No Skype for Palm Pre

Skype has no plans to write software for the Palm Pre, a company exec said today. The Internet phoning company says it has plenty on its plate with this week's launch of an iPhone app, and one coming for the BlackBerry in May.

"We want to see how that device sells," COO Scott Durchslag told reporters. "If [the Pre] takes off, it's something we'll consider."

From initial impressions of the iPhone app, the company does have its hands full. Reviews are mixed, with many early users reporting crashes. My own experience was smooth, although call quality varied markedly.

The initial doubts haven't cooled interest. The Skype software is among the top 10 downloads from the iPhone App Store in the United States, and is number one in a number of European countries and Japan, Durschlag said. His comments at a wireless conference in Las Vegas were also webcast.

Third parties can write software that taps the Skype network for other phones, presumably including the Pre. But Skype says those apps don't produce the same quality of calls. Access to the Pre may also depend on Sprint, the handset's initial carrier.

Carriers have a range of reactions to Skype, which offers calls cheaper than the fees charged by wireless providers, Durschlag said. "Some of them are afraid of it, some embrace it, and some aren't sure."