Skype for iPhone coming tomorrow
As was widely rumored last week, Skype today announced a version of their popular VOIP software for the iPhone at CTIA 2009. According to CNet reviews Skype for iPhone will be available for download from the iTunes App Store some time tomorrow.
CNet interviewed Skype's Kurt Thywissen, the application's principal engineer, and reports that there are a few iPhone-only features including the ability to take a photo from the iPhone camera to serve as your avatar image, or pulling a picture in from the camera roll
Another imperfect, but still neat, feature is the ability to accept incoming conference calls. While you won't be able to initiate a call, we're told, you will be able to jump on one if a buddy invites you in. We hope the next version includes placing conference calls from the iPhone.
Calls on Skype for iPhone require a Wi-Fi connection and will not work over the cell phone network -- although chatting will.
A few features will be missing from the first version of Skype for iPhone according to CNet, including SMS, setting up a conference calling group, purchasing SkypeOut credit directly, receiving a second incoming Skype call, file transfers and getting Skype voicemail natively on the phone. But several of these features are believed to be coming in a future version.
It will be interesting to see how the iPhone VOIP landscape changes tomorrow with Skype in the mix and how it will fare against the likes of TruPhone, Fring and Nimbuzz.
What VOIP software do you use?