Skype phone service

Darren Wright

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Springfield, Missouri
Anyone here using Skype?

Reason I'm interested is that so far it's cost me $60 total for a year of service. This includes the phone number ($60 but $30 discount with 1 year service plan), and unlimited US calling ($2.95 month, $29 for 1 year). Has call forwarding, caller id, and voicemail included.

I've been testing it out to see what the quality (or lack of) is like. So far, other than some very short initial delays when answering the quality seems very good. I've only been using a microphone headset, but have a usb device on order for a regular phone to connect to.

Just curious what hardware others are using and if anyone has tried the new wifi phones?

Thanks,
 
Ive been using it for about 4 months now and really like it I have had very few problem with it. I did have one call that gave me a bad lag but hung up and called again with no problems.
I'm just using headphones with boom mic but want to up grade to a wireless system.
I don't have the phone # so the problem I have is getting my oldest son to answer it as there is no number he recognizes.
Jay
 
I've got an account, and bought a year's worth of service a couple years ago. I ended up not using it much at all, so I didn't renew. Somewhere along the way I acquired about $10 worth of credit on my account, so I've used it since then for a few cross-country calls to non-Skype numbers just to use up the minutes. (I can still call Skype numbers for free, as far as I know. I last used that capability to talk to some Canuk in Tokyo.) ;)

I have a USB headset/microphone. The sound quality is better than my other phones, but I still tend to grab either my cell or the wireless landline handset when I need to make a call. (I've gotten too accustomed to wireless.)

Funny you bring this up, though. I was just getting ready to PM you to see if you had a Skype account. ;)
 
I've been using Skype since 2006, it is a great way to keep in touch with my family back in Canada, heck I've even chatted briefly with some long haired blonde in Kaliforina :eek:

I have the account so I can call regular phones from my computer, this makes calling 1-800 numbers in the US and Canada a snap (they are free too!) I also call some of my less computer savvy family on their regular phones, as it is dirt cheap to talk. I was talking to Greg Cook down south of me just last night, I can call his cell phone for a couple of pennies a minute from Tokyo with it, if I used my regular cell phone the charges would be quite high.

I seldom have troubles, but the few times I've had trouble with the connection, I just hang up and call again, and it is usually great.

Cheers!
 
I too have been using Skype for about 3 years now. I started when it was free. I buy skype credit and use it to call internationally works out very cheap. I call family all over the world and especially south africa and pricing is really great. Call quality has improved radically over the years. Still get the odd bad line or serious delay but all i do is hang up and call again.

I have a Linksys wireless SKYPE phone which we use for this purpose. It synchronises with my skype contacts and allows my wife to use the phone the same as the normal landline. She does not go for talking into a headset and microphone.

I also use the skype service to dial into long distance conference calls which i set up sometimes on behalf of clients when we are doing a web meeting.

So example you can use a service like (freeconference calls) and set up a conference call which everyone can dial into and not pay for the conferencing service. If one uses skype to make the call instead of normal long distance carrier you end up with not paying or paying very little through the skype out call service. This with a web meeting service is really great way to share presentations etc.

The skype to skype calls are free and the quality is much better I find. But then you need both parties to be on skype.
 
Well I have also used Skype for a couple of years. Don't use it a lot but our Cell Phones are marginal from the house. I have a Skype phone I picked up at Radio Shack for 15.00 or so on close out. Also use a headset with the computer. And on the laptop it works well just using speaker and microphone. Wife loves it, and we use it quite a bit for local phone calls as anymore you never know when a call is long distance unless you look up the prefix in the front of the phone book. The phone company dropped 1 + on local long distance so across town may cost. Skype takes care of that well. The cost is so low one can try and quit easily if they don't like it.

And as others have said quality has really improved.
Garry
 
I've been using it since it was in BETA (pre video), which was a little flaky in those days but great now. We use it to talk/see our family in the UK and Japan, which is great as our 3yr old son get's to see his grand parents, and vice versa.
 
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