Skype added support for three Sony Ericsson smartphones to its ‘Skype for Symbian’ application, with the software now available for the vendor’s flagship Satio, Vivaz and Vivaz pro devices. The application will enable customers to make free Skype-to-Skype calls to other service users worldwide, to save money on calls and texts to devices abroad, and to send and receive instant messages to and from individuals or groups. It also allows customers to import names and numbers from the device address book, and includes presence support to show when contacts are available online.

Skype for Symbian will enable calls over 3G, 2G (GPRS/EDGE) and Wi-Fi connections. In a statement, Skype recommended that subscribers have an unlimited data plan “to avoid incurring additional charges from operators”, and also warned of the potential for further charges if using Skype over a mobile data connection when roaming. The application supports devices powered by Symbian^1, which was described as “the latest version of the Symbian platform”. Skype has already announced that the application will work with 23 handsets from Nokia which are powered by Symbian^1, and Skype applications are also available for other handset platforms including Android, BlackBerry and the iPhone OS (now rebranded iOS). The Skype for Symbian application is available from Sony Ericsson’s Play Now arena application store.