Integrating Skype into the native experience
Back in the era of the iPhone 3GS, I was the interaction designer at Skype tasked with helping theteam at Palm integrate Skype their WebOS range - first with the Verizon launch of the Palm Pre 2, and then later with the short-lived HP TouchPad.
Exclusive to Verizon and building on the infrastructure in the BlackBerry applications I'd worked on earlier, the premise was simple - Skype to Skype calls would be free, domestic calls would route over Verizon's network, but any international calls would be hosted by Skype's PSTN service.
HP Touchpad
Soon after the acquisition of Palm by HP, we collaborated again on the integrated calling experiencer for this new tablet form factor. As some sort of personal record. The device was announced in Feburary 2011, released in July 2011 and withdrawn from sale 49 days later.
While I'd love to claim some design genius here, the Skype calling experience was essentially the iPad client rendered in Avenir, with concessions to the webOS system controls from the Palm Pre phone app.
