Skypephone gets real on U.K.'s 3

You're looking at it, folks: here's the oft-rumored Skypephone, up and running all official-like on the U.K.'s 3 network. Sure, Skype on a mobile phone is nothing new if you're the geeky sort but a carrier embracing and supporting the third-party VoIP service is almost enough to make old Lucifer reach for his parka. Here's how it works: you either sign a contract with 3 or fill a pay-as-you-go plan with at least £10 every month. In exchange, you get to send unlimited IMs and make an unlimited number of VoIP calls to any Skype user. Not too shabby, eh? The phone above will retail for £49 (just over $100) and features 3G support, a 2-megapixel camera and a microSD slot. The U.K. will be seeing it this Friday and Australia, Austria, Denmark, Hong Kong, Italy, Ireland, Macau and Sweden will all get their hands on it by year's end. Sounds like a pretty sweet deal, so here's hoping that Skype inks a deal with one of the U.S. carriers sometime soon. In the meantime, scope the video (link below) for an up-close-and-personal look at the device.

For more on the Skypephone:
- see this video (via T3 TV)
- and see this press release