iPod Touch and Skype

Today I received the Apple iPhone Stereo Headset I ordered on Sunday. I bought it because this headset has a microphone as well as the two earbuds. Google searches had suggested the mic worked fine with an iPod Touch 2nd generation.

Yes! They worked perfectly with Skype, allowing me to use Skype Out to call any landline or cellphone. I was also able to receive a Skype-to-Skype call. The sound was good, though perhaps a little on the quiet side. People I spoke to on their phones said they could not tell I wasn't using a normal phone. None guessed I was using an iPod Touch, Skype and WiFi.

So along with all the other things my iPod Touch can do, it is now also a telephone if I'm in an area with WiFi available.

The only limitation is that Skype can't run in the background as iPod Touch (and iPhone) optimise the user experience by limiting multitasking. Skype must be the foreground program running if you want to receive any calls.

UPDATE 2010-01-18: I now use my iPod Touch anywhere by wifi-tethering it to my HTC Magic android phone. Skype from the iPod actually works over the phone's 3G Internet. This is cool because I don't have to choose between Apple and android. Instead, they work together to make each other better. Android has the freedom to access any file from anywhere and the iPod has access to the Apple Store apps....though that is less important each day as more apps come out for android.