Both TV manufacturers will be offering sets with Skype software and support for all the stand features that we’ve come to love – voicemail, land-line and mobile calls via Skype-in and Skype-out, free Skype-to-Skype calls, video calling etc. On the hardware front, users will need to purchase and plug in one of the soon-to-be-available 720p web cams that will feature “microphones specifically designed to pick up sound at couch distance”, reports Gizmodo. Now that does sounds cool, although I’m not sure why they can’t come built-in.

Skype is one of those rare web applications that’s mainstream and useful enough that it bridges the generation gap, used by young grandchildren and grandparents alike, therefore getting it into the living room makes a lot of sense. And with “HD support” and decent sound, it’s amazing to think how far consumer video conferencing has come, resembling the multi-thousand dollar set-ups that were until now limited to the corporate world.

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Firstly, it isn’t the first time Skype on iPhone (or iPod touch) has been possible, with a number of third-party apps already filling the void.

Secondly, while Skype calling is available to mobiles and landlines not just other devices running Skype, they’re only possible over WiFi not 3G, so as to appease Apple’s carrier partners.

And thirdly, it’s not possible to purchase SkypeOut credit from within the iPhone’s Skype app itself, and even though Cellan-Jones suggests that this feature is a perfect candidate for the upcoming ‘In App’ purchasing that Apple recently announced, he forgot to mention that Apple would then take a cut of Skype’s revenue as all billing is to be done through a iPhone user’s existing iTunes account.

See also: Nokia and Skype partnership has carriers in a fit

That’s the Skype on iPhone specific caveats out of the way, but we should also mention that Skype functionality has existed on many other smartphone platforms for quite some time, such as S60, along with at least one official partnership, the Skype phone (and now the INQ1 — see review) available on carrier “3″. In addition, Nokia recently announced a tie-up with Skype that will see the Voice-over-IP service integrated into future handsets.

Taking all of the above into account, Skype on iPhone doesn’t seem such a big deal in and of itself. That said, Skype is already the largest provider of cross-border voice communications, according to a recent report, so perhaps the increasing ubiquity of Skype — PCs, cell phones and other mobile devices — is.

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Integrated into the handset, for example, is Facebook, Skype and Windows Live Messenger, along with various widgets, such as Yahoo Weather. Just don’t call it a smartphone, says the company. Instead, the INQ1 is billed as a low cost device, designed to appeal to a broader and, perhaps, younger market than existing smartphones from the likes of Apple, RIM, Nokia and HTC.

Facebook, Skype and Windows Live Messenger

At its heart is the INQ1’s Facebook integration, which goes a little deeper than rival handsets. Along with a standalone app that resembles the social network’s mobile website, the phone’s camera software is capable of uploading directly to Facebook, and a user’s friends-list can be imported and synced with the INQ1’s address book. The latter feature opens up a world of possibilities. For example, when receiving a call, if available, the contact’s Facebook profile picture is displayed on the screen. Additionally, Facebook messages, pokes and friend requests are delivered automatically to the phone’s in-box, just like an SMS text message or ‘push’ email. In practice, this all worked a treat, and in many ways, makes staying up-to-date with friends and family through Facebook on the INQ1 feel more intuitive than on the desktop.

The INQ1’s Skype client replicates the basic functionality of its older desktop sibling, with a few notable caveats. While Skype-to-Skype calls are permitted, along with IM, Skye-Out (calling regular phone numbers using paid-for Skype credit) is only available for international calling, presumably at the request of “3″, the only carrier that currently offers the INQ1. Like-wise, there’s no support for Skype-In or video conferencing. That said, similar to the device’s Facebook support, Skype contacts can be imported into and kept in-sync with the phone’s address book, from which you can see a contact’s Skype status, initiate a call or start an IM conversation. Any IMs or call requests received, even while Skype is running in the background, are pushed directly to the phone, again just like an SMS or regular call.

In my testing, Skype call quality, while varied, was certainly good enough for social calls, which is exactly how the INQ1 is intended to be used, and the ability to see a contact’s status and, optionally, exchange a few IMs before calling, is very appealing.

Windows Live Messenger works in much the same was as the IM functionality of Skype on the INQ1. Once again, Messenger contacts can be synced with the phone’s address book (displaying online status, initiating an IM conversation etc.)

Pre-empting the Palm Pre

One really cool feature shared by the INQ1’s Facebook, Skype and Windows Live Messenger, is the ability to converge contact data from all three services, along with the phone’s own address book. This involves manually linking any duplicate contacts on each of your friend lists, so that, for example, the INQ1 will know that “Joe Bloggs” on Facebook is the same “JBloggs” on Skype, and so on. This is very similar to how the upcoming Palm Pre’s ‘Synergy’ feature will work, although Palm’s implementation looks like it will have a degree of automation, with the device doing some guess work in order to make converging contacts a little less time consuming than on the INQ1.

