Skype to be integrated into Nokia phones
Nokia and Skype have announced plans to fully integrate Skype into some Nokia mobiles, with the Nokia N97 being the first to have Skype functionality.
Skype will be part of the address boom of the Nokia N97, enabling users to see when their Skype contacts are online. It will also enable Nokia N97 customers to use 3G and WiFI to make and receive Skype to Skype voice calls.
Skype will be rolled out on other devices after the Nokia N97 goes live in September 2009. New Nokia N97 devices will have Skype functionality pre-installed, whilst early versions will be able to get it through a software upgrade. Other select Nseries devices are also likely to come with integrated Skype functionality which includes Skype contacts, Chat, VoIP and Presence.
The first Skype-enabled Nokia N97 devices will be rolling out from the third quarter. Using Skype on your S60 device isn’t new, but the level of integration with the service and the device is. Skype won’t be running as a separate application, but actually plugged directly into your contacts, making the service a sleek and neat integration.
Since 2005, the number of registered Skype users has risen to 405 million from 53 million.
