Iphone 3G and Skype
 

Hello,

I am also posting this over on apple, but I was just curious if anyone here would have some input. I am leaving for Italy soon from the US and my hotel has wifi. I was wondering if I have the Skype app installed on my iphone, will I be able to get on their wifi to make calls? I know I need to have the international roaming off to prevent incurring charges. I just installed skype this am (I am in NY now) and when I try to run it to test it, it says that it cannot run on a 3G network. I then switch to the edge network, still not working. I know this is a travel website, but I know many of you are into gadgets as well. Please advise! Thanks!

I can tell you that Skype works great between Italy and the US. I have the $12 unlimited monthly plan which allows you unlimited calls between Italy and the US. The limitation with Skype is that you need a WiFi connection. In Italy, I have had zero luck with finding unlocked wi fi spots. This means you are essentially limited to using the phone at your hotel. Also, when an Italian hotel says they have WiFi, there is typically a fee involved. The usual system is you buy 1 hour, 3 hours or 24 hours of time. Sometimes the hourly blocks run consecutively from first log on, but usually you can log in and out and the time is only used up when you are actually on line. Sometimes you pay at the front desk and they give you a card with a password and othertimes you can buy time from your room with a credit card without going to the front desk. In either event , you will need to log on with a password before using Skype unless you have bought a 24 hour plan which means you are continuously on. Of course, to call the US you can also get an unlocked cell phone with an Italian SIM. In my experience, if your calls are going to be very short, the cell phone will just as cheap as Skype. But if you talking for 20 or more minutes a day, Skype is definitely worth it.

Yes, you can use your hotel wifi to make VOIP (skype, truphone, etc.) calls home. If the wifi is free then you're all set. If it's not then you may still find it worth purchasing as you'll be able to use other web-based stuff on your iPhone. Use of a password does not necessarily mean there's a charge. If only Ethernet is available you can use an Airport to generate a wifi signal.

So, from what I am gathering, as long as my international roaming is off I will not incur any extra charges via AT&T? The only cost may be if I have to pay for wifi? Thanks!

Yes, that's right. We used our iphone with skype installed for several calls from China to the U.S. last month and it worked beautifully! No extra charges.

Wow, that's great! I guess I was in the dark about the capabilities that an iphone has. I was thinking of getting a laptop for some of the same purposes that the iphone can serve. Thanks!