Let us start first before letting you all know about this new mobile phone called the 3 Skypephone WP-S1 by saying a big thanks to the guys from 3mobilebuzz.com - they kindly sent Phones Review two of these phones for us to try out on a 3 month trial basis. The two phones they sent us are on the pay as you go setup and we will be doing a few hands on reviews in parts, today is the 3 Skypephone WP-S1 hands on review part 1: Out of the box – do not forget we will be doing more parts to this review such as how it feels, to usability and maybe some more.
Right lets start shall we, these two 3 Skypephone’s got delivered to us in just 1 day which was a surprise to us to start with but hey we are not arguing so thumbs up there, when we got the package which you can see in the picture below we opened it and it revealed two smallish 3 (Three) boxes containing the 3 Skypephone mobile model WP-S1 in each of them, for now we have just opened one.
In the box contained the 3 Skypephone, 1150mAh Battery & cover, Personal stereo hands free kit headphones, USB cable, Charger, CD–ROM for PC sync, 256MB micro SD memory card which is already in the phone (no adapter for it though), 3 (Three) user guide and last but not least a Quick start guide for Skype.
Did the word SKYPE just get mentioned? Of course it did this is a mobile phone that basis itself not as a normal mobile phone but also a Skype phone, below we have taken a number of pictures of all angles and what you would get in the box (make your judgments in the comments area).
3 Skypephone Lowdown – This is without a doubt a very cool phone and for the price of only wait for it, only a mere £49.99 on PAYG and of course you can get this on contract if you please. This is the first fully integrated mobile phone that uses Skype, come on you run out of credit so you just use your Skype to contact your Skype friends totally free by either chat calls or messaging. Oh yeah talk for free with 3 (no pun intended).
I have personally used this mobile phone for about 3 hours now and so far pretty impressed, I will be personally using this phone for the next 2 months and of which will be giving you the lowdown how I personally feel about it.
For the time being please do go and visit our friends over at 3mobilebuzz.com who have plenty of information to wet the whistle plus links of where you can buy the so far pretty cool 3 Skypephone WP-S1 mobile phone. PLEASE check out the photos we took below let us know what you think of the styling/looks.
Please remember we will be doing other hands on reviews parts, Why not subscribe to the Phones Review Newsletter (free) for email updates on our 3 Skypephone coming soon installments, just enter your email and you will receive an email as soon as we have published it. CLICK HERE
3 Skypephone WP-S1 Personal Photos -
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Is 3 skypephone locked to a specific network or it comes unloced…
Please send answer to my email… thanks
dax_hr@yahoo.com
Two things about this phone -
1) Free Skpe? No! To use Skype you have to top up £10 a month on PAYG. I put my old sim in with money on it but cannot register for Skype without topping this up.
2) Text entry. It has a predictive text mode but it only tries to predict the word. So “you” comes out as “xou” and there is no selection process as on all other phones I have used so you have to erase it and go to abc input to change it. Can you tell me what is the point of having predictive text at all?
Response to Phyll Moore:
ref point 1. Are you seriously expecting to get something for nothing from a commercial business? I think the skype option is a great way to supplement what is an already excellent deal from 3. I like the handset and the purchase price is very reasonable for a well spec’ed phone, paying £10 every 30 days is cheap for 4000 skype minutes and 10,000 IM messages (which are all on a fair use policy anyway!!)
ref point 2. Read the manual, to scroll through predictive text options you have to use the * key.
how do i get themes, do i have to download ones just for the phone because none of the other ones i out on there work
Thanks for pointing out the use of ‘*’ in predictive text modes.
Still, where was I supposed to read about it in the manual?
All the details I could find on the different text entry
methods are in section 1.3, which doesn’t mention this
use of the ‘*’ key at all. Are you sure you got it from
the manual, rather than remembering it from some other
and more helpful set of instructions?
Good Point Bernard, I have checked the manual and it isn’t in fact there. I must have fluked it and assumed it was in the manual.
:0D
Features I love:
1)Skype Obviously
2) The fact that Skype contacts feature in the phone’s contact list as well as the skype contact list giving you the choice to use either method.
