Just when I thought that I had my next mobile phone choice all locked down (the Google phone), along comes news of the upcoming Skype phone which has got me in the unique position of considering having two mobile phones at once.

I use Skype every day and I have accumulated a lot of Skype contacts. I also spend an absurd amount of Skype credit every month on personal and business phone calls. So on one hand, getting a Skype phone would be good, financially speaking, because then I can pay the small monthly charge to the phone company and then the Skype calls will be free (provided the other person has a Skype ID).

But on the other hand, the Google phone has its attractions too - connection to the net which means IMAP access to Gmail, and access to other Google services such as Docs and Calendar. Oh and it can make phone calls too.

But I will have some extra time to think about it as the anticipated release of the Skype phone at the end of this month is only expected in the UK, Italy, Hong Kong, and Australia. No word yet on a German release date.

I suppose the delay will be good in monitoring user reviews of the Skype phone to see if it is a magnificent wonder worth having or a huge metal turkey that should be avoided at all costs. I mean, look at all the complaints from iPhone users. Sometimes it’s good to hold back a bit and wait until all the dust and hype settles.

There’s even speculation that a successful Skype phone will do wonders for the fortunes of Skype’s owners, eBay. If the Skype phone is a huge success, that could pave the way for eBay to start promoting the idea of paying for eBay items through the phone, using a mobile version of Paypal.

Plus a successful Skype phone has the potential to cause a major earthquake through the mobile phone industry worldwide. Why should I pay the equivalent of 20 cents a minute using an ordinary mobile phone when I can ask my contact to set up a Skype ID and I can call them for free? Or if I have to pay normal Skype rates to call a non-Skype user, the rates involved are a fraction of the normal cost of a mobile phone call. So the mobile phone industry is going to have to slash their prices in order to stay competitive - which will be wonderful for everyone.

But what is really curious is the lack of advertising for both the Skype phone and the Google phone. As my girlfriend pointed out last night, in the runup to the launch of the iPhone, we had saturated television advertising announcing the iPhone. But for a Skype phone that is supposedly due out in a few days, Skype has been strangely quiet about trumpeting the great news. And has Google said anything or advertised anything about their phone?

Or are both Skype and Google both hoping that word-of-mouth will be enough?

Related posts:

1. The Skype phone hits UK stores on Friday
2. The Skype rumour mill starts rolling again
3. eBay to finally allow sellers to advertise their Skype ID’s
4. A chance to play online with a Google Android phone
5. Gmail’s IMAP feature - the buildup to the Google phone?