Still As Life

As you may recall from my blog last month about the new Skype phone on 3's mobile network, I was quite excited about it and looking forward to it's being available in Australia.

However, it seems my excitement was somewhat misplaced.

As great as the idea is and while it would no doubt save a lot of money for me where half of my calls could be made on Skype instead of via a regular phone call, it has come to my attention that it is only half as good as it sounds.

I have been looking into getting a new phone as my current Panasonic X700 which has been an excellent phone for the past two years, despite it's dying after the first year (though it was still under warranty so that was alright). It is now getting to the stage though where it is well and truly getting worn out.

I had been planning on getting a mobile phone that I could use as a modem, however as I covered in my blog about my new Vodafone 3G modem, this is no longer necessary. This put the Skype phone up at the top of my list.

However, as I have been doing a little more looking into it now that it is available here, I have found out, Skype can only be used in 3G coverage areas, and anyone that knows what 3's coverage in Australia is like knows that they have probably got the smallest 3G network of the top Australian mobile networks. This means that Skype is effectively only usable if you are in a capital city.

This poses a problem for me. I know that Skype can be used on dialup speeds. GSM networks can provide dialup speeds. So why can't Skype be used in GSM area's?

I can use Skype on my laptop with my 3G modem in a GSM area since Vodafone allow the modem to be used in GSM area's for no additional charge on top of the base 3G charges.

This means that I can still use Skype, even if it is only at dialup speeds. So this is a better option for me.

It looks like I'm back to looking at other phones. Sony Ericsson look very promising.

Labels: hardware, technology