Fring, a new iPhone application, is the first to offer Skype phone calls on Apple’s mobile devices.
This is probably one of the most exciting application to be announced for the iPhone since its launch. SHAPE Services, a German company, known for making mobile IM clients, has just announced IM+ for Skype for the iPhone, a web site optimized for the iPhone which means it will allow you to access Skype via iPhone's Safari browser, no iPhone hacks needed here.
Calls can only be made when the phone is connected to the internet over Wi-Fi; once the phone is hooked into a mobile network, normal telephone service resumes.
Fring isn't the only way to get VoIP onto the iPhone, or an iPod Touch, but it's certainly the most compatible. Mobile VoIP provider Truphone demonstrates a client for the iPhone back in September last year, though some claimed that the software was not as functional as it appeared. Quite why Fring has been able to launch its client, while Truphone hasn't, isn't clear: Truphone hasn't responded to our enquiry, but it could well be that the company is trying to avoid annoying Apple.
Of course, now that Fring is available in the App Store that means no need to jailbreak to download the app! However, jailbreaking does have its benefits but it’s up to the user to decide if it’s worth it or not. Go get Fring and tell about your experience with it. This is a wicked application and one definitely worth owning an iPhone for!