14 DAY TRIAL // Skype, the highly popular VoIP service that offers users the possibility to make long distance calls all around the world at low costs, has recently announced the introduction of a Skype for Symbian application in Nokia's Ovi Store, but it seems that the solution won't be available for North American users too. The company has just announced that it plans on focusing more on the newly signed agreement with Verizon Wireless, and that the Ovi Store won't bring Skype for North America too.
[ADMARk=1]Skype employee Sravanthi Agrawal has stated the following on the matter, VentureBeat reports: “Skype has made a decision in the United States to not promote the Skype for Symbian app through the Ovi Store. We did this so that we could drive more attention to the recently announced Skype and Verizon Wireless agreement. This was a marketing decision - plain and simple. […] Skype users in the U.S can still download Symbian by going directly to Skype.com.”
The decision seems to have taken Nokia by surprise, at least this is what the news site reports, citing a Nokia spokesperson. It seems that Skype has chosen not to include the application in the American version of the store without providing Nokia with an official explanation. However, application developers are free to include what software solutions they like in the Ovi Store, and they can also choose where and when to make them available, it seems.
Skype's deal with Verizon, in case there are some of you who are not familiar with the matter, was announced at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona about three weeks ago, and is expected to become fruitful as soon as this month. The agreement will result in the inclusion of Skype on a series of Verizon's smartphones, such as BlackBerry Storm, Storm2, Curve 8330, 8530, 8830 World Edition and Tour 9630, as well as on DROID by Motorola, DROID ERIS by HTC and Motorola Devour, all powered by Google's Android operating system.