Skype - What is it and how can it help me?
Skype is a truly fantastic piece of technology which has the potential to save you a LOT of money, especially if you have friends or relatives interstate or overseas that you regularly talk to on the phone.
What is Skype?
Good question, and I’m glad you asked… Skype is a small, free software application which allows you talk to your friends and relatives around the world, like you would on a regular telephone, but instead using your computer as the handset and the internet as the telephone cables. Skype allows conference calling too so you can chat with up to 5 friends from all corners of the globe, all at the same time - for free (internet data charges will apply - check with your ISP)!
What else can it do?
As if giving you access to what are essentially free telephone calls wasn’t enough, Skype also works as an instant messaging application much like Yahoo Messenger, MSN Messenger, AIM, ICQ and others. Instant Messaging allows you to type messages to your friends and conduct a conversation. This is often sensible to do before launching a voice call, just in case your friend isn’t around or available to take the call. While in a call, if you have a web cam connected, you can also send video of yourself and have a cheap (read: free!) way of video conferencing.
What kind of quality should I expect?
The quality of Skype has to be heard to be believed. The sound quality on a normal phone is quite poor due to the limited bandwidth on a telephone connection and so the bass and the treble tend to get chopped off and the sound quality is a little flat. Unlike a normal telephone call, Skype has access to much more bandwidth, and in the right environment the sound quality is almost comparable to sitting face to face with your friend!
What do I need to use Skype?
Not much. The essentials are:
- Your computer (of course!)
- You will need to download the Skype
software. It’s free - (did I mention that already?) and very easy to install (I’ll be doing an installation guide soon!).
- An internet connection. Skype WILL work on a 56k dialup connection, but it works MUCH better on a broadband connection.
- A microphone for your computer
- Speakers for your computer (or headphones - preferable!)
Skype will run on nearly all kinds of computers and isn’t particularly demanding on your hardware. You definitely won’t need the latest and greatest machine to use it. Almost any machine sold within say the last 7 years would be sufficiently capable of handling a Skype call. Skype is available for both Macintosh and Windows systems.
How to maintain a good quality connection
To ensure the best quality Skype experience, it’s wise not to be using your internet connection or computer for much else while you are in call. So that means avoiding doing your Windows updates or downloading the latest copy of Law and Order from the iTunes Store or scanning your computer for viruses!
Other Skype services
The normal Skype to Skype (PC-to-PC) service is free, but Skype offer a few other nice little add-ons that make it all the more flexible and fun to use:
- SkypeOut
- allows you to make calls from your PC to REAL telephones across the world at reasonable rates (extra charges apply)
- Skype Voicemail - Catches your messages when you’re away from your computer and allows you to play them back later - just like a normal answering machine.
- SkypeIn
- Allows you to ‘buy’ a phone number in a location of your choice. People can call that number from a regular telephone handset, anywhere in the world and the call gets sent through to your PC running Skype. Neat huh?
Conclusion
Give Skype a go. Go on! You won’t be disappointed. Then if you like, try some of Skype’s add on services and consider a headset to improve thge Skype experience all the more. Before you know it you’ll be Skyping like the rest of us.
Oh, and if you need someone to call for your first skype experience, call me - if I’m not around, leave me a message letting me know how you got on.
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