India Broadband Forum

India Broadband

Skype has literally been a Godsend to people who make a load of long distance calls as it can save them a rather substantial amount of dough. But what about when you want to make that VoIP call while away from your home PC? Fret not, long-D lovers, because WebMessenger Mobile for Skype has officially been launched, allowing users to make and receive VoIP calls from a number of compatible mobile devices, including BlackBerry devices, Palm handhelds, WinMo Pocket PCs, and J2ME Java phones.

Essentially, you can call anywhere in North America absolutely free of charge (well, after you factor in the data costs involved, but Skype and WebMessenger themselves charge you nothing), with overseas connections based on Skype's low rates. The free version of the software allows for click-to-Call, text chat, and 20 contacts, whereas the $3.95 monthly version adds hundreds of contacts and 4-way conferencing.

The catch -- of course there had to be one -- is that you have to leave the Skype software running on your desktop computer in order for WebMessenger Mobile to work. You see, you're essentially connecting to your buddies via your PC and not forming a direct link.