This morning James and I got a chance to test out the new Skype for iPhone client. My impressions are that Skype nailed the implementation for voice. I’m wondering if Skype’s newest in-house audio codec has much to do with the voice quality. No matter how they did it, the sound quality is very impressive. Of course, the main limitation right now is that you can only do voice calls over WiFi and not on 3G. For our call this morning, I shared the Internet connection from my Mac to my first-gen iPhone by setting up a WiFi network. It’s drop-dead simple and since I’ve already received a few emails asking how to do this, here are the simple steps on a Mac. I don’t have a PC with me so I can’t detail exactly how to do this in Windows, but it’s not any more difficult on that platform. Here are the steps:

1. In System Preferences, open the Sharing Folder.
2. Click the Internet Sharing service (not the checkbox in front of it) and configure the options on the right. Here you simply pick the connection you want to share (Ethernet, 3G, etc…) and make sure the AirPort option is checked.
3. Click the AirPort Options button to name your network and add a password.
4. Check the Intenet Sharing service.
5. If you keep the AirPort icon in your Mac Menubar, you’ll see it change to indicate that it’s now sharing your connection over the custom WiFi network.
6. On your iPhone, simply connect to the WiFi network you created on the Mac. That’s it!

This easy process shouldn’t take more than three minutes, but I’m allowing you two extra ones just in case. This is also illustrates why I’m not the ideal customer for a 3G router. Using software, I can easily replicate the same functionality and create a wireless hotspot to share a 3G connection. Yes, my computer has to be on for this to work; that’s not required for a hardware-based router, but my computer is nearly always on to begin with. For me, this is a better solution and far less expensive since those routers can cost $200 or more. Plus, I don’t have to carry an additional device.

It’s been all over the web today that Skype has been officially released for the iPhone. It would be remiss of us to neglect covering such important mobile tech news and what better way to cover it than to show it in action. In this video I call Kevin who is goofing off hard at work in Las Vegas in preparation for the CTIA show tomorrow. In the video you’ll see and hear first-hand how clear the calls are using Skype on the iPhone and also find out what Kevin is doing out on the Strip at 4:30 in the morning.

Windows Mobile Marketplace

Microsoft has taken some hits lately given the recent announcements regarding the upcoming Windows Mobile 6.5 and the Marketplace. The word that developers who submit apps to the Marketplace would have to pay for all updates to those apps grabbed just about everyone the wrong way. Microsoft has been listening to the feedback and has backed off of that requirement and shared some new information with us about the direction of Windows Mobile.

The major news about the Marketplace and Windows Mobile can be broken down as follows:

• Developers can offer updates to their apps in the Marketplace at no charge for the life of the app.
• Customers can buy apps in the Marketplace with a credit card or have them charged to their phone bill.
• Apps can be refunded within 24 hours after purchase.
• More than 25 ISVs are active in the Marketplace, including Facebook, MySpace, AP Mobile and Spb.  The Facebook app will be available for free download in April. The partners are 3deep by LiteScape, Accuweather, AP Mobile, CNBC, Developer One, EA Mobile, Facebook, Gameloft, Glu Mobile, Handmark, Ilium Software, Jeyo Inc., Kinoma, Magmic, Melodis Corp., MySpace, Namco Networks, Pandora, PhatWare Corp., Resco, SBSH Mobile, ShoZu, Inc., Sling Media, Spb Software, Web Information Solutions, and Zagat Survey.
• Windows Live for Windows Mobile is available now in 25 countries. A beta version of a new Windows Live Hotmail is available and can be downloaded through a mobile browser at m.mail.live.com.
• Microsoft is partnering with major design studios to produce themes for Windows Mobile 6.5.
• A Windows Mobile Theme Generator will be available later this year.
• Phones that can run WM 6.1 are capable of running WM 6.5, but the option to upgrade will lie with handset OEMs and carriers. This is business as usual and nothing new.

I think Opera Mobile is the best mobile browser for my HTC Advantage as it gives me a very desktop-like browsing experience. I’m using an older version (8.65) as it works well and is the current “stable” version for Windows Mobile. The folks at Opera have been working hot and heavy on a new version that is going to be announced at the CTIA next week.

Opera Mobile 9.7 is going to incorporate the Opera Turbo technology that uses server-based rendering to greatly speed up the web experience. This new version sounds like a great advancement for the Windows Mobile platform and I can’t wait to see this released. Be sure and watch the video in the press release after the jump.

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A week from now at this time, my feet will be hitting the ground in Vegas again. We normally don’t cover the CTIA Wireless show since we’re still catching up from the CES rat-race. In fact, we’ve never gone to the show. James is going to man the site from Mobile Tech Manor while I make the trip this time around. Since I have yet to spend a honeymoon with my new wife, Barb is flying out to meet me on Friday, the day the show ends. We’ll spend the weekend there and fly home the following Monday, so I should be all rested up when I return here next Tuesday. Or maybe Wednesday, depending on the Tuesday’s weather: a warm, sunny day could mean one last vacation day on the local golf course!

As usual, I’ll be traveling fairly light: a DLSR, the Kodak Zi6 for high-def video capture, my USB-727 EV-DO dongle and just one computer. Of course, the computer is what I’m debating the most in my head right now. Will it be a netbook or will it be the MacBook? The Mac’s horsepower is better suited for image and video editing, so I’m leaning in that direction at the moment. I’m getting around fairly well with the Nokia E63, so I may leave the iPhone at home as well. All in all, it should be a fun trip since I’ve never attended it in the past. And hey, look at that! There’s a shiny new “CTIA 2009″ category in the sidebar!

The CTIA Wireless show is set to kick off in just over 10 days and you know what that means: All of the “pre-announcements” are whispering down the lane. Or singing, as it were. Forbes has the inside track on an expected announcement from Opera, the web browsing company.

No, it’s not the Turbo feature in Opera 10. This news sounds like a rising crescendo of U.S. cellular partner deals, meaning Opera might find it’s way on more feature-phones and smartphones over the coming months. Carriers can develop and offer their own browsers, but why not let the tune be sung by a company with more expertise in mobile browsing?

If Forbes is right, I’d expect Opera Mini to show a large jump in browser market share, which is good for Opera as a whole. Recently, Net Applications reported no growth for Opera, which the company refutes. It all depends on how you measure the data, to some degree. One thing you can’t deny: With 21 million active Opera Mini users, there’s plenty of room for potential growth on the billions of handsets out there. Carrier partnerships can help Opera get a start on that growth for the company’s second act.