Skype users have been clamoring for a Skype client on Symbian based 3G and WiFi phones for a while, and looks like their wishes might come true. Global IP Sound, which makes the codec that powers the Skype client, has announced VoiceEngine Mobile for Symbian OS, which will allows people to develop all sorts of VoIP apps (as long as they use GIPS) for Symbian phones. I suspect, Skype is going to be the first one to jump on the bandwagon. [Press Release]
13 thoughts on “Skype on Symbian OS?”
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A VoIP service would be fantastic on a Nokia N91 as it has wi-fi so calls would be free!
http://www.connectedinternet.co.uk/blog/_archives/2005/8/8/1117775.html
yeah it would be nice to have a client for nokia 9500 which has built in wifi. i eagerly await voip clients for symbian phones. o
To be frank, this is unlikely – the pocket PC version requires a 400Mhz processor, and while processor speed isn’t everything, (compare Pentium M to Pentium 4) note that no currently shipping symbian phone has a processor which is anywhere near as fast.
The fastest currently shipping Symbian devices (Nokia 6630/6680/6681/6682/N90) use a ~ 220Mhz processor. The Nokia 9500 uses a 150Mhz processor.
Processor speed in this case has got nothing to do with the end client. The XScale has to power Pocket PC OS which is a resource hog, whereas Symbian is much leaner OS, compared to that, OMAP is a more efficent processor. That’s my understanding, but I could be wrong. I don’t think so, but will reping Nokia again on this issue.
You’re right in that Smbian is leaner but encoding voice does require resources over and above how efficient the OS is.
And yes, OMAP may be a more efficient, but somehow I doubt it’s twice as efficient as XScale. (I have absolutely nothing to back this up with except experience with a 200Mhz XScale and a 220Mhz OMAP; both were as speedy in general use)
Please do ask Nokia 🙂
well, from what i understood in my conversations with folks from TI and Nokia, it seems OMAP is better equipped to handle the multimedia workload. which explains why it has found home inside the Palms. anyway its btter to check that go back and forth. will let you know soon enough
Obviously voice is being encoded and decoded on cell phones today. GIPS porting VoiceEngine puts their common API on Symbian OS. It remains to be seen which codecs become a part of this and what sort of access to hardware they get.
Interesting. Someone posted a link to what purports to be a working Skype-based client on my blog.
I haven’t tried it, but I probably will in awhile.
http://useful-apps.com/new_page_21.htm
(Anon, at http://www.symplification.com/node/216#comment-154 )
you know that nokia has its own forum now? someone recently made a post on skype and VoIP there too. looks like Nokia are releasing a number of phones with built in wlan called the e-series. they all support VoIP and someone there has posted that Skype will support symbian, here is the link:
http://discussions.nokia.co.uk/discussions/board/message?board.id=phones&message.id=196&query.id=6685#M196
whatever be the case, thats a sure shot that a 220 MHz processor in a 6630 has enough power to make the skype client for Symbian OS 🙂
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I have NOKIA E61 and I jsut installed SooNR remote software that contains ability to us SKYPE. It works perfect, no meter which processor my Nokia has. The sound is clean and with no delays. However I have to pay additionally for the connection between my PC with installed SKYPE and my mobile phone!!! So if I want to call fi Australia than I will have to pay double: for the connection to Australia and for the link to my mobile. At the end it is still cheaper than calling Australia from my hope number.