Skype Mobile Reaches Verizon Feature Phones

often forget that there are still millions of cell phone users that aren’t running on Android, iOS, or another smart phone operating system. In fact, those smartphones only make up a fraction of the market. While the growth rate for WiFi enabled, mega-pixel pumping, touch screen sporting smartphones are tremendous, many companies forget to develop for a well-established market. Fortunately, Skype, in partnership with Verizon Wireless, didn’t forget about those people with affordable feature phones. Earlier today, they launched a mobile app for phones running on BREW (Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless).

The first set of Verizon Wireless 3G phones to support the Skype app will be the LG Chocolate Touch, Samsung Reality, and LG enV TOUCH, which we reviewed last year. While some Skype mobile iterations run on WiFi networks, the new BREW version runs entirely on Verizon’s 3G network. And that’s because those feature phones don’t have WiFi built in. Unfortunately, Verizon customers with only a calling and texting plan aren’t eligible for using Skype. Using the app requires either the 25MB / month data plan which goes for $10 / month or the unlimited $30 / month option. (We’re still awaiting word from Skype on whether using the app will drain the few megabytes of data offered to customers on the $10 monthly plan and we will post an update soon.)