3) Predictive text that prompts words you personally use regularly making texting so much easier.
4) Skype IM Chat, which is not currently available on the other mobile versions of Skype.
5) TV function, when I’m in strong range of a strong signal.
BUGS I hate:
1) Sometimes the unlock function does not work very well. On occasions I have found that I needed to press the ‘C’ Key or end call button to reset the lock before I could unlock the phone.
2)Skype occasionally launches when the phone is locked for no reason.
3) When you receive an incoming skype call it says it is from ‘Skype Service’ rather than the individuals name, although 3 telecom state on their website that this feature will be added soon.
4) Sometimes despite refreshing the skype contacts list, contacts that I know are online and logged into skype do not appear as available on my contacts list.
5) Camera too slow to take decent pictures of a daughter who won’t sit still long enough to pose properly!
can i get my wp_s1 phone unlocked to another network
can i unlock it
Does any one know where to buy a replacment battary from mine only lasts a day - less if I use skype!!!
Does any one know where to buy a replacement battary from mine only lasts a day - less if I use skype!!!
The reception on it is rubbish, the battery life is terrible (around 2 days) and no way to sync with the Mac as far as I can tell.
The Skype is really, really cool though. I love the way that it is integrated right into the phone and especially with the contacts.
A great prototype but it really is only that.
I bought 2 phones from HK - one for the uk and 1 when I am away. One phone will find the uk 3 network but the other phone cannot find any networks. Any help greatly appreciated
I have a problem with Skype. Have a friend with a Skype address which contains symbols but it appears that I cannot enter any so I cannot make her a contact. Is this right?
I don’t have an issue with my phone at all. The coverage is fine and I live on the coast. Skype works fine, planet 3 works fine, The camera is great, I’ve bought a 2GB memory card for it for well under £10 that also has an adaptor, I can easily get things on and off it on my mac (but the PC sync is for windows only) non the less with the cable and bluetooth I’ve got 100 odd mp3s on it now AND the battery is good- I charged it properly as stated in the manual before the first time I used it and wait till its dead to recharge now. All good 10/10. And on contract only 5,000 mins are free on skype- just so u know.
Hi does anyone know how to turn off the keypad beep sound, I couldn’t find out how in the manuel and I find it disturbing especially when I want to use it in quiet areas.
Plus I’m confused how the video calling works, if the camera is on the back, how can you talk see some one and let them see you at the same time- I mean with the screen on one side and the camera on the other? I haven’t been able to try that out yet.
And I agree with others it is abit disappointing that it doesn’t scync with Mac’s, I’m hoping that will be made available.
your a bit nerdy
I love this phone, no problems with it, only thing that bugs me is nowhere does it say what file types are compatible with it, so i have to convert videos over and over till i find a good file type thats compatible, so far only 3gp works which isnt to awesome as 3gp is lame. Other than that its sweet, i can stay in contact with all my friends abroad for £10 a month
I was given the phone as a present for christmas,
there are so many good features its amazing and its leaps and bounds beyond my old phone. It say’s
on the software provide,”that it allows you to connect your pc to the internet using your WP-S1
phone as a modem” thus far I have had no success
in making a connection. With the the introduction
of paygo broadband, I thought, it would be
brilliant, Alan.
‘Sam’… it only supports a 1Gb card!,
anyone with half a brain would have known the * changed the word in texting,
i got my one yesterday for £39.95 cant complain,
Finally its a fone made by a sane person, no pointless voice activation that you will never use, solid feel and stylish design!! (mines is white and blue)
Value 10/10
Bought this phone for 39.99. Looks like a bargain so far. Wanted a phone that doesn’t look like you’re carrying a video tape in your pocket! This seems ideal - its small and thin, but not too small.
One thing I’m looking for is the keyboard lock!! Can’t find it at all, I know it goes to auto after about a min but is there a manual key lock on this? Apologies if this is obvious!
where can i download, or get a german usermanual
wo kann ich eine deutsche Gebrauchsanweisung downloden?
i need unlock 3skype wp-s1. help me pleas.
