The Fring thing
A couple of days ago, I was browsing the web for new applications I could install on my Nokia E60 mobile phone. That's when I came across an app called Fring. Fring allows you to login to services like Skype, Google Talk (Jabber!), and SIP based services (Ekiga!), and to use your phone as client. This gets even cooler because the E60 has WLAN support built in, so, basically, you get a Skype phone anyplace with free Wi-Fi. Unfortunately, unlike in North America, free wireless hotspots are hard to find in Germany.
Anyway, I installed Fring on my phone, started it with my Skype account, connected to my wireless router ... and waited for someone to appear on my contact list. I'm not a frequent Skyper, so I don't have many friends on my list, but today, Johannes went online, and I immediately gave him a call. It worked surprisingly well, although Fring is still in beta, and Johannes was sitting in his kitchen with three walls between his laptop and router. Admittedly, there was a heavy time lag of about one or two seconds, but it's been hard to tell if it was because of his poor signal or because of the software involved. However, it was great to be able to walk into the living room or the kitchen without problems. I sometimes use Skype with my bluetooth headset, which allows me to stand up from in front of my computer, but I cannot leave the room. Now I can, and I decided to share the fun with you.
Fring is a free service, though I don't know if it will stay that way forever. Probably not, but until then, it's a useful little app that remains on my phone alongside the trusty ICQ client JIMM.