[Canuck671]

i use skype on my playbook right now. i have to figure out the video, but the voice worked fine last night when i tested it.

i will post the link when i go find it on my other pb.

[Canuck671]

https://imo.im/

this came from a sticky thread under pb apps.

lots of great links there. check it out

[jonty12]

No the entire point of the beta was for devs to port and test their android apps of which android apps that use certain functions will not work in the player.

It is a new OS for being used as is anyway otherwise yes it has been around for some time but in totally different uses. I believe the tools for everything else are either being released or will be shortly.

Exactly. There isn't an issue with native apps and the camera/mic. It's an Android issue, which is why Android Skype doesn't work for video, but native ReelPortal does (and works quite well).

If they were going to open the camera up to Android they would have/should have done it for the developer beta. Makes no sense to do it after release.

[sir.dangerfield]

I'm surprised with all the responses about connecting with family and friends while out of town or on business trips. I would think that one would already have a laptop set up in the hotel where the WIFI is. If most people have replaced their laptop with the PlayBook then we're getting somewhere. Has anyone tried to Splashtop Skype via Bridge?

[greatwiseone]

all they need to do is to open up the appropriate api's in the android run times to make the android skype app fully functional on the PlayBook. there's no reason why it won't work.

[jonty12]

I'm surprised with all the responses about connecting with family and friends while out of town or on business trips. I would think that one would already have a laptop set up in the hotel where the WIFI is. If most people have replaced their laptop with the PlayBook then we're getting somewhere. Has anyone tried to Splashtop Skype via Bridge?

That's what I used to do until my firm blocked Skype. Now the laptop isn't an option.

[bobauckland]

I'm surprised with all the responses about connecting with family and friends while out of town or on business trips. I would think that one would already have a laptop set up in the hotel where the WIFI is. If most people have replaced their laptop with the PlayBook then we're getting somewhere. Has anyone tried to Splashtop Skype via Bridge?

Except you can use Skype over 3G to make video calls whilst on the go.
Thats where the tablet supposedly comes in, you carry the tablet and leave the laptop at home.
Except unlike every other major mobile operating system, Skype isn't on, or confirmed to be coming to, the BlackBerry ecosystem. Nor are there other options.
You can use the Playbook to Playbook video chat except you have to get everyone else to get a Playbook. Which is ********. Its a Sony sales tactic.

[Ampedx]

Except you can use Skype over 3G to make video calls whilst on the go.
Thats where the tablet supposedly comes in, you carry the tablet and leave the laptop at home.
Except unlike every other major mobile operating system, Skype isn't on, or confirmed to be coming to, the BlackBerry ecosystem. Nor are there other options.
You can use the Playbook to Playbook video chat except you have to get everyone else to get a Playbook. Which is ********. Its a Sony sales tactic.

Sucks that PB doesn't have Skype and are stuck with a proprietary video chat with a install base of less than 1 Million users . This tactic worked with BBM, since theres 75+ million BB subscribers, unfortunately doesn't work if nobody buys your product lol .

[kbz1960]

I thought people were saying that realportal and AOL AV work on the pb?

[jonty12]

I thought people were saying that realportal and AOL AV work on the pb?

They do work. It's just that nobody else uses them.

If I make a Skype call to my mom (see I'm a good boy, I call my mom) in Calgary, she answers because she's always online. Same to my inlaws in Edmonton, my friends in Phoenix, or Johannesburg (insert other city here). Their computer rings and they answer the video call because they, like 600 million other people, are Skype users.

I can log into ReelPortal or AOL AV and sit there all day. There'd be nobody to talk to. If I have to call them to log in or create an account, that defeats the purpose of the Skype call.

ReelPortal and AOL AV could be much better in terms of functionality and performance. Doesn't matter - nobody else is using them.

[kbz1960]

They do work. It's just that nobody else uses them.

If I make a Skype call to my mom (see I'm a good boy, I call my mom) in Calgary, she answers because she's always online. Same to my inlaws in Edmonton, my friends in Phoenix, or Johannesburg (insert other city here). Their computer rings and they answer the video call because they, like 600 million other people, are Skype users.

I can log into ReelPortal or AOL AV and sit there all day. There'd be nobody to talk to. If I have to call them to log in or create an account, that defeats the purpose of the Skype call.

ReelPortal and AOL AV could be much better in terms of functionality and performance. Doesn't matter - nobody else is using them.

OK how did these people get on skype? They had to install it and set it up or someone did it for them. If it were me and I needed to have this I would use teamviewer and install on the family members computers remotely and set them up.

It might not be ideal but if you absolutely have to have it there are ways and I'm sure if friends and family member want to see and talk to you they aren't going to mind either.

[hpjrt]

In my personal experience, the 600 million aside, Skype is highly over-rated. We have a daughter in Australia, but since she's moved closer to the beach Skype's signal is spotty at best. Even when we could use Skype, the delay aspect was highly annoying!

When another daughter lived in New Brunswick, Skype was never able to connect.

Just my two cents based on my experience ...

[RamR]

One aspect of Skype that other options don't offer (as far as I know) is calling to land lines and mobile phones in other countries. For about $6 a month my wife can call unlimited to the mobile phones and land lines of friends and families in her home country.

