Due to several quirks at the device and OS (and depending how one looked at it the regulatory) level, the initial implementation of Skype Mobile on Android devices had a peculiar “feature”: You couldn’t run the application and keep the phone’s Wi-Fi radio on at the same time. It wasn’t a big deal from a Skype Mobile perspective because the service wasn’t designed to run over Wi-Fi anyway; it ran over Verizon’s wireless network. The problem was the conflict meant that users couldn’t keep Skype Mobile and Wi-Fi on at the same time — for instance, running Skype Mobile in the background to receive calls while also using Wi-Fi to do some affordable Web browsing.
We pointed out this strange situation in a story last April, in part to Verizon’s chagrin. We admitted it was a flukey thing, but it was interesting enough to report on and get a full explanation from Verizon. (There were some regulatory and CALEA elements to this convoluted story, as well.)
All of that serves as back story to the fact that Skype and Verizon Wireless today unveiled improvements to the Skype Mobile client, including the ability on Android devices to:
On DROID phones, you can now use the app while WiFi is switched on, which will make the app more convenient to use. Note that calls and IMs are still carried over the Verizon Wireless network.
Connected Planet’s take,
Rich Karpinski:
When we talked to Verizon Wireless originally about the Wi-Fi glitch, they told us they were working on a cure: “It seems to be something that is fixable; it will just take time and technical diligence to sort through.”
Looks like they found the fix.
The new version of Skype Mobile for Verizon Wireless smartphone users can be found by visiting http://www.skype.com on a handheld.
Watch this video of Skype Mobile:
That’s our take on this. Let us know what you think in the comments section below:
“We pointed out this strange situation in a story last April, in part to Verizon’s chagrin” : I’ve said it before on these boards – Verizon, to its detriment I believe, treats its customers and baseline employees as those whose intelligence is in question.