Skype for iPhone has been updated with some new features. The update brings anti-shake for video and Bluetooth support for wireless headsets and voice chatting.

Has Apple been hinting that there will be only one iPhone unveiled on October 4? That is what some think since the phone call icon on the iPhone invite shows one missed call.

Hackulous is a hacker store that offers pirated apps for Jailbroken iPhone users. The developers of the community have announced a new way to upload apps to the community described as a reverse BitTorrent.

Documents that tell Verizon users how to use Skype for the iPhone have leaked. The leaked document is called Skype Mobile for Verizon and the iPhone has long been rumored to hit the Verizon network in January.

An analyst claimed late last week that the iPhone would be landing at Verizon in November. We also heard last week that Sprint would be getting the device in September. I will believe it when I see it.

A new version of Skype for the iPhone landed last week. The app is now at version 2.0.0 and gets 3G VoIP call capability.

“iPhone is an innovative device that dramatically changed the game in wireless when it was introduced just two years ago,” said Ralph de la Vega, president and CEO, AT&T Mobility & Consumer Markets. “Today’s decision was made after evaluating our customers’ expectations and use of the device compared to dozens of others we offer.”

The scary part to me is the thought of the 3G coverage AT&T offers getting worse by an increased amount of VoIP traffic. Perhaps that won’t be an issue though; most people don’t use VoIP at all.

One source claiming to be close to the subject with AT&T said that the company has been deliberating on the decision for weeks and that top brass were close to accepting VoIP on AT&T phones including the iPhone. AT&T has declined to comment officially on the subject so far.

I would think that AT&T might want to focus a bit on fixing the issues with dropped calls and poor 3G connectivity as well. That would be a much more important and welcome announcement to me as an iPhone user.

The best news is that the Skype app for iPhone is a free download. Using the app, you can do the things that made Skype so popular to begin with. Namely, you can make free calls, send, and receive IMs form people on the network.

For an additional charge, you can call landline and mobile numbers over VOIP service. The app requires the iPhone or iPod touch t be running at least OS 2.2.

Skype has reportedly stated that “The Skype for iPhone app was down for a couple hours, caused by our own submission of a ‘hotfix’ to simply address some feedback and minor improvements. The release date for the ‘hotfix’ was incorrectly applied to the current version of the app.”

Skype for iPhone is already available again in Europe, Skype says, and will return to global app stores within a few hours at most. The app is in the process of being repopulated into the App Store.

[via CNET]

The advocacy group wrote to acting FCC Chairman Michael Copps, to require wireless carriers to allow consumers access to Skype via smartphones, as well as the ability to connect their devices to the Internet through tethering applications on their cell phones. To add to this, apparently, AT&T, Apple’s exclusive iPhone dealer in the U.S., wants to block the use of Skype on its 3G network, according to a report in USA Today.

Jim Cicconi, an AT&T public policy executive, considers Skype a competitor. He said that the telecommunications carrier had the right to forgo the facilitation of its competitors’ services. Included in the USA Today report, an Apple spokeswoman, Jennifer Bowcock, indicated the device maker limits third-party Internet phone applications for the iPhone and iPod to WiFi.

In the letter to the FCC, the Free Press feels the FCC needs to investigate violations of the Internet Policy Statement. Part of the letter is enclosed:

For two years, we have followed your leadership in raising concerns that wireless service providers appear to be engaging in activities that go against the Commission’s Internet Policy Statement by violating consumers’ right to run applications, use services, or attach devices of their choice over their broadband connections.

Recent reports about application blocking again raise these questions. Regardless of whether any particular incident would be found in violation of the law, the lingering uncertainty surrounding consumer rights on the Internet indicates the need for the Commission to clarify its rules. To resolve any alleged ambiguity raised by parties in earlier proceedings, the Commission should confirm that the Internet Policy Statement applies to wireless service providers that offer broadband Internet access service, as has been acknowledged in prior proceedings and statements of sitting Commissioners. Furthermore, the Commission should request more information on the extent of the wireless providers’ role in and their justifications for these widely-reported behaviors.

[via CNET]

In less than two days, Skype for iPhone has been downloaded more than one million times. This equates to approximately six downloads every second. Peter Parkes a Blogger with Skype said in a blog post, “this is a phenomenal performance, and we’re confident that it’s one of the fastest-downloaded iPhone apps ever. We’ll be back next week with an update, but for now, Skype on.”

This all went down on the 2nd of April after the initial release of the application. So if my maths serves me correctly, if the rate of downloading the app continues, hypothetically every iPhone user should have downloaded it within the next few weeks. Pretty good effort on Skypes behalf to have such a great turn around within days of releasing their app.

[via Skype]

What won’t be possible is VoIP over 3G.  According to Skype’s chief operating officer, Scott Durchslag, this is a limitation of Apple’s App Store terms of service.  Neither AT&T nor Apple answered a request for a comment on the Skype app.

iPod touch owners will also be able to download and use the software, though they’ll need to buy a microphone accessory since the PMP doesn’t have one integrated.  After iPhone OS 3.0 is released, however, 2nd-gen iPod touch users should be able to use the PMP’s newly-unlocked Bluetooth with hands-free headsets.

[via GigaOM]

The company is hosting a press conference Tuesday afternoon in Las Vegas the day before the CTIA show kicks off. Although there is no official comment about when a launch will be announced, the trade show will be the time to do it. Scott Durchslag, the company’s chief operating officer together with Skype admitted earlier this year that it’s working on an application for the iPhone. This coming during the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January. Costs, limitations and requirements for a Skype app still need confirming too.

“We have to make sure the call quality is there and the application works really well before we can announce the software for any device,” Durchslag said. “But we will have something for the iPhone as soon as it’s perfect.” Expectations look to more than 405 million registered users to take the current Skype experience. The company also believes they will be able to reach new users via mobile devices.

[via Gigaom, CNET]

The Denver Post’s online site reported:

Scott Durschlag, Skype’s chief operating officer, said Skype’s iPhone application is still under development. Engineers are still working on cutting the amount of power the application consumes, he said

[Just Anorther iPhone Blog via IntoMobile]

Currently works in 33 countries around the world, Truphone uses the iPhone’s own address book. Making a Truphone call is easy: just open the Truphone application and dial as normal. 

Truphone’s Skype feature for iPhone follows the release of similar services (client-based applications like fring and Nimbuzz, or web application like IM+ for Skype).

Anyone has tried of these applications? Which one do you like best?

[via GigaOM]

Leopard’s firewall attempts to digitally sign applications when launched, a practice caused by Apple’s shift from managing network traffic at the software level rather than at packet level.  Just as Windows Vista requests network authorisation for new software, the latest version of OS X assigns a code signature which is later used to decide access permissions.  Software such as Skype, however, reacts badly to that signature; after running self-integrity checks it recognizes it has been altered and, in future, refuses to load.  Unfortunately no error message is displayed, merely the Skype icon constantly blinking.

A similar issue is being experienced by World of Warcraft players, who have found that Leopard damages software integrity to such an extent that the recommended “workaround” is complete reinstallation.  The news comes as multiple users are reporting ongoing issues with dropped wireless network connections (warning – large page).