Steve: for manual keypad lock, just press the unlock combination in reverse - * followed by the left soft key. It took me a while to figure that out as well!
For those wanting to unlock, you do realise that’ll render Skype useless, along with all the built-in 3 Planet things? The Skypephone’s great integration with the network and services are probably its best point.
As for battery life, I wouldn’t call 2 days “terrible”. Ok, so it’s not great, or even good, but I doubt you can find another 3G phone that can go for much longer. Anyway, mine’s lasted 5 days so far with minimal usage, but if it lasts 2 days once I start some serious Skyping then I’ll be satisfied.
Overall I’m pleasantly surprised. Lovely quick interface, easy-to-use and no nonsense. Let’s hope Skype keep up with the idea and maybe we’ll see improved Skypephones in the future.
Sawyl,
Many Thanks!! You’ve just made a good phone great!
Cheers.
there’s something wrong with my phone then because I’ve got nearly 2GB of pics and recordings on it at the moment.
hi i got the phone and think its good how you can use msn as well as skype but the phone only reeds my memory card when it feels like it the memory card is 2gb is that to big to work on the or what can someone help to find solution i need
Brilliant phone have my now 3 months use to it call girlfriend through skype in England for free, I live in Ireland, also use it as modem pay as you go, modem and phone works in the UK also
Gavin: I don’t know about the maximum size, but this phone works a little different from others in that it doesn’t seem to keep checking the memory card automatically. Whenever you add any new files, select “Update” by using the left soft key in the “My stuff” folder.
Hopefully by doing that you’ll see all the files, not just those which the phone found last time it accessed the card.
ive had my phone for about a month and it was great but now when i switch it on i get the 3 logo and thats it it wont boot any more tried cleaning sim battery an memory card to no avail any1 have any ideas please ps does it have some sortof reset button
To unlock the skpyephone, visit ebay.com and search for unlock codes. Costs about 15-20 pounds.
I just got it but the memory is really rubbish ere.
It can tak about 20 pic and 5 songs nd one video ona ll phon nd memory card.
Does anyone else find it that bad?
hi can anyone tell me if i can buy a broadband topup for this phone as it gives you the option to on planet 3. the 5 pound internet is great,but a little slow and not consistatant. overall, what a great phone for the price. i am one happy customer cheers grillman.
Have the same problem as Alec…. phone is great but has developed this repeating 3 logo message on boot… how do you get out of it? Is there a hard/soft reset? Please help. The phone is useless otherwise!
Hi,
i have my skypephone since 6 month, i acctually have 2 but the second was for my wife, but she want have a new one yet.
I like this phone very much, not only because it´s cheap. It have all i need, java, memo internet, camera. It´s also easy to use, without having the manual in front of me. But i have to say, i hade many cellphones before, so i know how to get to things.
Many people think they need many stuff inside a mobile, but they only call or send sms. They think it should be cheap, but should have all a computer have. That´s not possible!
I bought my second for the price of 90 USD including shipping and 15 USD units on the prepaid card.
The Skype function works only in your Country and with the provider 3 (so far). If you leave your country, skype don´t work. I know, coz i tried it.
Many people have a problem of missunderstanding. They acctually don´t care what kind of cellphone they get. They always get angry coz they can´t do this or that.
Many people don´t read the advertisment on the webside to the end and more less the right text.
If you read the skype advertisment correct and to the end, you will be the real skypephone user. And you will stay with it for a very long time!
Steve: did you try to fix it like this:
Menue, settings, Phonesettings, Screen, Welcometext and shutdown?
I´m not sure it is the right one… so just try.
I´m not in need to fix my phone… like many other.
God luck!
grillman: No way! And want be in the future eighter.
pippabobby: Normally you can save much more on the memory card, depend on the size. I have a 1 GB and i´m not on the limit yet. The internal memory is only 16 MB, and for use only 11.5 MB. This is not much for pictures and/or music. Might be your memory card is demaged?
Unlock skpyephone: Don´t think this is true!
