I Love Skype!

[JimH5]

Not sure if there are any others who have used Skype before.

 

I signed up for it a few weeks ago, and now have a new favorite internet application!

 

We left New Jersey in December, and are now in Singapore for the next couple of years. We were able to get a local (262) number for our families to call, and we are billed just 2.1 cents per minute on that phone line.

 

Or, we can do Skype-to-Skype calls including video for free.

 

Simple to use, simple to install. And it works. . .highly recommended.

[trwi7]

I just installed it yesterday and can't get my account to work.

[JimH5]

I signed up for Skype Pro and Skype In, and haven't had any problems--if that's at all helpful. . .

[Brian the Automator]

Skype is our primary means of communication at work (in fact, I'm using it right now). 2/3 of our employees are in India, so whether I'm text-chatting or voice-chatting, it works great. My project manager even uses it on his windows mobile phone so he can talk to India (for free) in his car.

 

Yeah, I can't recommend Skype highly enough.

[Patrick425]

Someone I worked with tried to explain skype to me once, and I didn't quite get it. It sounds like it would be tricky to use it if you wanted to have 3 or 4 phones in your house. Is that correct? I'm one of these people that is really reluctant to change, no matter how much sense it might make. I want to have at least 3 working phones in my house and I don't want to have to go through some complicated hook up in order to make that happen.

[ccbrew]

Everything that's been said above. I've been using it for several years now and the service/call quality has only gotten better since then.

 

Edit: And by 'everything above' I was referring to the positive reviews by Jim and Brian.

[bullox]

Skype is great...I am also a fan of Gizmo. Gizmo, coupled with Google's project GrandCentral, allows me to make and receive calls absolutely free.

[Patrick425]

Ok, so I had to go to the skype site and see just how it works. Sounds like you don't use a phone at all (shows how much I know). So you just use it through a microphone attached to your computer? Does it "ring" if you get a call?

 

So, if I'm upstairs doing something and the computer "rings" in the kitchen, I probably won't hear it, much less be able to get to it in time. Pretty much any time the computer "rings" I'm going to have to go to where the computer is in order to answer it. And I also have to have the computer running all the time as well?

 

Sounds really cheap, but no, I don't think I be using skype.

[Brian the Automator]

Ok, so I had to go to the skype site and see just how it works. Sounds like you don't use a phone at all (shows how much I know). So you just use it through a microphone attached to your computer? Does it "ring" if you get a call?

 

So, if I'm upstairs doing something and the computer "rings" in the kitchen, I probably won't hear it, much less be able to get to it in time. Pretty much any time the computer "rings" I'm going to have to go to where the computer is in order to answer it. And I also have to have the computer running all the time as well?

 

Sounds really cheap, but no, I don't think I be using skype.

It's not really meant to be a complete phone replacement like a digital phone solution like Vonage. Unless you want to get real elaborate, it's pretty much computer-to-computer or computer-to-phone. For what it does, it's great.

 

[Paul77]

I bought video cameras for all the grandparents this past Christmas and signed everyone up for a Skype account. The idea was to give everyone an affordable video phone. My dad said he was afraid of the computer and took it back. The other grandparents love it.

[Fatter than Joey]

I am a skype whore -- I am always near my laptop -- oftentimes my cell could be in the van, at home, in the freezer, etc...

 

I use it mostly when I am reading files, talking to co-workers, it also works great for conferencing.

 

It's pretty hard to beat, but I don't use it to call the old man to talk about NFL or things like that.

[Godspeed]

Any updates or amendments to these reviews one year later?

 

We have phone service through TW at the insistence of my wife due to semi-spotty cellphone reception in the basement of our house. I'm loosely considering switching to Skype as essentially a main "home" phone replacement. Are there any caveats to going that direction outside of the standard "if your internet goes down, so does your phone" deal (which is the same for TW, fwiw)? I realize there's no 911 feature, but I'm comfortable with using a cellphone for that if need be.

 

Also, I understand how the service works and how to utilize the service, but should I have any concerns about the reliability of the call/ease of use (more a concern I have for my wife)/sound quality of the call?

[JimH5]

Wow. . .strange to see a thread I started a year ago emerge again.

 

We're still on Skype. Still a big fan.

 

We use the conference call feature fairly often, and it works well.

 

I also have Skype calls forwarded to a mobile phone, so when I don't pick up on the computer, it will ring through to a cell--even if I'm not online.

 

I have a mobile phone that I use in Asia, and a different phone that I use in the US, and that call forwarding feature can be used to ring either phone (whichever one I choose).

 

I don't have a landline phone anymore, and can't really see the need for one.

