BB10 is Skyped

BlackBerry users had a clear disadvantage when they discussed apps with other smartphone users. No, it had nothing to do with the number of apps available on their respective app stores. Rather, one particular popular app was missing from BB's terminal.

Skype, arguably the world's most popular video chat client, had been denied to BB users for so long. Till BB10 was launched and one saw a glimmer of hope - BlackBerry announced that Skype would soon be available for BB10.

That momentous date came last month when the Q5, the budget device running BB10's latest update was unveiled. Along with the launch, BB announced the rollout of an update for BB10 devices - OS 10.1. After the update, Skype was available on BlackBerry World.

While the software calls itself "preview", for all practical purposes, this is fully functional Skype. We tried out Skype on a stock Z10 which had been updated to OS 10.1. While we were able to use Skype over 3G, the intermittent data service spoilt the experience.

However, it was a different ball game over Wi-Fi. Voice calls were seamless while using Skype over Wi-Fi and video calls offered a lot of clarity. Indoors, we faced no problems video-chatting using the speakerphone but we suspect one would need to invest in earphones if one wants to Skype outdoors as well. The Z10's front camera comes in handy while using Skype.

We could do everything on the BB10 app that we can do on competing platforms but BB10's superb predictive keyboard (which works on Skype as well) is a boon for people like me who hate typing out long sentences in chat.

It's a great option for BB users and lets hope the Q5 is pocket friendly. Or alternately, a Skype application is launched for OS 7.1 users as well.