It´s not working with unlocking the 3 Skypephone. The only way is to call the 3 provider to get it unlocked!, Really no joke. Someone tellling you that you can doit like this guy, is just a fraud.
gavin: Both working, skype and MSN, checking your files starts when you go to the folder. Like mine for example: I write many notes, when i shutdown my phone in the evening/night and start it next day, it seach not automaticlly when you start the phone, but when i start the program “Note” or however it´s called in english. My is in swedish language….
alex: i´m not sure if i understand right, when you start the phone it hangs and then you cleaned all electric stuff? or might be also before?
Did you do anything before with the electric stuff what is not good for it?
heya anyone knows if the phone can take 8GB micro SDHC card? 16mb is quite nothing…
hey umm i have the same phone just wondering can u delete your multimedia messages because i cant delete mine and its bothering me.
great phone! the only thing is that the earphones are no good!! and with the usb connection you can’t even buy a good set!!
darren:
What kind did you get with the phone? My earphones are top notch. Great sound and the wire is very, very good. Doesn’t tangle up like normal, cheap wires usually do.
Very good phone. For the price it really, really rocks. Very okay camera and the sound when playing mp3 is considerable over the average.
I like this phone a lot. It’s small and robust.
Phone has a few small things that annoy me. For instance, you can’t use a very long sms tune. The phone cuts it short. And you can only send small images trough mms. Also there seem to be a max limit to how big an sms can be.
Grade: 8/10
Bought this mobile in 2008 february when saw the commercial about it.
I’m beyond satisfied with it. For this price it’s something i never expected to get. 2 MP Camera, images can get blur if not careful, overall i dont complain. awesome phone, i don’t need miniature PC, this phone is practical, it’s small…. hell, you can even use it as mp3 player on long trips.
You need strong network coverage for this phone to browse internet, only needed on rare occasions.
Can use MSN, calender can be practical. o well…
Rate this 9/10
Is it possible to download apps and games in the internet for this phone??? I can’t find anything for this model, do you know if I can download for some other phone and it will work???
Felipe:
some java games will work of course. You can look for java games made for Nokia 6630 for instance.
Otherwise, find out what operative system it uses and search for games made for that or similar systems.
I got the memory card fixed there was a problm with it.
One thing is it’s not as strong a phone as others I had. I expect the usual scrapes with all phones when they fall on hard surfaces but the screen, dents and mini holes are quite annoying too.
Same problem as Alec and Steve. When phone switches on I only see the 3 logo briefly before it goes dead. Battery and Sim connections all ok.
Must be inherent fault with this model.
Leon,
I’m afraid its a trip down to the 3 store for you matey. Had to get mine flashed/new firmware or whatever they do but seems to have rid the problem now. Shame but don’t think there is anything you can do about it….
Great phone, I love it. I just set it to use the £10 for the month of 1GB broadband. Trouble is, I can’t get it to work with my Mac. Anyone got any advice please????
Many thanks
hi guys. ive got a wp-s1 i believe its calld but i am havin sum problems.
1. i have insertd a 3 sim crd but it shows no reception n on the main screenn it says limited or no service.
2. when i dial 444 to top up there is no dial tone or nothing. after 5 secs it jus hangs up.
so at the moment it hasnt really started up. has any1 got any ideas of why this may be and what i could do to fix this.
really like the fone by the way, very stylish (blue n white) and petite.
plz help.
thankxx very much!!
Tengo uno en Colombia, no español o sea dificil de interpretar, muy buen telefono
quiero conocer las caracteristicas y funcionamiento real de este equipo.
les agradezco información al respecto.
Can someone please help me to swtich off the keypad tones on my Skypephone.
can some one give some unlock code for my wp-s1 after what i will be able to use my phone everywhere my IMEI is 357767011974626 , my mail is barttheman@gmail.com
Hi!How can i remove the keypad beep sound on my 3 skypephone?
To remove keypad beep ….
