Skype has rolled out an interesting update today to their iPhone app in the version 3.0.1. It adds an extra feature to Skype’s video capabilities which were first introduced in December last year. The new feature let’s you make video calls to TVs, of course, the one’s which support Skype (number of Samsung sets do the job).
While FaceTime clearly has edge over Skype when it comes to the call quality, Skype is commonly preferred for the cross-platform calling capabilities which have further expanded with support for TVs.
You will of course need a web-cam attached with your TV to be able to show yourself to the other party. List of supported sets of TVs and web-cams can be found here.

You can follow us on Twitter or join our Facebook fanpage to keep yourself updated on all the latest from Microsoft, Google and Apple. 

All signs have been pointing to this release for a few days now, but we'll admit: we expected Skype to wait until CES next week to pull the covers off what could become its crown jewel service over the coming months. Skype's official iOS client has finally sprouted the ability to make video calls, allowing iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, and fourth-generation iPod touch users to share real-time video amongst each other and users of Skype's Windows, Mac, and Linux clients along with the ASUS Videophone (obviously, 3GS users won't have the convenience of a front-facing camera, but they'll still be able to broadcast video from the rear-facing one). Additionally, you'll be able to receive video from others if you're using an iPad or a third-generation iPod touch. The service is free and works over both WiFi and 3G -- and considering Skype's existing PC footprint, we'd argue this stands a very real chance of putting the hurt on FaceTime usage. No word on when Skype will be making video-capable clients available for Android or other mobile platforms, but Skype says that there'll be "plenty more" announcements in Vegas next week, so we wouldn't be surprised.

Update: So we just gave 3.0 a spin, calling iPhone-to-iPhone (both WiFi), iPhone-to-desktop (both WiFi), and again iPhone-to-iPhone (both 3G). The first two worked great, although the desktop camera produced better quality. As for the worst-case scenario, 3G-to-3G video calling, well... we wouldn't recommend it unless absolutely necessary. Video after the break, and be sure to note the battery life -- after about 10 minutes of use, we dropped from 66 percent to 61.

So let us set this up for you: Skype has been telling everyone that it'll be making a "series of video-related announcements" at CES next month... and it's participating in a panel called "Video Calling Gets Ready for Primetime," so yeah, needless to say, we'd have to guess that Skype's finally getting ready to enter the mobile video calling game in a big way. Anyhow, the final piece in the puzzle filtered into our inbox this morning: a help document on Skype's site detailing making video calls using Skype for iPhone. We don't know whether there's a corresponding document out there for Android, Symbian, or other operating systems, but we're certainly hoping so -- because if these guys come to the table at once with versions for all the major phone platforms, we've got a feeling they'll be dominating the mobile-to-mobile and mobile-to-PC video calling market in no time.

Oh, and here's a little trivia fact for you: the Nokia N900 was actually the first device to get official video calling support from Skype, so this isn't a first for these guys -- but it'll certainly be the first time they've taken it to a mass market. Seems like they'll probably have the MeeGo build ready to go, at least.

Well, that didn't take long. Just days after the official Skype application finally landed in the Android Market, along comes an .apk that's far more salacious for Americans. Thanks to xeudoxus over at Droid Forums, a tweaked version of the app is now available to download and sideload (sorry, Aria owners), promising the same functionality but without that nasty 3G block. It's really as simple as that -- hit those source links to get the unquestionably superior version, and feel free to let us know how your carrier's network holds up in a test call.

Finally, at long last, after so much waiting, Skype has made its debut as a full-fledged Android app. There are no Verizon-related limitations anymore, but Android Police reports that calling through the app is only available via WiFi, you can't use your mobile's data connection -- not yet, anyway. Another note they make is that Skype is using quite a few processing cycles to do its job, so much so that it introduced crackling on a call carried out with the EVO. You'll need to have Android 2.1 installed to run this thing, but if you do, why aren't you downloading it already? Let us know how your own 'droid fares in the comments below.


P.S. -- Skype's press release and video after the break have confirmed that 3G Skype calls will be available to all outside the US. Wow. Also, Skype's acknowledged there are some incompatibilities with Samsung Galaxy S phones and is working to iron those out.







 

Its finally here! Skype app for iPhone and iPod touch has finally been updated to support the new multitasking feature in iOS 4. With this new feature, you can now receive calls and instant messages with the app minimized in the multitasking tray.

Run Skype in the background with multitasking in iOS4. Receive Skype calls and IM while other apps are running or when your iPhone is locked. You can also continue your call while you switch to another application. Multitasking is available only with iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS.

Now if only Skype brings out Skype-to-Skype video chat

for iPhone 4, along with support for iPad, it would be complete !
Skype for iPhone was first released back in March 2009 and since then has only got a few minor updates.
Download Skype for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad [iTunes Link]

Plenty of other VoIP apps have managed to work in this functionality since Apple / AT&T started allowing it last year, but the official Skype app has been a notable holdout. Now, two months after Skype started doing 3G calls on Android with Verizon, there's a 2.0 version of the app for iPhone that brings voice calls over 3G at last. Mobile iPhone calls are free until August, after which you'll need a "mobile subscription." We're testing out the app as we write this and it seems to work about as well any other 3G VoIP app we've tried: passable, not revolutionary.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

   

The latest word on Skype for 3G is "soon" according to a blog post on its website today. You may have missed out last week, amid all the iPad hubbub, but Apple removed its restriction on VoIP calls on 3G with the release of its latest iPhone SDK.
The return of Skype to the iPhone is something we've not-so-patiently awaited since it was banned only a short time after being released last March, and it looks like we won't have to wait much longer. And this time around, we're hoping video chat isn't far behind.



Since AT&T first banned Skype over 3g last April, with Apple following suit, iPhone users have only been able to make VoIP calls over WiFi.
According to a video interview with David Ponsford, project lead for Skype for iPhone, the move to 3G will provide "CD quality" when making Skype-to-Skype calls. Ponsford says that the new Skype app will also include a quality indicator, which will use a traffic light style notification to show network quality.
We also chatted with Peter Parkes, the social media communications lead at Skype, and asked him when we could reasonably expect video chat capabilities. He told us that he couldn't be specific on any time-line or make any promises regarding video chat, but that "where devices can support video calls, we'll look to develop video-capable apps."
"But the focus will be on a great experience," he said. "If all we can get is pixelated and low frame rate, we won't release it. When it looks great - that's when we'll make it available."
The interview with David Ponsford is included below.
(from internet)