Skype has released the updated Skype for Android software today, version 1.0.1.
Amongst the most notable improvements are:
* 320*240 and 240*400 screen resolutions are now supported.
* Hardware back key is now supported.
* Signing out from Skype now exits Skype.
* Reduced power consumption in idle mode.
* Improved login stability and behavior.
* Improved performance with large contact lists.
* Reduced application size.
* General bug fixes.
More phones are now supported by the popular software, including devices with “lower screen resolutions” such as the WildFire, which has 320×240 resolution.
Skype has added hardware back key support, meaning if you hit the back key on your smartphone, the user interface will close but the program will still run in the background, allowing you to continue receiving messages and calls.
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Result for: consumption
Verizon Wireless is expected to stop selling unlimited data plans to new customers within six months, says the WSJ, instead opting to offer two plans with monthly bandwidth caps.
In June, AT&T made a similar move, dropping the unlimited 3G data plan while starting to offer three capped plans.
Earlier in the week, Sprint said the company may have to cap unlimited 4G data plans, especially if usage increases exponentially.
For the Q1 2010, average smartphone data consumption jumped to 298MB per month, from an average of 90MB during the period in 2009.
Nielsen research recently concluded that usage-based pricing models are actually fair, as the average smartphone user does not need unlimited. After reviewing 60,000 phone bills, Nielsen says the top 6 percent of smartphone data users use 49 percent of all bandwidth. That leaves the other 94 percent of users for the other half.
It is unclear what the new tiered plans will look like, but most expect them to be similar to AT&T’s, which cost $15 for 200MB and $25 for 2GB. Unlimited plans currently cost $30.
Result for: consumption
Citing Verizon sources, Mashable has said that HTC Droid Incredible users will begin to receive Android 2.2 (Froyo) OTA during the next week, starting on Wednesday.
Those same Verizon team members already have Froyo installed on their devices, meaning the update is ready for consumer consumption.
Since the start of August, the Nexus One the HTC EVO 4G and the original Motorola Droid have updated to 2.2. Additionally, the Droid 2 has launched with the updated software already installed.
Froyo brings a 450 percent performance boost over 2.1, native support for Flash 10.1, USB and Wi-Fi tethering, Apps2SD and cloud sync.
A few other phones, such as the Dell Streak, Motorola Droid X, HTC MyTouch 3G Slide and Samsung Captivate have all had 2.2 promised but with no set timetable.
