Notices

I think Skype's so well integrated into the N900 that I've received calls without realising that they're through Skype.

Batterlife wise I find that MSN is the biggest battery consumer. Sometimes MSN feels so congested that watching YouTube videos might prove impossible even though there's nothing going on with the MSN. But as soon as I log out of MSN, the phone speeds up again. I've been using Pecan but its been the same with all of the MSNs. Skype seems to be a very "light" IM account to have active at all times.

Video calling in Skype with the N900 doesn't look very good but functions well. In addition it works over 3G, unlike withe the iPhone4.

hey everyone i am new to the n900 but i gotta say i am not super impressed. i got it mainly for the ability to do skype video calls over wifi and the quality is v poor, it is jumpy and slow on my home connection when via pc it is super smooth so it must be the device.

i am also finding the battery life poor, i have to charge once a day after only 1 or 2 calls and skype and Fb online all day.

am i doing something wrong? is there a way to get more out of it?

The front facing camera isn't that great (less than 1 Megapixel) so don't expect much quality out of it. But I don't have the jumpiness you speak of.

Battery life in the N900 isn't that strong but varies depending on usage, settings, and what you've installed. Anything that constantly polls for an internet connection (like the Facebook widget) results in a faster battery drain.

You can do Facetime on IP4 over 3G if your device is JB (just to those that don't know).

hey guys are your statuses ONLINE?or is it busy or away?
try AWAY and let me know if the battery life is better than before.
btw, can somebody make it possible to use the BACK camera for skype as well?
it would be REALLY great.
edit : AWAY or BUSY is fine

Like many, I also wanted this implemented. However it will make the communication a little bizarre while you can't see the person you are talking with. Huh, what about a soft switch between front and back cameras. Then it would really rock...

I'm Android user and want to switch. I find it enormously annoying that all IM clients, skype, facebook, twitter, fring etc. pool incoming messages every 10-30 minutes.

How does it looks like on N900?

Let's assume I leave IM/Skype in the background and let the phone go into sleep/suspend/standby mode, put it into pocket etc. Will I get incoming IM's/Skype calls instantly? If yes, will I get at least 8h standby time in this mode on standard battery?

EDIT:
Let me add some details.

On Android, application can do one of three things to check incoming messages after phone goes to sleep:
- schedule timer, to wake phone after few minutes and check messages
- force phone not to go into sleep (very bad idea, 2h battery life)
- use Cloud To Device API introduced in Froyo, which is somehow similar to Apple's Push Notifications

My current understanding is, that maemo has completely different way to handle this, that is:
- while phone goes to sleep, data connections are kept open. Phone will wake up on any incoming packets, the application will instantly check what is going on and the phone will go to sleep again.

Could someone shed more light on this, please?

Iphone can skype but can't do video call skype I think.

I have used skype on the N82 before and find that the N900 Skype rocks. Call quality is a lot clearer than before, basically on the other side they cannot distinguish between skype on the N900 or skype on the desktop. I use skype only over wifi (McDonalds, airport lounges, coffee shops, etc.).

I personally think skype is fantastic on the n900. I have a skype landline/network phone (philips) but the N900 beats it clearly in quality (I only use skype in wifi). video qual is a letdown, mainly because it requires a very well lit source.