Skype Pulls Windows Mobile Apps

By Geoff Duncan February 26, 2010

Image used with permission by copyright holder

In a gutsy move, VoIP operator Skype has—for the moment, anyway—turned its back on Windows Mobile phones, announcing in a blog post that its Skype Lite and Skype for Windows Phone applications are no longer available. The reason: the applications did not offer “a great Skype experience.” Users who already have the applications can continue using them—Skype is not reaching Big Brother-like into users’ phones and disabling the applications—but new users will not be able to download fresh copies to new devices.

Skype says it has withdrawn Skype for WIndows Phone because the latest version of Windows mobile makes it too difficult to “maintain an app which behaves as you’d expect” across a broad range of devices. Skype has not worked with carriers to produce versions of its Windows Mobile Skype application for particular networks or handsets, offering instead a single application aimed at all Windows Mobile devices. Skype Lite only operated in a small number of countries, and ate up users mobile minutes when making Skype-to-Skype calls.

Skype did not mention whether it is developing a version of its VoIP software for Microsoft”s recently-announced Windows Phone 7 Series. Skype is available for the iPhone, where calling is currently limited to Wi-Fi connections; a version of Skype os also available for Google Android.

Skype recently announced a partnership with U.S. mobile operator Verizon Wireless that will offer free Skype-to-Skype calling applications for BlackBerry and Android phones beginning in March.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…

Mobile

T-Mobile just set another 5G speed record

T-Mobile’s rivals may be nipping at its heels in the 5G race, but the Uncarrier is determined to stay ahead of the game. It not only boasts the fastest and most expansive 5G network in the U.S., but it’s actively working on technologies that will help it reach even greater peak speeds.

Two years ago, T-Mobile used a relatively new technique known as 5G Carrier Aggregation (5G CA) to achieve the kind of 3Gbps download speeds on midband frequencies that had previously been the exclusive domain of extremely high (and extremely short-range) mmWave technologies. Now, it’s chalked up another 5G first by taking advantage of the latest developments to shatter the traditional cap on upload speeds over sub-6GHz frequencies.
T-Mobile's newest 5G record

Mobile

Ends tonight: Get 3 months of Mint Mobile for just $15

Mint Mobile Promotional.

Do you ever get the feeling that you're paying too much for your cell phone plan? If you've had the same carrier for years now, maybe it's time to switch it up. Hunting for a better deal is a great way to save money in the long run, and there are fantastic cell phone plan deals that can save you a nice chunk of change in the short term too. Mint Mobile has an offer today that gets you three full months of their service for just $45 total—just $15 per month. Keep reading for all the info you need, or head over to Mint's site and sign up. The deal ends today!

Why you should sign up for Mint Mobile with this deal
The best part about this deal is that it applies to every plan they have. That's right, no matter what data plan you opt for, your first three months will be $15 each. That means you can sign up for a small plan, just 5GB, and pay the usual rate, $15 per month. Or, if you're a thrifty shopper in it for the deals, you can sign up for the full unlimited plan, which is normally $30 per month, and still pay just $15 per month for three months. There are also 15GB and 20GB plans in between, and they're also—you guessed it—$15 per month for three months.

Mobile

Best cell phone plan deals: T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon, Mint Mobile and more

Woman

When it comes time to upgrade your phone, or sign someone in your family up for a new line, picking just one cell phone provider isn't simple. Every service provider has their own cell phone plan deals for new customers, and they can get confusing. If that's you, and you're searching for the best deal, there's a good chance you're going to save some serious money in the long run. You should always consider perks like smartphone deals and 5G phone deals that could get you a new phone for free. Because there are so many, we've collected all the best cell phone plan deals from the major and minor providers. These are general plans, so if you're searching for something more specific, like the best cell phone plan for home use or the best cell phone plan for small businesses, we encourage you to continue researching after you check out the deals below.
Mint Mobile: Get any 3-month plan for $15 per month
For a limited time, Mint Mobile has dropped the three-month price for all of its plans to just $15 per month. That means, the Unlimited plan, normally $30 per month, or $90 for three months, is no just $15 per month or $45 for three months. The base 5GB of data per month plan is $15 per month, and the 15GB per month plan is $15 per month, or $45 for three months. That is an incredible deal. All Mint Mobile plans include unlimited talk and text, access to 5GB high-speed data, free calling to Mexico and Canada, free mobile hotspot access, and WiFi calling support. You can't beat that!

U.S. Mobile: Pre-pay $23 per line per month
Prepaid wireless plans are a great option for light users, kids, and anyone else who won’t be consuming a lot of data on a daily basis. U.S. Mobile is one of the best prepaid service providers available today, allowing you to build your own custom plan, so you’re only paying for as many minutes, texts, and gigabytes of data as you want to. As just one example, its Unlimited Starter plan is just $23 per line, or $276 for 12 months -- saving you $72 per year. You get unlimited talk, text, and data, 10GB of hotspot data, international calling and texting, and more. If you're adding multiple lines to a plan, you can also unlock free extras like Disney+ and Netflix.