Android Version of Skype Announced at CES 2009

Skype COO Scott Durchslag has announced today, at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, a new Lite version of Skype designed for Android phones, which offers users the possibility to make voice calling to other mobile devices or desktops that have Skype, yet it is unable to allow video calling. According to the company, the Lite version of the popular VoIP software has been developed to work with more than 100 Java-enabled handsets manufactured by five of the largest industry players, namely LG, Nokia, Motorola, Sony Ericsson, and Samsung.

“Making the Skype experience available for download to Android-powered devices, as well as hundreds of other mobile phones from the world's leading handset manufacturers, is a major step forward for Skype,” Scott Durchslag, COO of Skype, said. “Nearly half the world's population are mobile phone users today and we know that many people who already use Skype want the option to use Skype on their mobile phones. We are committed to working towards our goal of getting Skype into the pockets of the mobile masses.”

Although the currently announced Android Skype version does not feature video calling support, it seems that the manufacturer is working on adding this capability to the software as well. Sources at the eBay-owned company have stated that the option is under development, yet no specific launch time frame has been unveiled.

Skype has also announced at CES that it plans to launch a new version of the software for the desktop Windows platform, Skype 4.0, which is expected to be released in February. At the same time, a Skype 1.0 Beta variant for Intel-based Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs) has also been revealed as being already available. According to the company, it partnered with Intel for the development of Skype for MIDs, built around the Intel Atom processor and Moblin-based Linux OS.

The Lite version of Skype designed for Android phones would allow users to make international calls, while only paying for data connection, which should already be included in the phone's plans. The Android variant of the software is still in beta, and will stay this way until it meets certain call quality, power management, and security standards, the company explained.