Why Pay to Hear Your Parents Moan? (3 Skypephone)

Member Name: kitschkitty

Product:	3 Skypephone
Date:	22/01/09 (249 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Easy to use, sleek design, free Skype to Skype calls

Disadvantages: Poor camera quality, poor battery life, call quality reduced on Skype calls

This Christmas I managed to excel myself and, for once, my father was actually grateful for the Christmas presents I chose for him and my mother. But whilst he may think my present of a new mobile phone was generous, I had an ulterior motive when I purchased not one, but two Skypephones from 3 and that was to satisfy my frugal streak by enabling me to call my parents for free. So whilst I browsed the internet in search of a new phone, it was the Skype capabilities of this phone that caught my eye and I was sold. The model I have here, and that which is shown in the picture is the S1. Three have bought out an S2 model more recently. The S1 version comes in two colour options, black or white. Having debated how long a white mobile would remain white in my possession, I popped to my local 3 store to check the phones in the flesh and was instantly attracted to the sleek pearlescent exterior of the white option. I was sold, but not there and then of course. Instead I ordered online through the website, ensuring I picked up my £11 cashback through Quidco. Each mobile cost me £39.99 but had the added advantage of £11 cashback as I processed the orders separately and each phone came with £10 credit. Quite a bargain if you ask me.

Setting up the phone was easy although inserting the memory card was a little tricky. The instructions for doing this were poor and I was worried I was going to break the phone but a quick search on Google soon pointed me in the right direction and I was ready to go. After charging it up, my new mobile was ready to go, and despite having never used a 3 mobile phone before, navigating through the menus was a doddle. The phone does come with an extensive instruction book but if you're already familiar with using a mobile phone, even if it's a different make and model, then most of the options should be pretty self-explanatory. The manual was particularly helpful though in setting up my Skype account and the whole process took under 5 minutes.

As far as making calls is concerned, the phone gives you two options. You can use it as you would a normal phone and make calls to any other mobile or landline. The clarity is far clearer than that of my previous mobile and it's a simple process as you would expect from any half decent mobile phone. But the big Skype button in the centre of the phone is where the magic happens. This enables you to use your phone on the Sype network to call other Skype users and the massive advantage of this is that it's entirely free. When you press the Skype button, you'll be presented with a series of contacts, similar to a list of your email contacts. Select the person you want to call and then the marvelous technology means you can call anywhere in the world for free. Since my parents like to tell me in minute detail what they have eaten each day and what post they have received and other equally mundane details, I figure both of the phones have already paid for themselves in the money I have saved in making phone calls. Unfortunately, using the Skype feature is not without its downsides. The sound quality is reduced on Skype and there tends to be a slight echo to the call, although this isn't significant enough to be off putting. There is also a time delay of a couple of seconds which I noticed when testing out both the mobiles in my flat at the same time. On the whole though, I think these little bugbears are tolerable if they mean I can save money on my phone bill.

As part of the 3 network, the Skypephone also comes equipped with internet access. You can use elements of this service for free included accessing the weather and recent news stories, enabling you to watch news reports as a video. Since the screen isn't huge, it isn't something I'd choose to watch a programme or film on but it is quite impressive quality for a short news flash. You can also pay to access the full internet although, stingy as I am, I haven't used this feature. I think I spend enough time surfing the net on my laptop as it is. One thing I do notice though is that when accessing the 3 website and other free internet sites, they are presented clearly on the screen and are easy to navigate using the phone. There is also an option to subscribe to certain TV channels using this phone. Again, it isn't something that appeals to me but if you're used to enduring long commutes to work, it may be of interest.

As far as the negatives are concerned, I have noticed a couple. Firstly, although the phone boasts a camera and the ability to record videos, the quality is poor. The 2 megapixels simply isn't a match to my digital camera although I rarely use my phone to take pictures since I'm so used to owning a mobile without a camera. Secondly, the battery life seems rather poor. Since I don't own a landline, I tend to spend quite a lot of time on my mobile and make a receive a few brief calls from friends each day. I also, despite my usual loathing of text messages, have taken up winging a lot via text to friends and the fella. I keep the phone on 24/7 since my friends feel the need to worry about me 24/7 and I also use it for an alarm each morning that does ring for an extortionate length of time. But I'm still more than a tad disappointed to find myself having to recharge the phone on a daily basis. And finally, there is the problem I have sending text messages. At first I blamed myself but having had a couple of months to get used to the phone, I'm afraid I am shifting my blame to the keypad. For some reason, it has a very annoying habit of sending text messages before I've finished entering my text. I suspect this mobile is verging on intelligence as it also seems to pick the most inopportune moments to do so making the most innocent of texts sound like some sort of desperate innuendo due to cutting me off mid sentence.

But whilst I might have the occasional grievance with my Skypephone, I am, on the whole, very impressed. Once you take the cashback and free credit into account, it cost me just under £20 and I've yet to find another mobile in that price range that is as easy to use, attractive and practical. The Skype ability alone makes it worth the money in my opinion so if you have friends or family abroad who you'd like to call via Skype, or if like me you're just too tight to pay to listen to your parents moaning at you, then it's definitely a mobile phone worthy of consideration.

Summary: It will pay for itself in no time.

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