Since the Pre 3 came into the picture, we’ve been wondering how the Skype integration will work; well, now we have a good idea thanks to some leaked HP Pre 3 screenshots. They give us a little information about the upcoming software partnership, and while it’s in another language, we still get a pretty straightforward gist of the features it will enable.
First off, this service is for the new webOS that will be launching alongside the new Palm Pre 3, now handled by HP. Skype will work similar to the app we currently have on Android devices. It’ll allow you to either have a pop-up every time you want to make a call to ask if you’d like your normal phone company to handle it, or leave it to Skype to connect the call for you. If having to choose every time you make a call gets annoying (and I won’t blame you if it does), you’ll also have the option to make Skype only handle those expensive intentional calls and the rest will be left to your service provider.
Now here is where the annoying bit comes in: this software will have the ability to make Skype video calls, something the Android counterpart doesn’t do, and it’ll be able to do this with the first version that will ship with the phone. This feature is very big because Android users have been waiting for it to happen for ages now, and so webOS will have at least one thing it can hold over current Android phones. Another important thing to note about this is the ability to make both video and voice call over 3G as well as Wi-Fi for certain companies.
The Pre 3 should be making its way to stores across Europe next month, and hopefully we’ll see it here sometime this summer. The inclusion of Skype on the release software of the phone is quite the big deal for the always-connected generation.
[webOS-blog via Engadget]