudiVZ interface which allows all community members to carry on IM conversations.

The complete package of the Nimbuzz Mobile portfolio will be available soon and a link to a bespoke download page will be promoted across the StudiVZ network.  The package will include voice calls, chat, and file sharing across popular IM communities.

 StudiVZ is one of Europe’s largest social network, boasting 12 million users and spanning three countries; Germany, Switzerland and Austria. Since Nimbuzz is setting out to be the largest global communication platform for seamless IP-based communication, this partnership will give it a strong footing. Let’s see where Nimbuzz pops up next. 

Verizon Wireless is going to bring the CDMA Base station from Samsung, the Samsung Ubicell. This move comes after the release of Samsung Ubicell by Sprint last year.

The Ubicell is Access Point Base Station technology, sometimes also known as a femtocell which improves mobile coverage in the home. Verizon users are already complaining of poor cell phone coverage in their home so the decision for the Ubicell is a timely one.

The Ubicell is just a little bigger than a Wi-Fi access point and works by connecting to the mobile carrier’s network through the user’s home broadband connection. This creates a mini-cell in the user’s home. Probably the best feature of the Ubicell is that your handset doesn’t need any extra mobile technology to make use of it and the Ubicell creates a mini-cell of standard mobile coverage.

Two versions of the Samsung Ubicell are planned, a CDMA version and a WCDMA version which will support HSDPA for high-speed data. To restrict access to your Ubicell by unwanted users, it gives you the facility of authorizing up to four devices to connect to the Ubicell and bars all others.

The GPS unit means that the Ubicell will not be able to operate in areas where the network operator doesn’t have a licensed spectrum. Some view this as a hindrance, since the minute you cross the US border, your Ubicell isn’t able to function anymore. Nut the idea that home cell phone coverage can be improved is a pretty good one. The subscribers of Verizon Wireless certainly have an answer to their prayers. The Ubicell is not a hideous device that will scare your kids, it’s quite a nice design, and will fit in well with the décor. You may want to keep it near your wireless router for a more compact all-in-one-place look.

HP’s other Smartphone, the iPAQ 150 Voice Messenger was announced with the iPAQ Data Messenger. HP has had a long relationship with Microsoft and its Windows Mobile. It was on e of the first companies that used the Windows Mobile back in 2000. But as far as Smartphones were concerned, HP didn’t enter this terrain until it acquired its biggest competitor Compaq. With the acquisition of Compaq came the pocket PC, iPAQ series. HP kept this name and abandoned its own Jornada. But the real venture into Smartphones came with the two releases this year; one of the iPAQ Data Messenger and the other of the iPAQ Voice Messenger. According to HP’s website, they carrier will be AT&T.  

The iPAQ Voice Messenger is a Windows Mobile Smartphone. This Smartphone is aimed at users who want cell phone features to be more dominant in their Smartphone/PDA. The iPAQ Voice Messenger features a full QWERTY keypad and makes professional life easier with Voice Command. You get your email read to you, you can reply just as easily without having to type. The same ease is available with appointments, tasks and dialing contacts of your list. The 2.4 inch LED backlit screen has a resolution of 320 x 240 pixels. It also has support for storage expansion with a microSD card slot. There’s also a 1.3 megapixel camera for both photo capture and video recording.

The iPAQ Voice Messenger is available as an unlocked set as well, just in case you don’t want to switch carriers. The cell provides support for Wi-Fi and has VoIP (Voice over IP), a feature that lets you save wireless airtime by allowing you to use your company’s wireless Wi-Fi (LAN) as well as PBX phone systems. The battery gives 6.5 hours of talk time. The warranty period is a year long in most regions and there is 90 days of technical support for the software. In Europe, the iPAQ Voice Messenger is set for release in November and its carriers will be Vodafone. Dates for other markets are not available but they won’t keep you waiting long.