Menu-Settings-Profiles-Options-Edit-Key Sounds-Key Volume (set to Off)
Hi, for 15 pounds you can get unlock key from operator 3, but I heard about getting unlock code for free after + year phone usage. So maybe we can save 15 pounds. I looking for the code as well. So if anybody know the code - highly welcome. THX
hi
i m planning on getting the s1 fone.
but i have sum question can any1 plz answer them thank u
1. how long can u talk on skype for 1 month
2. can u get msn on s1
3. do u have to top up every month even f its not finished??
4 should i get the fone???
please answer my questions thnk u
i have one of these phones, they are exerlant quality and they have good signal, the only bad side is the memory is small!!
To answer your questions Miss Cool…
1) They got a fair use policy of 4000 Skype minutes and 10000 Skype IMs per month.
2) Yes, easiest way to install it… press Launcher from the standby screen, scroll down to MSN Messenger and press Skype.
3) Yes and no. Your access to Skype expires after 30 days but your cash credit stays on til it runs out.
4) Depends what you want from a phone. If you want a small but perfectly formed 3G phone for calls, texts and games and want it cheap then go ahead.
has anyone had probs with their wps1 breaking ? iv got through 6 in last 4 months and the sixth one is now broke in same way as all the rest
pray you never need to call customer services! thanks
mine all broke when the battery run flat and it turned itself off and then never turned back on or charged or anything…
Wayne: I’ve had two Skypephones break on me so far. The first got slower and slower when starting up, and finally stopped turning on at all. It just says “3″ and stays like that. The last time it started up before that, it took 35 minutes.
My second was actually the first one I had… it was on PAYG but I got a new one when I bought a contract, and since the first had a scratched screen I stopped using it. But when the other broke I went back to it, but it suffered the same fate. I think its “death” was brought about more quickly when I dropped it a few weeks ago: only about 2 feet onto carpet, but the battery came out and it stopped working completely two days later.
Both also had problems of freezing for several seconds (5-10, sometimes more) when receiving text messages… particularly annoying with the “vibrate” setting because the phone would activate the vibrate feature, freeze, and continue vibrating until it recovered!
I was happy with my Skypephones (see previous comment) but I’m glad I only bought a six month contract. I won’t be replacing them, and for many other reasons I won’t be buying on the 3 network again (but that’s another story!)
I hope everyone else has more luck with theirs
tenho um skype aqui no brasil mas nao to usando por que nao esta desbloqueado tem como desbloquer
can i get my wp_s1 phone unlocked to another network
Agradezco que me ayuden averiguar el software del 3 Skypephone WP-S1 pues me llegó uno a Bogotá y no hay quien me ayude aquí.
Es que ese cel es muy bueno y lo quiero utilizar con todos sus beneficios.
No tengo el CD para liberarlo.
Gracias
I have just ordered one of these but am now wondering if I’ve done the right thing….. I have lots and lots of numbers and make many text messages each day - currently using a nokia 6330 which has quite a large memory.
Definately wondering whether I should have stuck with a nokia…….
sum1 said the WP-S1 only supports a 1Gb mem card well I have a 4Gb SDHC in mine and works great if not a little slow to update after adding stuff.
As for not being detected by the pc! put in mass storage mode under connectivity and then press activate and it is detected like a usb thumb drive (no drivers needed)
for XP/Vista anyway!
also I have used mine to connect to the internet which was easy (using the drivers on the cd) but the speed was not much better than dial up very disappointed I thought 3G was almost like Broadband?
my brothers has also broke stopping on the 3 start up screen after he had let it run right out of batt power I read that had also been the case with another WP-S1 so maybe dont let it run right out of charge???
hope this helps ?I love mine i use
msn, opera browser, myboy (gameboy emu) , facebook ,Ect Ect
Morbious
Which bluetooth can be used with 3 Skypephone WP-S1? Please suggest.
Thank you.
Zahid
when i insert 3 post-paid sim card in it than it gave me erroe that Incorrect USIM so how can i solve it give me reply ASAP
I have a Skype, but i always have thsi goddamn PREDICTUVE TEXT?! i cant turn it off, i try the options menu, but its just things like reply or delete. i cant get rid of it. ill be typing stuff in and it comes up with nonesense.
