Nokia N97 to come with Skype!

With the official release of the Nokia N97 still over three months away, those dastardly Finns thought they would tease us with the announcement that the N97 will offer full support for Skype. Better still, the N97 is set to come with the Skype software pre-installed so you can get your free internet calling fix from the word go.

Skype offers its users cheap and often free calls to other Skype users with the real deal breaker being the fact that you can make these calls from and to anywhere in the world. Whereas in the past international calls would have been closely followed by a massive phone bill, Skype lets users stay in touch with friends and family across the globe, as well as making national calls as well. Skype uses a data connection which means the N97, featuring HSDPA and Wi-Fi connectivity, is the perfect candidate for the software.

The Skype client software allows N97 owners to make free Skype to Skype calls and also buy Skype airtime, similar to on a pay as you go phone, to call non Skype numbers. The deal was announced at last months Mobile World Congress event held in Barcelona and could prove a fruitful joint venture for the worlds largest handset vendor and the voIP firm.

The agreement between Nokia and Skype is set to see a range of future release launched with the voice over IP software pre-installed starting with the Nseries and the N97. Set to launch in Q2 of this year, click here to register for updates.