Skype 3 Brings 3G Video Chat to iPhone

Skype announced the immediate availability of Skype 3.0 for the iPhone on Thursday. The updated version of the text and audio chat app added support for video chats over Wi-Fi and 3G wireless data networks.

iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS and fourth generation iPod touch owners can conduct two-way video chats, while iPad and iPod touch owners can receive video calls even though they can only participate via audio. The app also supports mobile to computer video calls with Skype 2.8 and higher on Mac OS X, or Skype 4.2 and higher on Windows.

Video chat support over 3G gives Skype a leg up over Apple’s own FaceTime in iOS 4.2 since the feature is currently limited to Wi-Fi networks.

Skype 3 for the iPhone is free, and is available at Apple’s iTunes-based App Store.