Episode 130: Make Free Calls with Skype Mobile for Android [Discussion]

[jackierulesall]

Skype Mobile for Android is exclusively available in the Android Marketplace to Verizon Wireless users. Make phone calls and IMs around the world for free! Ron Richards reviews.

Watch or download now!

[werd]

There have been many questionable reviews in the past (pay-for soundboards get a "download" recommendation, while the free Photoshop.com Mobile gets a "don't download" as well as a "worst of the year" award), but this is going too far...

This "exclusive" Skype app just happens to be on the episode sponsor's platform (and they're running ads on other Rev3 shows), and it's not even that great of an app. The entire point of Skype for most people is that they don't have to use their cell phone minutes - if this app just hands the call off to the Android phone app, it's useless for anything but international calls. Don't pretend this app is great just because they're a sponsor. Compare it to the iPhone app (which doesn't use your minutes, and will soon even let you use VOIP over 3G), which has been available for over a year now, or to other VOIP apps for a truly fair review.

Come on, have some journalistic integrity.

[ronxo]

Hey Werd,
Thanks for watching and for your feedback, we really appreciated it. As for the integrity of the review and the app etc., I can assure you that while we're conscious of the fact of our sponsors presence, we treat our reviews with complete editorial control.

Personally, I can also assure you that I am not influenced by our sponsors in regards to affecting the review - in fact I did mention that the app is exclusive to the Verizon platform and that appears in the list of "cons" to the app, not sure how much more honest I could be with that. As far as it being a good app or not, I happen to make alot of international calls and am an avid Skype user on the desktop (as I said in the review), so using Skype for me makes sense. I also referenced that it works similarly to Google Voice in that it does use your minutes.

You're absolutely correct in that we need to be mindful in our reviews and not be influenced by sponsors to maintain our integrity and I would be the first to own up to it if we were, but with the process Eileen and the AppJudgment team have put into place, an episode wouldn't get released if it lacked editorial integrity. I'm sorry if you feel this crosses that line, but as the reviewer (and the AJ staff behind the episode) we respectfully disagree.

It's our mission to give you honest and sincere reviews, as per our opinion. If you disagree with our assessment of an app, or whether or not it should get a download or don't download, you're totally entitled to that as it's your opinion and feel free to discuss it here in the forums

thanks again for watching!

[omikron]

I somewhat agree with "Werd", whether it actually does impact the integrity of your reviews or not, having a specific Cell Carrier sponsor your show just sends out the wrong message. I am an iPhone user who is considering the switch to an Android based phone if no iPhone is available on Verizon's network by the time my contract with ATT is up because I get very poor service with them, so it's not because I have anything against Verizon. I would feel the same way about this if you partnered with Apple and had iPhone ads. A show that reviews apps for mobile devices just should not partner up with a specific carrier. It's like if HD Nation started having Vizio as a sponsor, or Tekzilla reviewed their top picks for notebook pc's and then a Dell add popped up in the middle of it. Your reviews may be completely unbiased but it's a hard pill for us to swallow when the platform you are reviewing on is also the one paying your salary. I also have to add that this app seems pointless. Why would I want to use Skype to make calls if it still comes off of my minutes, I could just use my normal cell service. And no WiFi calling? It just seems to make the whole purpose of Skype a moot point.

[werd]

Hi Ron,

Thanks for the reply. I appreciate that you try to maintain objectivity in your reviews, but like "omikron" said, it's hard to maintain that appearance when the line between review and sponsor begins to blur. Was it pure coincidence that the DROID-exclusive Skype app review coincided with the start of the DROID sponsorship? Perhaps it should have been staggered? Either way, you might want to consider including a disclaimer so that people don't get the wrong idea.

Let's look at the episode's description...

"Skype Mobile for Android is exclusively available in the Android Marketplace to Verizon Wireless users."
I take issue with the wording. Calling it "exclusive" implies that it's only available on the one platform (effectively ignoring the iPhone version that's been out over a year, as well as Symbian, etc.). I understand that it's "exclusive" to Verizon within the world of Android, but that's probably not what most people think when they hear that.

"Make phone calls and IMs around the world for free!"
Even that should have a pretty big asterisk next to it. You still need a voice plan and/or Skype credits, so it's not really free...

And finally, if one of the pros is "Settings to control how the app behaves," it seems like you're kinda reaching to come up with nice things to say. Even a fart app has "settings to control how the app behaves."

Intentional or not, these things are a disservice to both your viewers and your sponsors. The whole "DROID DOES" campaign was to point out the things that the DROID did that the iPhone didn't. It has a true advantage in some areas like multitasking (until iPhone OS 4 this summer), but neither the review nor the ad say what else DROID "does" that iPhone "doesn't." In fact, it appears it only gets a a year-late locked-down and watered-down Skype app. And on today's episode, we see Android gets Doodle Jump - again a year late and for four times as much money as the iPhone version...

[omikron]

Originally Posted by werd

Hi Ron,

Thanks for the reply. I appreciate that you try to maintain objectivity in your reviews, but like "omikron" said, it's hard to maintain that appearance when the line between review and sponsor begins to blur. Was it pure coincidence that the DROID-exclusive Skype app review coincided with the start of the DROID sponsorship? Perhaps it should have been staggered? Either way, you might want to consider including a disclaimer so that people don't get the wrong idea.

Let's look at the episode's description...

"Skype Mobile for Android is exclusively available in the Android Marketplace to Verizon Wireless users."
I take issue with the wording. Calling it "exclusive" implies that it's only available on the one platform (effectively ignoring the iPhone version that's been out over a year, as well as Symbian, etc.). I understand that it's "exclusive" to Verizon within the world of Android, but that's probably not what most people think when they hear that.

"Make phone calls and IMs around the world for free!"
Even that should have a pretty big asterisk next to it. You still need a voice plan and/or Skype credits, so it's not really free...

And finally, if one of the pros is "Settings to control how the app behaves," it seems like you're kinda reaching to come up with nice things to say. Even a fart app has "settings to control how the app behaves."

Intentional or not, these things are a disservice to both your viewers and your sponsors. The whole "DROID DOES" campaign was to point out the things that the DROID did that the iPhone didn't. It has a true advantage in some areas like multitasking (until iPhone OS 4 this summer), but neither the review nor the ad say what else DROID "does" that iPhone "doesn't." In fact, it appears it only gets a a year-late locked-down and watered-down Skype app. And on today's episode, we see Android gets Doodle Jump - again a year late and for four times as much money as the iPhone version...

What he said.

I didn't say anything about the doodle jump episode because at least he mentioned it was out on the iPhone as well, just not that it came out like a year ago is 1/4 the price.

I agree that I'm not sure what verizon/droid is getting out of this. The slogan should be "Droid does, a year after iPhone, with less features, and a higher price tag" :0