Review by kristimyers 
UPDATED: 341 days ago
member for 3.8 years, 828 visits, last login: 21 days ago
 York,York,PA
 $5 per month (12 month contract)
 about 1 days
 "Great price, very reliable and fairly easy to use"
 "None, really. I am very pleased. This service would be worth it at 5x the price."
 "A GREAT deal, and worth the hiccups for all the benefits!"
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I am using Skype with the prepaid 1-year unlimited US/Canada with a local phone number. I have it installed on my Asus Eeepc (Linux), my Acer Aspire laptop (1.5 GB RAM, running XP), and my iMac G5 (1 GB RAM, running OS 10.3.9). My connection through Verizon is 3Mbps/200 on a good day.
So far, I have had the best results on the Linux machine and the XP laptop, using the internal mic and speakers. I have found that overall quality is superior to my cell phone (Sprint) and way better than MagicJack or my previous Sunrocket service. I get terrible outgoing voice on my Mac running OS 10.3.9, which I attribute to insufficient resources on the machine.
All of my machines are accessing the internet using my Wifi network, and I am seeing great incoming sound and very good outgoing sound. I do have some dropped calls, especially when my 6 year-old is using the service and talks too low. We have the occasional garbled outgoing sound, but that is quickly fixed by restarting the call and ending processes that are bogging down the internet connection.
I love the Skype software for Mac and XP - it is easy to use and has all the features I could possibly want. So far, I can only get video to work on my XP machine, but it does work very well. I am 100% pleased with Skype to Skype with video, as we use it daily to call a relative in Thailand. That alone is worth any negatives I have experienced.
I am particularly pleased that my little girl can launch and use Skype with no help. Of course I supervise her, but she can open her Asus Eeepc, click on a family member's name, and call without any trouble. The unlimited plan is more than enough to ensure that she can call out of town relatives without costing us an extra penny, and she loves being able to carry her computer around and talk to her family. The Linux version that runs on the Asus is pretty bare-bones and doesn't offer the features I like, but it works for a 6 year-old.
A few weeks into the service, I am very pleased. Skype has replaced MagicJack as my internet-based service of choice, and the features can't be beat. I am telling all of my overseas friends to get Skype so we can call without running up our landline bills.
Cautions: Read the fine print. The Unlimited US/Canada plan DOES have limits, but I think I calculated these to be 133 hours of calls per month to non-Skype users. Also, if you maintain a Skype credit for calls outside your plan, be careful about the kinds of phones you are calling. The overseas pricing can be tricky because certain lines cost a lot more per minute. Also, I wish the Linux software would be more fully-featured. Finally, if you attach a Skype phone to your computer, you may see a SIGNIFICANT decrease in call quality. My first attempt at Skype, using my XP machine, had me using a Skype USB phone (not cheap) plugged into my XP machine. The outgoing sound was TERRIBLE, and I cancelled the service because there was no way to adjust the quality. However, using that same computer without a Skype phone has produced excellent results.
If you are looking for a cheap alternative to landlines, with great quality and the coolness factor, go for Skype. I paid $60 for a full year of service that includes a local number for others to call and voice mail, and it is worth many times more than that.
Update 1/2/2009:
I have been using Skype for about 2 months, and I like it more and more every day. Our calls to Thailand using Skype to Skype are crystal clear, with video and chat working perfectly. Domestic calls are always better than cell phone quality, and often better than our POTS line. Voice mail is 100%, and our dropped calls are at 0%. I never thought I would get such great VOIP service at any price, so I am thrilled with Skype. I now use it for most of my local calls, as it is convenient and keeps my POTS line free. I tried Skype on a conference call through my laptop, and the call quality was far superior to what I could get using my new speaker phone.
I completely recommend SKype, especially with the unlimited US calling for $30 a year. Awesome.
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