Today, at the 2008 International Consumer Electronics Show, Skype
is setting conversations free and making them mobile with its
announcement of support for a wide variety of new wireless devices and
accessories. By doing so, it is delivering a new mobile Skype(TM)
experience for consumers and small business users wherever they are.
"Internet access is rapidly spreading beyond just the home or
office computer, and a world increasingly blanketed with wireless
connections is giving Skype conversations the freedom to travel almost
anywhere," said Gareth O´Loughlin, Skype´s general manager of mobile
and hardware devices. "With the introduction of new mass-market
devices at CES that support Skype, millions of people around the world
will now be able to leave the desk behind, put Skype in their pocket
and take their conversations with them. I think that is immensely
liberating."
Skype has worked closely with a number of its hardware and
software partners to bring Skype functionality to an increasing number
of mobile products that use a variety of wireless network connections
to access the internet. This includes offering mobile support for
Skype´s free instant messaging and voice calling among the more than
246 million registered Skype users, as well as its premium features,
such as SkypeOut(TM) (cheap calls from Skype to traditional landlines
or mobile phones anywhere in the world) and SkypeIn(TM) (a personal
and portable Skype number that people can call you on wherever you are
in the world).
Some of the new wireless devices and accessories being
demonstrated at the 2008 International CES that make Skype mobile
include:
-- 3 Skypephone - Introduced together with mobile operator 3,
this new affordable mass market 3G wireless handset lets users
make Skype-to-Skype calls and send Skype instant messages from
their mobile phone to other Skype users no matter where they
are. The 3 Skypephone is available in the UK, Australia,
Austria, Denmark, Ireland, Italy and Sweden, and will soon be
available in Hong Kong.
-- Freetalk(R) Wireless Stereo Headset - This new Wireless Stereo
Headset, enabled by the new AvneraAudio(TM) technology,
delivers CD-quality sound and the freedom of hands-free Skype
calls at any time. It offers superior range (up to 20 meters)
compared to technologies such as Bluetooth, freeing you from
your desk to make and receive the full range of Skype calls
while moving throughout your home or office.
-- Intel-based Mobile Internet Devices - Mobile users will be
able to make Skype voice and video calls and send instant
messages on the move, while harnessing the PC-like performance
of Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs) based on Intel low-power
processors and chipsets. This new category of small, truly
mobile consumer devices with WiMAX and WiFi capabilities will
enable free Skype-to-Skype voice and video calls and cheap
SkypeOut calls to be made on open wireless networks.
-- Nokia N810 Internet Tablet - The Nokia N810 Internet Tablet is
a sleek, pocket-sized WiFi device with a slide-out keyboard
which frees Skype users from their desktop, allowing
Skype-to-Skype conversations and SkypeOut calls to take place
in any WiFi connection, including thousands of Boingo Wireless
and Earthlink WiFi hotspot locations.
-- mylo(TM) Communicator - Skype comes pre-installed on Sony´s
mylo personal communicator, COM-2, so users can call or
instant message any other Skype user all over the world for
free over an open WiFi connection. Users of the mylo can also
make cheap SkypeOut calls and receive SkypeIn calls.
-- PSP(R) (PlayStation(R)Portable) handheld entertainment system
(PSP-2000 series) - With a simple system software update
slated for late January, PSP users worldwide will be able to
make free voice calls to other Skype users, see which friends
are online and available to talk, and - with the purchase of
Skype Credit - make cheap SkypeOut calls and receive SkypeIn
calls.
A sneak peek of the mobile Skype experience is available for media
at Skype´s booth during ShowStoppers @ CES 2008 at the Wynn Las Vegas
Hotel from 6-10 PM PST on Monday, January 7, 2008, as well as at
Skype´s PR Suite in the Las Vegas Hilton (Suite #5121) throughout the
week.
About Skype
Skype sets the standard in providing new and easy ways to stay in
touch over the internet. Millions of people every day make free
Skype-to-Skype voice and video calls and send instant messages using
our software. Some pay a little per minute for long-distance and
international calls to phones and mobiles and for SMS, voicemail and
call forwarding, or they buy subscriptions that give unlimited calls
nationwide.
We certify and sell hundreds of hardware products from more than
50 partners and work with third-party developers to create software to
extend Skype´s functionality. Skype has been downloaded more than half
a billion times and over 246 million people from almost every corner
of the globe have registered.
Skype is an eBay company (NASDAQ:EBAY), and you can learn more and
get Skype at www.skype.com.
Make your world a smaller place: talk, share and do more with
Skype.
Access to a broadband Internet connection is required for Skype
and all Skype Certified devices and accessories. Skype is not a
replacement for your traditional telephone service and cannot be used
for emergency calling.
Skype, SkypeIn, SkypeOut, Skype Me, Skype Certified, Skypecasts,
associated logos and the "S" symbol are trademarks of Skype Limited.
