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Lumia
February 26, 2014

Skype on Nokia X: the details



Fully customised for the X family, Skype finds a new mobile audience

Nokia_X_Skype_Screen_04_HR

It’s amazing to think that just ten years ago, Skype introduced itself to the world. A decade later and more than 300 million registered people are spending a mind-boggling two-billion minutes making calls on Skype every day.

Even more eye opening is the outlook from Skype itself; talking to Conversations soon after the announcement of the Nokia X family, Lara Kingwell, Skype Product Marketing Manager told us:

 

“We’re seeing more and more people have their first Skype experience on a mobile phone. For us, mobile is part of Skype and hugely important to the way we think about the future.”

 

Skype has made a customised version of its Android app for the Nokia X family, which also includes specifically designed features, such as notifications appearing in Fastlane – just tap to jump straight into your conversation. Livetiles have also been customised, allowing them be to resized and positioned around the Start screen.

 

With the Nokia XL featuring a 2MP front-facing camera and Skype being able to run on WiFi and cellular data, free Skype-to-Skype video calling will be open to a new legion of fans, as Kingwell points out:

 

“I think it will be a really exciting experience for anyone who hasn’t used Skype before. Many people still think Skype is just a desktop app, so we hope they see the possibilities created by Skype being across all platforms – especially in emerging markets that can take advantage of low-cost calling”

 

Video instant messaging (launched last year) allows you to record a video message and send to someone else on Skype, even if they’re offline. The message will pop up into the cloud and download when the recipient is back online.

 

Kingwell explains a scenario:

“If you’re travelling with work and you wanted to say goodnight to your kids, just record a video message, send it and before they go to bed, they can watch it.”

Skype's Lara Kingwell
Skype’s Lara Kingwell

 

Picture sharing and file transfer are available through the app itself and you can toggle between front and rear cameras. Call waiting is also available for Skype calls, as is the ability to switch from a Skype call to a landline phone call.

 

To mark the launch of Skype on Nokia X, new customers in select markets will get a month’s free Skype Unlimited World subscription trial, allowing people to make free calls to landlines in 63 countries, and calls to mobiles in eight markets. Further information can be found here.

 

The Skype app will come pre-loaded on Nokia X devices. Head to the Nokia app store and download the Skype Gift App to redeem the offer.

 

Once the trial has finished, Nokia X owners can choose to sign up for the ad-less Skype Premium service that provides extra support and will be applicable across all devices you own. Local subscription packages that give low-cost calling in your locale will also be available on the Nokia X app.

 

 

Tags:
Nokia X
Skype