[strawbossisevil]

I bought an actual handset for Skype and absolutely love it. http://www.cnet.com.au/br...39035972,240091843,00.htm

 

Living here in Mexico, calling back home would be pretty expensive. But with Skype, I was able to buy a US number (with unlimited call me minutes) and a calling plan where I can make unlimited calls to any phone in the US for about $5 per month combined. That's right, $5 for unlimited incoming and outgoing calls to any US phone.

 

It's so neat because my friends back in the States can dial a Milwaukee number, and my phone rings down here.

 

The only drawback, is that I either have to have my portable microphone or my handset attached to a USB port whenever I want to make and receive calls. Kinda a pain at times, but for $5 a month of unlimited calls, I don't mind. And if for some reason I don't have the handset or microphone connected, it takes voicemails for me. So I know someone tried to call.

 

The only issue with Skype is that it can not call emergency numbers. 911 doesn't work for obvious reasons. But, if you have a cell phone, and are looking for a cheap home phone, Skype is great option.

 

Edit: I should mention, that you can buy additional handsets to go with the base unit. So essentially, you could have a Skype handset anywhere you'd have a normal phone, assuming you aren't living in a huge mansion (as you would have to have your handsets in range of the base unit, which I believe is 200 meters).

[nate82]

The only drawback, is that I either have to have my portable microphone or my handset attached to a USB port whenever I want to make and receive calls. Kinda a pain at times, but for $5 a month of unlimited calls, I don't mind. And if for some reason I don't have the handset or microphone connected, it takes voicemails for me. So I know someone tried to call.

Why not get bluetooth headset instead? If you have a newer laptop within the last 3-6 months the laptop might have bluetooth support. If not you could get this and all you would have is a USB stick in your laptop. Plantronics Voyager 510-usb. Would be less bulky than a headset but you would still have to have something attached to the USB port.

[strawbossisevil]

Two reasons. 1) I like having the phone handset that rings whenever I get a call, and which has far better range than any bluetooth headset would have. I can take my phone into any room in my apartment, and I could sit out on my porch without any trouble. 2) My computer, while very new, did not come with bluetooth, and with me only planning on staying here in Mexico another 6 months, it probably isn't worth it for me to spend money on getting a USB bluetooth stick, plus the headset.

[Blancofan1]

strawbossisevil--if you are interested in picking up a bluetooth dongle and headset for a really good price, they are both on sale today online. the USB bluetooth dongle is on sale on woot.com for $1.49+$5 shipping and there is a headset on sale at 1saleaday.com for $9.99+$5.99 shipping. For just over 20 bucks you could have everything that you would need to use Skype with a buletooth.

[1992casey]

You can get bluetooth dongles that stick no more than a quarter of an inch out of your USB port. Check at Best Buy.

[1992casey]

Wow. . .strange to see a thread I started a year ago emerge again.

 

And it's emerging again after another six month layoff. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

 

I set up Skype this week and I've gotten one chat message and two contact authorization requests from "women" of questionable principles. How do they find me? I can't imagine them doing a search for me.

[RyDogg66]

What about Magic Jack as a home phone solution? It costs $20 per year.

[DuWayne Steurer]

What about Magic Jack as a home phone solution? It costs $20 per year.

Magic Jack is nothing close to being magic. It's a royal pain in the patoot. I haven't used it, but have spoken with and worked with people who have tried it, and have never heard a positive thing said about it.

[JimH5]

I've gotten one chat message and two contact authorization requests from "women" of questionable principles. How do they find me? I can't imagine them doing a search for me.

 

That's something I've been experiencing recently as well. I got none of that the first year I was using Skype, but now it happens occasionally. I just block the person and report it as abuse, and move on. Irritating, though, as I envision a day when my 5-year old daughter will be making and receiving Skype calls.

[1992casey]

I just got a fourth one. It's easy enough to not authorize these people; they don't receive any notification that you've refused them.

 

Still, JimH5's mention of his daughter is exactly what crossed my mind. It makes me hesitant set up Skype for family members like 20fry did way back when. Having to take precautions adds an unnecessary layer to the learning curve.

 

I'm sure I can stop this by restricting incoming calls and chats to my contact list. But I also think that's too restrictive. If I set that preference, wouldn't I also be making it tough for people I'd prefer to authorize?

[1992casey]

I did some checking. What's happening is that these "porn people" use the search to pop up usernames and ask to be authorized by whatever name appeals to them. Restricting calls and chat to people on your contact list has nothing to do with this; the problem is that you can't stop yourself from being searchable.

 

I'd like it if I could keep myself from appearing in the search and simply e-mail my username to people I'd like to have contact me. A cool intermediate option would be to show up in searches only if my name is keyed in completely and correctly.

 

Another thing that would slow spammers down considerably would be to build a CAPTCHA into contact requests. It wouldn't be much of a hassle for normal users to go through that step, but it'd slow spammers down considerably.

 

At least all I'm getting is generic contact requests; I guess some include actual links to porn sites.