If you have any interest at all in low-cost "Internet phone service," or free Web-based voice, text, and video chatting, and haven't yet used Skype, you really should check it out. In a few short years, Skype has grown from "one of those Web chat service things," to a formidable contender for the title of, "All in one Web-based communications giant." Offering text, voice, and video chat, conference calls, file transfers, "SkypeCast" one-to-many voice chats, and VoIP telephony service, Skype has become a great tool for individuals and businesses alike.
Between low-cost VoIP telephone service, free Web-based IM, voice chat, and conference chat services, and now a plea to the FCC to open up the wireless airwaves to allow for Skype-based calling across cellular networks, the eBay-owned company has become a customer favorite and something of a renegade in the telephony industry (NOTE: Skype is careful to point out that as they do not offer emergency calling services a la 911, they should not be considered a true telephony solution). Whether you're an individual interested in low-cost home phone service or a business executive looking for powerful online collaboration tools and flexible voice and data services, Skype probably offers something that will pique your interest. Let's take a closer look at Skype's services.
Free Services All of the following is free on Skype:
All you need is a Mac, Window or Linux computer, a PocketPC handheld, or a "computer-less" Skye phone, an Internet connection, and the freely downloadable Skype application. While Skype-branded headsets are available for purchase, standard computer microphones and headsets generally work just fine with the service. Using Skype via computer speakers often results in a distracting echo effect on the listener's end, and is not recommended. Click here for more information including system requirements.
I've been using Skype BETA for Mac OS X for awhile now, primarily over my home Cable Modem connection, and it's great. I regularly conduct text and voice chats with friends and clients, and the voice quality is almost always stellar. Skype-to-Skype connections tend to sound the best, but even talking over Skype to someone on a cell phone set to speakerphone mode is good enough. I also regularly have conference calls over Skype with one of my clients. Skype officially supports up to nine parties on a conference call. Our calls tend to have four or five people on at a time, and the quality is usually excellent. The one hitch is that we sometimes experience delays that sound like the speaker is slurring his/her words for a moment. The more people on the call and the slower their connection speeds, the more frequent the slur-like hiccups. Even with these occasional hitches, conference calling on Skype is a great, free alternative to traditional calling, with the added benefit of Skype's built-in text chat and file transfer services. It's really a great tool for business in the Web age.
SkypeOut and Skype Unlimited
Skype's featured service is VoIP calling. VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol, and basically refers to routing voice calls over the Internet to connect landline phones with Web-based clients. Skype allows you to place and receive calls using your computer, certain WiFi-capable cell phones, or a special Skype-compatible handset. Skype Unlimited allows unlimited "SkypeOut" calling to the US and Canada for $29.95 per year. This means that you can place calls to any phone - land line, cellular, or VoIP - from your Skype device; you do not get a phone number and so cannot receive calls with this plan. SkypeOut is also available on a per minute basis. Outgoing calls cost $0.021 to 30 global destinations, with higher rates applicable to some countries. Skype Unlimited customers are charged for international calling on a per minute basis, and you can also purchase Skype credit to make calls without signing up for a yearly plan.
I used SkypeOut for a few months last year when Skype was offering a free trial of the service (the trial expired on the first of this year). The experience was roundly excellent. While I had to use my regular (cellular) phone line to accept incoming calls, I basically made all of my outgoing calls for free when I was near my computer and a broadband Net connection. In fact, after the trial ended, I started using my cell phone so much more that my bill shot up and I had to up the number of minutes on my monthly contract.
At $29.95/year, SkypeOut is cheaper than other unlimited landline and VoIP plans, but there's a trade-off involved. While SkypeOut doesn't give you a number for incoming calls, it also doesn't tie you to a physical location like other services do. You have to be at home to use your home phone; you can be anywhere to use Skype so long as you have an Internet connection. The emergence of portable Skype WiFi phones and open WiFi hotspots makes Skype all the more powerful and attractive to self-employed and on-the-go types. A three-month SkypeOut plan is also available for $8.85.
SkypeIn and Skype Voicemail
For $60/year or $18/3 months, SkypeIn gives you a phone number at which to receive calls, and voicemail service to field calls you can't get to. You can buy up to 10 SkypeIn numbers in your choice of area codes, which is nice if you want to let people far away (family, friends, regular business clients) call you without having to pay long distance charges.
Note that SkypeIn is separate from SkypeOut, so if you want to be able to receive and make calls, you'll have to sign up for both services at a total charge of just under $90 per year. Skype Voicemail is also available as a separate service in the form of an add-on to a basic Skype account. This is basically akin to voice Email - you can receive voice messages whether you're logged on to Skype at the moment or not. If you're away, the messages are saved for you to retrieve the next time you log in.
Skype to Go
Skype to Go offers discount international calling from your cell phone. The service connects your handset to Skype's international calling service, effectively letting you make international calls at Skype rates - as low as 2.1 cents/minute - plus normal cellular minute usage for the call. Skype to Go is only available as part of Skype Pro (see below).
Skype Pro
Skype also offers a subscription-based service called Skype Pro, which offers "exclusive discounts, access to new Skype products and great international calling benefits" for $3/month. Skype Pro includes free voicemail and a free Skype to Go number, and touts a discount of "more than 50%" on SkypeIn services.
Skype Prime
Always fantasized about running your own Psychic Friends Hotline a la Dionne Warwick in the 1990's? Skype recently introduced a new service geared towards entrepreneurs game to offer for-free advice via voice and text chat. Skype Prime (now in BETA testing) allows any Skype subscriber to hang a virtual shingle advertising their service and setting a per-minute fee for said services. And, no, "adult" phone services are not allowed in Skype Prime.
Skype Zones (BETA)
Skype is also currently Beta testing a new service called Skype Zones which lets users make Skype calls from select Wi-Fi hotspots in airports, cafes, and other public locations around the world. According to Skype's website, some 18,000+ hotspots are currently Skype Zones-enabled, but the service only works with Windows computers at this time (PocketPC devices are not supported). Skype Zones calling is $2.95 for two hours, or $7.95/month for unlimited usage.
