Finally! A decent Skype client for the iPhone. I've just downloaded it today (yes, it's free) and it seems to work great. The cool thing is that it support multiple protocols so under same interface I now have MSN too. It can also do Google Talk, ICQ, Twitter, etc. It seems (haven't investigated, only tried it quickly) that they've disabled Skype calls over 3G (for obvious political reasons), but I'm more interested in the Chat features.

Nearly forgot: www.fring.com

AppStore is now active for Spain, which is very cool. And yes, the first app I downloaded was PhoneSaber. My wife thinks I'm a strange sad little man, waving my phone around. They'll never truly understand the power of The Force .

Ok, that last sentence was lame...

I have a tendency of dropping and scratching my phones (also known as having two kids). So I decided to be cautious this time. Seeing how new the device is, and nearly all shops are out of stock, there was little chance of finding a cover for it. I had a better chance to pick an iPod case. First shop I went to, I found one. Tried it on, a little tight, but overall fit. So decided to take it.

Next day I notice a strange behavior while making a call. I dial the number and the screen goes black. I can't get the damn thing to come back on. I click the sleep/wake-up button and it hangs up the phone. WTF!!! Well turns out that the iPhone comes with some sensors on the top left part to detect when your phone is next to your ear and save backlight (battery). My cover is iPod focused, not iPhone focused, and therefore, the sensors, as well as the camera and the receiver are covered by the case. Now the camera is obvious, but not the sensors (unless you hold it at a specific angle and correct lighting). So if you buy a iPod case, "hack" it for the iPhone.

I'm mostly happy with the device. The biggest issue I see right now is the AppStore, being tied to your iTunes account limits what applications you can buy or get for free. In fact, so far, every app I've tried to install is denied. It tells me I can only access products from the Spanish store. This is going to be a major show stopper IMHO, unless it's just a matter of time for the apps to be available worldwide. Also, there's no support for Skype directly, but you can buy a IM+ Skype subscription for $30 for lifetime. I've tried it. Can't tell if it works or not since every message I've sent out I've never gotten a reply for. Again, could be it doesn't work or as usual people ignore me.

(I had a slight issue with battery duration. If it turns out to be a real problem, I'll blog about it...)

It was released in Spain yesterday, and I managed to pick one up today. The best way to describe it, is "it just works!". The really know their stuff on user experience. I'm really impressed.

Only Apple could bring out a phone with such a slick design, independently of the superb funcionality it comes with. Make sure you check out all the features. The sensors are pretty cool. Would love to see how much this goes for. I'd dump my S100 for this tomorrow (mind you, mine has pretty much had it right now anyway).