Another episode in the continuing saga of Skype getting better in "the rest of the world" first, UK-based mobile carrier 3 has introduced the Skypephone, the market's first cellular device designed around the free peer-to-peer telephone service.

Skype is ideally suited for those who frequently make international calls, and fans of the service consider it a smart and urbane alternative to shelling out huge sums to a phone company. The wired handsets and WiFi phones of recent past, however, have not exactly meshed with the image of the classy, jet-setting Skype user.

Fortunately, the Skypephone, which Qualcomm, Skype and 3 partnered to create using the BREW platform, manages to be visually appealing as well as affordable.

The handset, available in black or white with blue or pink trim, offers a 2 MP camera, an MP3 player, Bluetooth 2.0, and Mobile TV and internet functions on the 3 network in addition to the core Skype functions.

With a push of the Skype button, a user can voice connect to any of the service's 246 million registered users for free. In the phone book, usernames behave as another "phone number" to which the user can connect.

Similarly, the 3 Skypephone can engage in Skype chat as well as send SMS text messages, and MMS Multimedia messages.

The 3 Skypephone will retail for £49.99 on pay-as-you-go, or free with an 18-month contract, with rates between £12 and £27 per month. Pre-orders begin today in the UK, and availability in stores is set for November 2.

By the end of this year, 3's plans are to make the Skypephone available in Australia, Austria, Denmark, Hong Kong, Italy, Ireland, Macau, and Sweden. The United States is regrettably not on the list, and Skype Yanks will just have to sit on their collective hands until further notice.