While mobile operator 3 yesterday announced the new updated Skypephone S2, which will begin shipping from 27 August, the UK and Ireland will not be seeing this handset.
However, according to Rachel Channing, head of communications and PR for 3 Ireland, we will be seeing a more advanced Skypephone in Irish 3 stores in the near future.
The original Skypephone, which offers unlimited free Skype-to-Skype VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) calls to anywhere in the world, has a 176 x 220 pixel display and two-megapixel camera on board, whereas the S2 packs more punch with a crisper 320 × 240 pixel display and a beefed up 3.2-megapixel camera.
Apart from a redesign that makes it slimmer and shinier than its predecessor, what really sets the new Skypephone apart is the focus on the mobile web, with applications like Bebo, Facebook and Microsoft Instant Messenger sitting on the main menu.
It also boasts faster speeds due to HSDPA connectivity – another feature to entice the Skype customer to venture into using their Skypephone handset for internet browsing, email and googling, as well as consuming music and video online.
While a newer, more improved Skypephone handset is set to come on the market in Ireland, 3 said there is at this point no set timescale for its launch.
By Marie Boran
Pictured: The current Skypephone range available from 3 Ireland
