Nokia Skype phone incoming! Or, at least, a Nokia phone with Skype ingrained in its DNA. Following the official Nokia Skype app hitting the Ovi Store today we’ve had a powwow with Skype’s general manager for mobile, Russ Shaw, about what to expect in the future from the VOIP trailblazer. Turns out, Skype and Nokia’s partnership runs deep. There’s a “joint road map” in place, and Nokia is planning deep integration of the internet phone call service.
We spent a solid half hour quizzing Shaw, during which he stressed that Skype on the Maemo fuelled Nokia N900 was the “benchmark” example of what Skype can do on mobile. The N900 currently lets you make Skype calls from your contacts, for instance, without needing to install an extra app, but then came something juicy: news that Nokia and Skype will soon tie the knot with more devices.
“We are working closely with Nokia to really integrate a Skype experience…There are a few other devices on the joint road map that we’re working on where Skype will be properly integrated.”
Nokia Skype app hits the Ovi Store
Naturally, we asked what devices those might be, but Nokia’s PR stepped in, and wouldn’t give any more details on the “joint roadmap” and the devices incoming with Skype tightly sewn into the core operating system. Shaw was also unable comment on whether we would see a Nokia Skype app for lower end Symbian Series 40 Nokia phones. For now, it seems any Nokia Skype phone will be a smart affair.
What we do know though is that Nokia has already ruffled feathers by preloading Skype on N97, and a slew of new integrated features could put Nokia on another collision course with network operators.
Could a Nokia Skype phone dial out through Skype by default in 3G areas, neatly dodging call costs where your contacts have a Skype ID? Maybe Skype chat could integrate with your Nokia Skype Phone’s SMS stream, unifying messages from your contacts, no matter how they’re sent, or how much they cost.
Let us know what you’d like to see in the comments below, and we’ll keep you posted as soon as firm news of a Skype phone with Nokia branding peeps its head out of the R&D department, and into officialdom.
