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Skype

It don't work outside your home. Unless you have a Skype enabled mobile phone?

I used Skype to talk to relatives in Switzerland and it does not cost a penny as they are Skype users too. Skype to landline calls cost 1p a minute (I think).
 
We use Skype when we are abroad to keep in touch with the family, especially the grandchildren, back in the UK. For us it is a great bit of kit. We bought a better quality camera with a built in microphone, which has improved the "service". Easy to set up and use, all you need is a wi fi connection, MacDonalds if all else fails. We have Skyped from southern Spain using the site wi fi system and recently form the Montpelier area in France using a MacDonalds.
 
We use skype for video conversations, its free unless you use it for phone calls, micro soft stopped there's with vesta basic.
 
Skype is an excellent product but if its any good to you depends on what you need in communications. It requires you have at least some form of speakers and microphone [or headset] on your computer.

Its free to subscribe and free for Video, speech and texting between other people on Skype anywhere in the world.

If you place some credit on it as has been said you can then also use it to make low cost calls to land lines throughout the world. This feature is called "Skype-out"

So if your not buying that feature in your landline rental that can represent a huge cost saving.

In recent times it has become a FREE feature on 3Mobile. This allows you to use the speech and texting feature free to any Skype user, but a huge plus for some is that it also allows you free access to your "Skpeout" account to foreign landlines. So very cheap use of your mobile for international calling.

A feature Skype has is that it shows you who of your "contacts" are actually sat on their computers. So you don't fruitlessly call somebody who is not immediately available. "Contacts" are those with whom you have agreed to be included in your personal list of Skype acquaintances.

As I said in its basic Skype to Skype form its free so exploring it cost you nothing, but for others to "see" video of you then you need to buy a webcam. Almost all webcams include a microphone as well.
 
Skype is an excellent product but if its any good to you depends on what you need in communications. It requires you have at least some form of speakers and microphone [or headset] on your computer.

Its free to subscribe and free for Video, speech and texting between other people on Skype anywhere in the world.

If you place some credit on it as has been said you can then also use it to make low cost calls to land lines throughout the world. This feature is called "Skype-out"

So if your not buying that feature in your landline rental that can represent a huge cost saving.

In recent times it has become a FREE feature on 3Mobile. This allows you to use the speech and texting feature free to any Skype user, but a huge plus for some is that it also allows you free access to your "Skpeout" account to foreign landlines. So very cheap use of your mobile for international calling.

A feature Skype has is that it shows you who of your "contacts" are actually sat on their computers. So you don't fruitlessly call somebody who is not immediately available. "Contacts" are those with whom you have agreed to be included in your personal list of Skype acquaintances.

As I said in its basic Skype to Skype form its free so exploring it cost you nothing, but for others to "see" video of you then you need to buy a webcam. Almost all webcams include a microphone as well.
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I ought to add it is only a "sensible option" with Broadband connection to the internet.

It works with Mobile Broadband but is so data hungry that few will opt to use it from their normally meagre data allowance.

As said earlier its free on 3Mobile for speech and texting [no video yet available] and does not count against your phones allowance.
 
Skype is an excellent product, you can pick up a decent webcam with built in mic for under 20 quid. Though most recent laptops have built in cams....
 
We use Skype when we a re out and about in the caravan and can even make International calls however on a dongle it is voice only due to bandwith restrictions.
 
Another "whizz" is of course you can use it anywhere in the world you can get WiFi but dont forget that if you have "Skype-out" option you can make the same cheap telephone calls to all over the world. So sit on a French campsite enjoying free WiFi at the bar and phone your friends & family back in the UK.

Where WiFi is not about then you go into an internet cafe with just your headset and a Skype enabled" USB dongle and simply log on. If you buy or have a USB dongle with the feature "U3" then from the "U3" website you can download a portable version of Skype and that carries all you need to get connected off any computer. SanDisk on many of their [but not all] USB flash drives have embedded "U3" the facility that enables you to run programmes off the USB rather than the computer hard drive. Look for a little square logo on the USB package with "U3" on it. SanDisk's black Cruzer Micro tends to have it, some other makes also do. "U3" is an organisation that facilitates portable versions of many programs, the good news is Skype is one of their free ones; its often preloaded on some USB drives if not as I said you can get it "transplanted" to you "U3" enabled drive by visiting "U3"'s website.
 
JohnM,

There is one potential problem, it's difficult to get onto the laptop cos the rest of the family are always online chatting to their friends...
 
JTQ sums it up very well. Spent an hour on a video call to my pal in Perth WA this week, very high quality and free. And I don't have a very fast connection either.
 
I have seen it being used on the site I use in Spain in spite of the notices around the site forbidding its us on the free wifi. Once anyone starts to use it there the network grinds to a halt for anyone else.

Dave
 
Have had Skype on the laptop for a few years and used it (free) to talk to family in Australia and Scotland. For past 18 months have also had it on 3 and found it to be excellent.
 
Skype can be wonderful or very frustrating. Here on site in Spain with site wifi the signal strength from the various nodes is good but the transmission speed is lamentable due to too many users all evenutally getting to a single ASDL line. Most of the time will not support speech only never mind vision. Not the fault of Skype but of the site wifi.

