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Skype video calling finally launches on Android... on four non-Verizon phones

Skype video calling finally launches on Android... on four non-Verizon phones

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Skype has finally flipped the switch on video calling in its Android app for four phones so far -- and not a single one of them is a Verizon device. In fact, none even make use of a 4G network, period: the Nexus S, HTC Desire S, and the Xperia Neo and Pro from Sony Ericsson are the first to make the cut.

Why is that notable? When Verizon announced that it'd be bringing Skype video calling capability to its LTE phones by mid-2011 back at CES, there was a strong implication that they'd have some sort of exclusive, if only a fleeting one. After all, Skype had been tight with Verizon for some time, having previously integrated with the network to offer non-Wi-Fi calling -- and until April of this year, Skype had actively been blocking 3G calls on other American networks to make the capability more appealing.

Well, needless to say, something happened to sour this relationship between January's CES press conference and today. It was a bit of a surprise when Skype dropped its 3G call blocking in April, but the move came just a little over a year after the original partnership with Verizon had been announced; it made sense that the carrier would've locked up the feature for exactly one year before Skype would be allowed to enable it elsewhere. Did Skype's decision to enable 3G calling in the US shake the hornet's nest, or had the partnership already gone south by then? We may never get the full story on this little soap opera -- and for Thunderbolt, Droid Charge, and Revolution owners, the wait continues.