The WSJ and a bunch of other sources including GigaOM - who actually broke it first last week - are reporting that the long awaited iPhone version of Skype will finally be released tomorrow.
So what does this mean for the average iPhone user? Using Wi-Fi and VOiP you can make calls to other Skype users for free. It’ll cost you around 2 cents a minute to call landlines so if you’re in an AT&T non-coverage area but are in a Wi-Fi zone the 2 cents a minute is not a bad deal! One thing you won’t be able to do is Skype over the 3G network. I don’t think people are going to be complaining about that 
.
The obvious benefit is you don’t have to tether yourself to your laptop/desktop if you want to Skype or for that matter buy a Wi-Fi enabled Skype phone. And if you make a lot of international calls or travel often I can see this being a huge benefit.
A couple of issues to keep in mind in terms of usability. Until OS 3 is released the iPhone Skype client will have to remain open to receive calls or use the chat services. I’m assuming Skype will take advantage of the background notification functionality that will be rolled out with OS 3 so hopefully this will be a non-issue. The other thing is battery drainage. We’ll have to wait and see how efficient the app will be as far as battery consumption is concerned.
In any case it’s about time Skype made it’s foray into the mobile world! Can’t wait to try it out tommorow.
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that is a great idea!