Nokia and Skype have just announced the introduction of a free Skype client for all Nokia Symbian ^1 phones. This Skype client will be available from Nokia's Ovi Store, free of charge, and will be full-featured - most importantly, allowing for calls/txt's over Wi-Fi, 3G, EDGE, and GPRS. In essence, an owner of an applicable handset will no longer require a voice plan - all calls can be made over data networks.

I've been trying to decide whether or not to buy a Nokia phone for a while, but with this announcement, and the previous Ovi Maps announcement (free full-featured maps for practically every country, including turn-by-turn, walking guides, etc.), I'll definitely be getting one!

Nokia N97 Mini, here I come! Free calls and navigation (without the need for a voice plan and/or data plan) mean this will be a killer travel phone!

Applicable handsets and details: http://www.nokia.com/press/press-releases/showpressrelease?newsid=1390410