Mobile Application and Cloud Strategies

Nearly a year after its U.S.$8.5 billion purchase of over-the-top (OTT) messaging provider Skype, Microsoft is finally rolling out the first version of Skype for Windows Phone.

 

The Register reports the new app is certified to work on seven handsets—three Nokia Lumias, two from HTC and two from Samsung—and not on older devices, since it supports only Windows Phone 7.5 or higher and requires 512 MB of RAM. The free app takes up 6 MB of space, works over 3G and Wi-Fi connections, and is available now from the Windows Phone Marketplace.

 

Yankee Group Senior Analyst Jason Armitage comments

 

“Apps for consumer VoIP services have generated strong interest among smartphone owners. Users of Windows Phone devices may justly have wondered why Microsoft’s ecosystem lagged competitors in having a fully functioning Skype app. As a service with high consumer recognition, Skype can become an important differentiator for Microsoft’s OS. In the mobile market, the trick will be to do this without disrupting the critical relationships Microsoft is building up with operators.”