(paid for) telephone better; certainly more convenient than getting phone cards for public telephones or using mobile, but voice quality very variable.

Great service if the local infrastructure is up to supporting it. Don't rely on it.
 
Skype can be wonderful or very frustrating. Here on site in Spain with site wifi the signal strength from the various nodes is good but the transmission speed is lamentable due to too many users all evenutally getting to a single ASDL line. Most of the time will not support speech only never mind vision. Not the fault of Skype but of the site wifi.

(paid for) telephone better; certainly more convenient than getting phone cards for public telephones or using mobile, but voice quality very variable.

Great service if the local infrastructure is up to supporting it. Don't rely on it.
 
Before Ray or others whinge about Skype call quality go to

www.skype.com and make sure you are running the latest version

( version 4.1 ) at present.

Skype regularly update to new versions and you need to check regularly that you have the latest version or you will lose call quality and other features!

Skype to go is brilliant in UK and Oz and countries where you can get an access number.

Many mobile phones can run 'Fring'

(free download from www.fring.com)

The Fring program runs Skype on your mobile phones and it will also run the following programs at the same time -

MSN

GTalk

Yahoo

ICQ

AIM

SIP

Last.fm

Facebook

Twitter

WeFi

I find that Fring running Skype is better than Skype's own download to a 3g mobile phone.

Fring will run all the messenger services listed above at the same time alongside Skype, Facebook and Twitter etc. Fring shows all contacts from the various programs under one listing when they are online.

But be warned, if you have a Twitter account and leave Twitter running on Fring your phone will chirp every time someone you follow 'Tweets'.
 
I'm just off to make my first Skype call on my Skype mobile, to friends in Spain! They're campsite couriers, and just planning their new season in Sardinia where they will be opening up a new site for Happy Camp - an Italian company a bit like Eurocamp.

I'll let you know how well it works!
 
Worked well, clear as a bell, and I've even bought a webcam now, so that my son can chat to his girlfriend who has a camera in her laptop. I've just discovered that a worthwhile number of my friends actually have Skype, but have never used it either - so there could be a whole new user group coming on line!
 
Dear Jo

Skype is a VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocal) program that provides telephone style calls that can include video calls between computers and it also includes instant messaging and data transfer. You can type instant messages to a contact with skype and include data/file transfers.

Latest mobile phones have internet access and use the higher speed 3G networks and can include Skype calling or messaging between computers and mobile phones.

You can download Skype to a computer free of charge from www.skype.com. When friends or family with Skype are online the Skype program shows an online icon and then you can call them and talk or type messages and use video face to face if you have web cameras.

The Internet is provided via phone lines or mobile phone network signals. So telephone style calls are just converted to a digital signal and sent across the internet.

Skype provides calls to land line phones and mobiles around the world if you buy credit. Skype to Skype calls are free apart from standard internet connection cost or mobile network data charges.

There are various programs such as MSN and Yahoo instant messaging and of course there is Facebook and Twitter Social Networking sites.

The list I gave above are various programs that are run by one program on some internet enabled 3G mobile phones.

It is called Fring and combines all the various programs listed under one application. Using Fring on a mobile phone you can talk via Skype or send instand messages on Skype or MSN etc.

And you can update and check out Facebook or Twitter accounts.

Fring also provides video calling on some mobile phones in Skype calls.

If you buy Skype credit you can make very cheap overseas calls to landline or mobile phones using Skype on a PC or a 3G internet enabled mobile phone.

🙂
 
Worked well, clear as a bell, and I've even bought a webcam now, so that my son can chat to his girlfriend who has a camera in her laptop. I've just discovered that a worthwhile number of my friends actually have Skype, but have never used it either - so there could be a whole new user group coming on line!
Click to expand...
Val, if you have friends with Skype that has not been used very much, they must make sure they are on the latest version to ensure best call quality.

Skype will update to new version without losing any contacts!

On 'help' at the top of the Skype screen there is an option to check for updates.

Using Skype credit I can call Oz for half an hour for less than 50 pence.

We've used Skype since its early days and now lot's of businesses big and small use it now as well. My friends organise Scuba Diving trips to Thailand and the agent there use Skype with video for bookings.
 
Val, if you have friends with Skype that has not been used very much, they must make sure they are on the latest version to ensure best call quality.

Skype will update to new version without losing any contacts!

On 'help' at the top of the Skype screen there is an option to check for updates.

Using Skype credit I can call Oz for half an hour for less than 50 pence.

We've used Skype since its early days and now lot's of businesses big and small use it now as well. My friends organise Scuba Diving trips to Thailand and the agent there use Skype with video for bookings.
Click to expand...
Thanks for that, euro - they're all busy upgrading as I type!
 
My youngest son thinks it's great that we've finally got connected to Skype. He can now talk to his girlfriend in Edinburgh, free of charge, and see her as well!

I must admit I'm amazed that it can all be done for free! I'm just surprised that there aren't more people using it.
 
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