Skype launches services for iPhone and BlackBerry

At the CTIA annual mobile showcase in Las Vegas Skype revealed its plans to launch its service for iPhone users on Tuesday and for BlackBerry in May in order to expand its coverage beyond desktop computer. Ben Wood, CCS Insight analyst, thinks the new applications will give Skype a chance to boost its mobile phone position, which has been weaker than that of social sites such as Facebook, Twitter or News Corp's MySpace.

Skype was already announced for Nokia phones and for phones based on Android, Google Inc's mobile system, and Windows Mobile, from Microsoft Corp. Research in Motion's BlackBerry devices, popularizing mobile email, supposed to get Skype services launched in May. 

Skype Chief Operating Officer Scott Durchslag believes Skype's most feature-rich mobile offering will please new and existing customers leading to the application's success on Apple Inc's iPhone. 

One of Skype's unusual iPhone features is that subscribers get an ability to use the phone numbers in their existing iPhone address book which means that they do not need duplicate lists. Skype's iPhone application will be free to download and will enable free calls between the Skype users. The service will also work on later versions of Apple's latest iPod Touch device, launched September 2008, which has Wi-Fi links but no cellular connection and also has a microphone.