[ralfyguy]

imo.im works on the PB, but crashes the browser frequently. PLUS when used in conjunction with a PC and the Skype program, the video part doesn't work.

[kbz1960]

One aspect of Skype that other options don't offer (as far as I know) is calling to land lines and mobile phones in other countries. For about $6 a month my wife can call unlimited to the mobile phones and land lines of friends and families in her home country.

You can do the same with yahoo or many options online. I don't know that any of those have an unlimited option but cheep rates.

[jonty12]

OK how did these people get on skype? They had to install it and set it up or someone did it for them. If it were me and I needed to have this I would use teamviewer and install on the family members computers remotely and set them up.

It might not be ideal but if you absolutely have to have it there are ways and I'm sure if friends and family member want to see and talk to you they aren't going to mind either.

sure, just ping me when there's a teamviewer app for PlayBook so I can start on all those installs.

[jonty12]

In my personal experience, the 600 million aside, Skype is highly over-rated. We have a daughter in Australia, but since she's moved closer to the beach Skype's signal is spotty at best. Even when we could use Skype, the delay aspect was highly annoying!

When another daughter lived in New Brunswick, Skype was never able to connect.

Just my two cents based on my experience ...

i don't disagree at all in the assessment of the application. It's a bandwidth and resource hog with major security issues. In fact, as a partner in my firm, I'm glad we've blocked it.

Problem is, if I want to video chat with people (without planning in advance - i.e. how people generally make phone calls) who are not PlayBook users, I have no other real choice.

[Thunderbuck]

We can ask "what's the big deal about Skype? There's tons of other apps that do the same thing...", but there's no getting past the fact that Skype is a standard. People, families, businesses, groups... Skype has a huge head start.

PlayBook video chat is all well and good, but only works if everyone you want to chat with has a PlayBook. We got my Father-in-law a 32GB PlayBook for his birthday last year (when they still sold at full price), and now? He wishes we'd bought him an iPad2 because there's no Skype on the PB.

I don't even use Skype myself, but my biggest hope right now is that Skype will somehow be integrated into the new messaging platform. If not with this update, soon.

[CairnsRock]

One aspect of Skype that other options don't offer (as far as I know) is calling to land lines and mobile phones in other countries. For about $6 a month my wife can call unlimited to the mobile phones and land lines of friends and families in her home country.

We call iandlines in Scotland and Canada from Mexico on Skype all the time. No problem.

[tweggs]

Hello all,
Don,t count on Skype anytime soon. I have a friend that is on the MS/Skype team. Two weeks ago while at Skpe HQ'S I asked about Skype for Playbook. The answer was it's on PC,MAC and some tablets. My reply was, I have 4 PC's all with Skype. I want to travel light with my Plahbook as do many more people! No answer yet.

[Thunderbuck]

Hello all,
Don,t count on Skype anytime soon. I have a friend that is on the MS/Skype team. Two weeks ago while at Skpe HQ'S I asked about Skype for Playbook. The answer was it's on PC,MAC and some tablets. My reply was, I have 4 PC's all with Skype. I want to travel light with my Plahbook as do many more people! No answer yet.

I see one potential loophole; that RIM gets rights to support Skype through its own interface. Not counting on that actually happening, but I think it's at least possible.

[kbz1960]

sure, just ping me when there's a teamviewer app for PlayBook so I can start on all those installs.

So I take it the playbook is your only computer? You do this all ahead of time if the playbook is going to be the only thing you are taking. Why would you leave and then say oh I don't have skype I won't be able to chat with anyone.

[jonty12]

So I take it the playbook is your only computer? You do this all ahead of time if the playbook is going to be the only thing you are taking. Why would you leave and then say oh I don't have skype I won't be able to chat with anyone.

If I am on business trip or at the office - the only time I'd like to use Skype without my home laptop - I don't have a computer that has (or will allow me to install) something like Teamviewer. As I said at the beginning of this drawn out discussion, my work laptop (the only one I take with me on trips) is locked down. That's the reason it doesn't have Skype on it!

So, for example, if I'm in Europe for a week and my brother decides he wants to Skype with me from Canada, I can't do it. I also can't install anything on his computer because I don't have a computer with Teamviewer. Believe it or not, personal video chats are not planned a week in advance so one can prepare the other party to install something on their computer to be able to have the chat. Business calls, on the other hand, generally are.

As an aside, this is silly. I'm talking about an issue that's real issue. Not being able to communicate with what has become a global standard. Having to come back and respond to why all these (what should be unnecessary) workarounds aren't feasible is just silly. Not having Skype (which I use) and Netflix (which I don't use) is a major, major handicap for RIM right now - one that is affecting both sales and reputation.

[kbz1960]

Sounds like you just need to get something that works for you. When did you buy your playbook and why?

I was just saying that being an owner of a playbook you know it doesn't have skype. I'm sure when you take one of your trips you know ahead of time, maybe not. Also knowing you only have the playbook I would think one would find other options that would work as there are some.

[FF22]

+1

I have to agree with Jonty. It is just one of those standard apps - multiple platforms.

But unless there is the option for RIM to use hooks or api's or whatever, MS/Skype need to be on board.