Skype tests mobile VoIP app

Skype hopes that the public beta will help gauge the response of tech-savvy users

Skype has released a mobile version of its VoIP application, giving owners of Java-enabled handsets access to the communication service while out and about.

The product is still in beta, but is freely available to download and offers most Skype features, including chat, group chat, presence and receiving calls through SkypeIn.

Additional features, such as Skype-to-Skype and SkypeOut calls, are initially supported only in Brazil (Rio de Janeiro), Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Poland, Sweden and the UK.

"These are still the early days for making Skype calls on mobile phones, but we have already made great strides in this space," said Gareth O'Loughlin, general manager of mobile and hardware devices at Skype.

"We have a great relationship with 3 which has brought the mobile Skype experience to eight markets through the 3 Skypephone and a range of other packages and phones. Skype for your mobile will expand the available options even further."

Some Skype-phones are already available, and a handful of other dedicated mobile devices can run versions of Skype, but a rollout to most other handsets is available from today.

Skype hopes that the public beta will help gauge the response of tech-savvy users whose feedback will help tweak the application.

"We need to hear what delights users and where there is still work to be done," said O'Loughlin.

"But this product underscores our commitment to innovation and to putting Skype conversations in the pockets of today's mobile masses."

The Skype mobile client can be installed on the phone or downloaded to a computer and then transferred to the device.