Last week I also tried out Fring (see Stuart’s previous post) on my blogger evaluation Nokia N80i phone via my home office WiFi connection (it could also work with GSM but never got the chance to try it out). I have also been trying out Truphone with some excellent success for about six weeks. First impressions of Fring:
The good:
- Can reach all my Skype contacts and have multiple chat sessions running.
- Can make SkypeOut calls to the Nokia’s default Contacts (those synchronized with my Outlook Contacts, for instance)
- Can limit displayed Skype Contacts to only those who are online
- Made a few voice calls to Skype Contacts; good quality
The bad:
- User interface needs a UI guru – More than the Fring UI itself my major issues are with its integration into the overall N80i calling infrastructure. With Truphone, I simply have one more option on the standard phone calling menu beyond “Voice Call” (over GSM) and “Video Call” (well, we need the video calling infrastructure here in Canada yet), namely, “Internet Call” which puts the call through Truphone. Truphone can be set up to be the first service attempted prior to making a call over GSM.
- Not a single step process to access the Fring UI. Either hold down the Menu key and wait to see the active programs listed or look for it through your Menu | Tools | My Own menu system.
- No option to switch between “Handset” and “Speaker” mode. This is when I found I had a problem with the “Handset” speaker on my N80i which is being returned to Andy for repair or replacement. (I could listen to a Fring-initiated call if I attached the N80i’s earbuds.)
- Because they use different logos and can also access other services, such as Google Talk, it is difficult to determine what presence information is being provided. Very confusing.
As for the Chat activity, the good:
- Can have multiple chat sessions running; navigate amongst them via the 5-way Scroll/Select key.
- Synchronizes with chat sessions happening via a Skype client on the PC.
As for the chat activity, the (very) bad:
- Sounds that becomes very annoying: the audio clip that chimes for every chat message, whether sent or received. If you are in multiple active chat sessions, your phone could wear out its battery generating sound tones. Don’t need the “fringing pinging” every few seconds. Use of a “vibrate” option would help.
- Also I would want to have a high volume or unlimited data plan to use this over GSM.
- Trying to enter long chat messages via a T9 keyboard. Skype Chat (or extensive chat activity via any IM service on a mobile device) is better suited to the Nokia E-series or Blackberries with their full keyboards. (Recall I am also a Blackberry user).
But here is the killer: if you are running Fring, with its synchronization to any Skype Chat sessions on your PC, you are blocked from doing Skype File Transfers via your PC Skype client. If you want to do a Skype File Transfer on your PC, you need to Exit Fring completely on your mobile device. Seems that the Fring server virtually, if not in practice, blocks File Transfers.
Other questions:
- When will they be applying for Skype Certification?
- Is Fring using the standard Skype API’s or have they access to Skype via some “back door”?
In summary, in its current beta state, Fring is a great opportunity to experience Skype IM activity via a Nokia phone and get some exposure to the UI issues as well as to issues that arise from incorporating IM into a road warrior’s daily routine. But when will Skype actually have a true Skype for Mobile on Symbian platforms? Or will Fring address these issues and make it a more user friendly experience for the average consumer?
(I tried out Fring’s Google Talk option also — in fact first learned about Fring when Stuart sent me a chat message and it ended up in the Google Chat client on my Blackberry — but I have very few (<10) contacts in Google Talk.)
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