Skype, a global Internet-telephony company, announced an agreement on February 16 to bundle Skype with the Xandros desktop operating system and also offer Skype with the wireless BenQ P50 Pocket PC phone.

?Our users want the latest features, including VoIP,? said Andreas Typaldos, Xandros CEO. ?Skype delivers secure, crystal-clear Internet telephony, plus it?s simple to use, which makes it a perfect fit for our desktop solutions.?

The co-marketing agreement will allow for mutual product promotion. Xandros will include SkypeOut vouchers with its latest SurfSide Linux suite, as well as with Xandros desktops and laptops sold through Walmart.com, Amazon.com, and other channels. SkypeOut is the pre-paid, premium offering that allows Skype users to call traditional phones around the world at local rates. Xandros customers will receive vouchers worth up to 120 minutes of SkypeOut calls. Skype-to-Skype calls are free for all users.

BenQ will include the free Skype for Pocket PC software on CD with all Wi-Fi-enabled BenQ P50 phones. With Skype installed, P50 users will be able to make wireless voice calls wherever they are, worldwide.

Initially, Skype and the BenQ P50 will be promoted and available from BenQ?s website and retail shops in Taiwan beginning in April. BenQ plans to rollout the P50 phone in the US and European markets later this year, bundled with Skype. The BenQ P50 will also be promoted in cooperation with PChome, Taiwan?s leading Internet-portal company.

From DigiTimes