Skype Beta Released for Smartphones

Internet telephony company Skype has issued a beta client for use on Windows Mobile based smartphones, which could one day enable users to make voice over IP calls using a mobile phone. For now however, the beta release only supports instant messaging and no voice communication.

In a forum posting announcing the beta, Skype project manager Tarmo Tali explained, "CPU power and network connectivity of currently available phones is not sufficient to enable Skype voice calls." Tarmo also warned that the Skype client may use up a significant amount of network bandwidth due to its peer-to-peer capabilities. The company is working on lowering network usage.