E-mail me at : liams_uk_09@hotmail.com
- and tell me how to turn it off, its not in the manual
Liam - try the * key to change from predictive text!
ive just bought the new INQ phone from 3 on contract with free internet and skype…..however i would like to buy a S1 skypephone for my daughter who lives 30 miles away now.
If she didnt top-up or have credit on her S1 could she still ring me free via the skype (and me on my skype)?
My brother seems to think that she’d always need credit and that skype will use up credit via the internet???
But i woz looking at the new argos catalogue today and it says the S1 can use free skype even with NO CREDIT!!!
Please can someone confirm if she’d need credit or not???
Cheers!!!!
Hello all,
Ive had my WP-S1 for about 3 months and the only problems is that sometimes it dont like to unlock, so I just press the C button a couple of times and it unlocks.
And out in the sun its screen is dull hard to see.
I have fitted a SanDisk 4 gig SDHC and it works fine.
hi, just a few comments,
1, my phone has had no problems with battery (3-4 days average life )
2 it has never got broken even tho the cat has knocked it onto the floor several times from a height of approx 2 1/2 feet to solid floor.
3, it wont connect to ubuntu as a modem, that is a bit of a g*t.
4, if ever it needed replacing it would be replaced straight away with another skype phone the entire concept is fantastic with the exception to no 3
my wife has one aswell and we talk to one another when one of us is shopping ane are being reminded to pick something up ie milk and that costs nothing, a txt would be at least 10p but if you have used your credit txting or calling none skype phones that free service is a godsend
That phone was the worst thing I ever got..
It has been in repairs twice and no lies it’s going back again as soon as I get into town.
The first time there was a problem with texts. It would recieve the same one multiple times and stopped sending them. It also had a problem with freezing.
The second time it would not turn on.. It would freeze with the three logo stuck on…
This time it was my fault I dropped it on the ground and I’ve mucked up some connection.. If it weren’t for the garenty(sp) there wouldn’t be a chance in me getting it fixed. Even this time i’m a bit skeptical but I’ll get it fixed this last time and I’m buying a new one in the next few weeks.
**WOULD NOT RECOMMEND**
my skype wp-s1 wil not allow me to send txt messages anymore! looked all thru the phone and cant find anything that can help me!
Any suggestions wil be gratefully recieved
jason x
Does anyone know how to increase the volume when using the speaker phone.
Thanks
Hi guys. I have bought wp-s1 from ebay and im having a few problems.
1. I have inserted a 3 sim card but it shows no reception on the main screen it says limited or no service.
2. when i dial 444 to top up there is no dial tone or nothing. after 5 secs it just hangs up.
Its a brand new sim card, does it need to be topped up before it is usable?
Thanks Martin.
Hey, I have the WP-S1 mobile and use it as my modem to access the internet. it worked fine while I was using XP. I have upgraded pc with Vista and have noticed that the original software that came with the phone doesn’t work with Vista. Is there a Vista version of the software?
To all you folk who complain. Lets get real… £50…you have a mobile phone…you have skype… you have a good camera. Any better deals out there?? NO WAY..
Hello guys!
I just need to unlocking the bloody phone, cuz I came back to Brazil and I couldn’t use yet.
First question before all, IS IT POSSIBLE?
I can’t find anything about unlocking it, anything at all, even if SOMEONE on the planet, unlocked his own mobile.
When I left London, I tried to unlocking at Oxford St, at manny diferent places, but everyguy i went told the same shit, it’s not possible, 1 year ago.
and now? they got it? the find a way to do it?
See you people, and I know this question is gonna answer lots of people!!!!
[]’s from Brazil
i have just brought the skype phone model WP-S1, but the phone wont let me connect to the internet or windows live messenger would appreciate it if you reply with any help to my email account please many thanks. x
i need my puk 2number for my phone how can u get it?
hey guys my wp-s1 needs a master reset but I don’t know what the code is - where can I get this from? I’ve lost the box,
(3 shop recommended as it won’t send txts anymore)
Thanks
D