Skype, the eBay owned company, plans to release its own mobile handset, following the Apple and Google examples. Of course, we all know that Google didn't launch any mobile phone, but this will happen pretty soon. Now Skype, known for providing cheap or even free Internet phone calls, will also enter the mobile manufacturers' world.

The Skype mobile phone will be a VoIP compatible one and should be released this fall via 3 Mobile. It will support classic mobile phone calls as well as VoIP calls via the Skype network, VoIP calls that will not be charged by 3 Mobile. A special feature will allow Skype phone owners to easily contact other Skype users. There aren't many details about the Skype phone, but it seems it will be able to provide high-speed data for Internet browsing and have several multimedia capabilities.

3 Mobile already offers Skype services, via its X-Series phones. The X-Series are actually Nokia handsets, Nokia 6210 and Nokia E65 that come packed with features like unlimited Skype to Skype calls, Windows Live Messenger or free eBay access.

The Skype phone is planned to be released in the UK, Italy, Australia and Hong Kong. Since 3 Mobile does not operate in the US, a release for the Skype phone in North America seems impossible at the moment. But, in the future, who knows how things can evolve...

There is no word about an estimative price for the Skype phone, but it will almost surely be cheaper than many other handsets out there, like the iPhone for example. I, for one, am very curious about the price as well as about the phone's design. Will it be a compact phone, a slider one, a clamshell? Will it be thin or rather bulky? We must wait for the official release, when all things will clear out.