ZyXEL has a dual-mode GSM/WiFi handset phone coming out soon running Windows Mobile 5.0 and will feature a removable SIM card for use with any carrier that supports GSM. The real kicker is that it will also have Skype pre-installed on the ZyXEL dual-mode phone, which will enable this phone to bypass expensive cellphone minutes in favor of an inexpensive (or even free) Skype VoIP connection using WiFi.
I wonder if there is a specialized version of Skype or even a specialized dialer on the ZyXEL that will detect if you are in a WiFi zone and routes the call over Skype instead of over the cellular GSM connection. I actually learned about this phone at ITEXPO last week (another great reason to attend by the way) and have been trying to acquire photos of this new product. Stay tuned. I'm on it!
Update - 2/1/06 - 2:35pm
I confirmed with ZyXEL that they do indeed have a dual-mode GSM/WiFi phone coming out. Unfortunately, they wouldn't give me a photo or any further details other than to say that it will be coming out 3rd or 4th quarter. I'll try hitting some of my other sources to see if I can scrape up a photo.
ZyXEL dual-mode GSM/WiFi phone
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Interesting. We are expecting...
Hi, I have already tested Skype on a dual(GSM+WiFi) phone from HTC. More details on my blog: http://headworx.blogspot.com/2006/01/mobile-voip-is-coming.html
My tests just confirm you need a 300MHz processor and a true 3G connectivity (WCDMA or better). 200MHz or Edge is simply not enough for Skype conversations.