So you aren't ready to give up your trusted phone line, but you still want to make free calls over the Internet? You might give Skype a try. This peer-to-peer app from the makers of Kazaa lets you talk to other Skype users using VoIP. And for those friends and family you can't convince to download and install Skype, you can still call them from your PC by dropping some euros onto a prepaid SkypeOut account. For free calls among Internet-savvy friends, Skype is a no-brainer: calls are clear, and there are neither ads nor a charge. But before you throw money into a SkypeOut account, keep reading.
Skype is now in version 1.1 for Windows users and 1.0 for Mac, Linux, and Pocket PCs. The software is as easy to use as any instant messenger. All you need is a USB headset (or a microphone and speakers) to make and receive calls. For free calling, you'll need to get your friends or family to download Skype but the software is so easy to set up and use that you shouldn't have a hard time selling them on the service. Skype is an integrated solution that combines service and software, resulting in unparalleled ease of use.
After a quick download, you'll soon discover that Skype 1.1 looks more like an IM client than a softphone. You sign up with a username rather than a phone number. Instead of dialing a number, you can just click a username from your contact list to initiate a call. There's even an IM option, should you prefer typing to talking and a conference-call function that lets you converse with up to four other people at once. A separate download, PocketSkype, gives a Pocket PC-based, Wi-Fi-enabled handheld the ability to act as an IM and make calls from any hot spot.
Call quality was very good in our trials; conversations between CNET editors in New York and San Francisco were crystal clear. There was only the slightest evidence of latency, but not nearly enough to interrupt the flow of the conversation. Impressive, too, is the fact that we had no trouble getting through our corporate firewall for calls to Skype users outside our corporate network. Considering that the software is free, we were surprised to find that it's also ad-free.
We experienced mixed results with SkypeOut, which we used to call non-Skype users. We added 10 euros (about AUS$16.60) to a SkypeOut account in order to call regular landline phones. You make SkypeOut calls from the regular Skype window on your PC -- just hit the plus sign, then the number. The welcome screen displays a running tally of your remaining SkypeOut balance. With SkypeOut, you can call any number in the United States, Canada, most countries in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Chile for 1.7 euros (about 2 cents) per minute. Calls to other countries and to mobile phones carry slightly higher but still very reasonable rates.
Call quality was on a par with what you'd expect from a mobile phone -- some calls were clearer than others. During testing, however, a number of calls were dropped after the first few seconds. We wouldn't recommend using SkypeOut to replace your current long-distance carrier. Instead, use it as an inexpensive alternative for the occasional international phone call. With no activation fee, SkypeOut is cheaper than other VoIP phone services for periodic overseas calls -- as long as you're comfortable talking through a microphone or a headset attached to your PC instead of using your regular phone. It also would serve your home well, for instance, as a second line for calling your international jet-set friends or foreign in-laws. Better yet, convince your friends and family to download Skype 1.1 on their end for unlimited free calls.
