A harmonious marriage was released today, Skype has finally launched on the iPhone. The free app will be available shortly on ITunes making it easy to see your loved ones and business types while going about your daily life (barring you are close to a Wi-Fi source as the video capability won’t work over your cell phone network.) Skype, acquired by eBay in 2005 for $2.6 billion, now has more than a billion downloads and should continue its exponential growth with its multi-platform experience.

Why is Skype so contagious? Certainly the ability to see others as well as its either free or low-cost ability to connect with others is the influential core offering. But, they also indoctrinate users to feel like in-the-know innovators, even when Skyping has become part of mainstream vernacular. 

Coincidentally, The Neilsen Company released a study today on consumers desire for convenience in phone innovation. While this seems obvious and is a key benefit underlying many consumer choices, it does highlight how important ease-of-use is to the products consumer adopt. Another data point from the study highlighted the increased frequency of daily mobile internet use by the US market, thus providing a good case for the inclusion of mobile advertising in marketing mixes.