The Internet invasion is now extending to cell phones. At the CeBit Electronics Show in Germany, BenQ/Siemens introduced its newest Wi-Fi capable cell phone with preloaded Skype Voice Over IP software. The unit is the P51 from BenQ/Siemens one in a new stable of phones to share the co-branded logo after BenQ purchased the Siemens mobile division in July-2005.

Steve Sechrist
Senior Analyst and Editor
of Projection Monthly &
Microdisplay Report

The idea of the Skype phone is to dial into a WiFi network rather than a cell tower when you are at your favorite Starbucks — say in Beijing where the roaming charges for a call back home would kill you. But the model works back home as well. The unit is a godsend for anyone traveling to remote parts of the US where specific carrier cell coverage can be a real pain, and is particularly interesting for those with national Wi-Fi accounts looking to cut-back on their cell phone bill.With this technology the concept of a “universal phone” works pretty well. At home, you are the wireless provider with your 802.11 wireless network and Skype. Get all your calls on one phone number with the low cost internet VOIP rate that includes nation wide coverage and only pennies per minute for calls to Japan or China. This also works wherever you can find a “hot-spot” outside the home. The phone reverts to cell coverage in non 802.11 wireless environs and calls are charged to your regular cell plan.

Wireless service providers can’t like this turn of events much as the Wi-Fi connection circumvents their network and cuts into high-profit roaming charges. But as the fixed line providers have already learned, there’s no turning back the tide of the Internet.

BenQ/Siemens didn’t stop with VOIP. This phone also sports a 2.8-inch display with 128MB of RAM and an SD card slot. Besides being able to stream in video from wireless services — and now IPTV, the card slot opens the door to a whole new dimension of video viewing.

Case in point, we found a small Intel spin-off called ThinkMobile (www.thinkmobile.tv ) that has already built a library of full-feature smart card films made for viewing on a variety of mobile devices. The company sells content through downloads or on “charged” memory cards that users erase and recharge once the film is viewed. Hollywood loves the approach as the data is secure and the former Intel engineers made the “load and play” software part of the UI. Simply plug in the smart card and view the film. Looks like the world just changed for cell users, again. –SS