Web browser

For a phone that has it so right when it comes to social networking, I was a little disappointed by the web browser. It wasn’t the way pages rendered, the ‘full web’ was mostly accessible, but the slow speed at which they were displayed and the clunky scrolling. However, I was very pleased to see the option to switch on ’smart fit’ so that columns of text re-flow intelligently so as to eliminate horizontal scrolling on the device’s 2.2 inch (320 x 240) screen. There’s also a built-in RSS reader and an accompanying home screen widget too. Talking of which, other home screen widgets include a Google search bar, Yahoo Weather and world clock.

Camera

This is the biggest let down of the INQ1. The 3.2 mega-pixel camera is poor to say the least, which is a real shame considering how easy it is to upload photos to Facebook. With no Flash and weak optics, shots taken indoors really struggle, while well lit or outdoor situations obviously fare better.

Music player

The INQ1’s music player is pretty basic too, but it gets the job done (let down mostly by the lack of a 3.5mm headphone jack). On the upside is a degree of Last.fm integration, although it’s “scrobbling” of tracks only not actual streaming, and a microSD card slot offering plenty of storage.

Verdict

I don’t have any stats to prove it, but I’ve long believed that 90% of mobile phone owners probably only use about 10% of the device’s features. That’s unlikely to be the case with the INQ1, which not only concentrates on three of the most popular web services – Facebook, Skype and Windows Live Messenger – but integrates them in a very practical and intuitive way. In fact, the INQ1’s UI is incredibly easy to use overall, with the customizable Mac OSX dock-like launcher providing quick access to the most commonly used apps.

The major drawback of the INQ1 is the phone’s sub-par camera, something that I feel INQ needs to address as a priority in any future model. Moving forward, I’d also like to see an INQ phone with WiFi, a larger screen, and a QWERTY keyboard, all of which would, of course, add cost, although not so much over time as component prices come down. On the software side, a Twitter client and integration would be an obvious addition, as would support for more IM services. There also needs to be an option to increase the font size in the Facebook app, something  that could easily be addressed through a future software update.

Overall, however, I’ve found the INQ1 to be one of the most fun phones I’ve played with in recent times, and on a more profound level, points to where mobile communication is definitely heading. All of this from a new entrant and a low-cost device – free with a contract or £80 PAYG on carrier 3 here in the UK – squarely aimed at the masses. Job well done INQ (just fix that camera).

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• INQ working on a mass market ‘Twitter phone’
• Weekly wrapup: INQ1 review (the Facebook phone), Nokia E75 hands-on, Internet TV news round-up, and more

See also: Nokia announces online music store – takes aim at Apple and mobile carriers

Both Orange and O2 are unhappy that a Skype client will be bundled with Nokia’s upcoming N97 and are threatening to boycott the device and the company’s future Skype-enabled phones, for fear that including the application will further reduce their role to that of being a “dumb pipe”. According to Mobile Today’s source:

“This is another example of them trying to build an ecosystem that is all about Nokia and reduces the operator to a dumb pipe. Some people like 3 may be in a position where it could make sense to accept that. But if you spend upwards of £40m per year building your brand, you don’t want to be just a dumb pipe do you?

Nokia have tried several ways to own the customer over the years and operators have had to say no.”

Owning the customer, of course, is something that Apple has managed to achieve, and which 02 seems to have accepted in return for iPhone exclusivity here in the UK. Nokia, with its aggressive move into providing various web services (music subscriptions, maps, email, IM and social networking) is also trying to have a more direct relationship with the customer, presumably hoping that said services will help lock them into a continuous cycle of Nokia handset upgrades. At the same time, both companies, like any handset maker, need the carriers to stay on side so that they’ll continue to subsidize and market their wares. That seems like a conflict of interest if there ever was one, and I can’t see the issue being resolved any time soon.

Smarter phones, dumber pipes

As I’ve commented on before, the carriers are scared that in the future they’ll be reduced to being a dumb pipe, “selling commodity services such as voice and data at commodity prices with little or no differentiation.” But if phones are to become smarter, built on powerful software platforms that allow users to install an array of different applications – including Skype in the case of Nokia’s future handsets – then carrier networks will have to get dumber. I can’t quite see a way around this, and for me personally, the “dumber” the network, the more likely they are to get my business.

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• Poll: Can Skype replace your landline?

The Skype client is an open beta (available here) and is expected to work with about 50 handsets from Nokia, Motorola, Samsung, and Sony Ericsson. Other phones may work if they support Java, the language the client is based on.

It will not work on the iPhone.

“This product is part of our goal to be on as many platforms as possible,” said Wilhelm Lundborg, product manager for Skype Business (via InfoWorld).

All features — chat, group chat, presence, SkypeIn, Skype-to-Skype and SkypeOut calls — work in the U.K., Brazil, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Poland, and Estonia. Elsewhere, the data features and incoming Skype calls work, but the client does not allow outbound calls.

The client allows you to connect a cellphone to your Skype account. It uses cellphone minutes, but adds all your Skype contacts and gives you a mobile presence.

A “Skypephone” has been available by the U.K. carrier 3 since November.

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• Skype, U.K. mobile carrier 3 introduce first true mobile Skype phone