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 Review by Gbcue 
Posted: 11 days ago
member for 7.7 years, 4289 visits, last login: a few hours ago
 Santa Rosa,Sonoma,CA
 Contract price not specified.
 "It's a great service, can call other Skype users and 800 numbers for free!"
 "$ Still expires?"
 "It's great to prank call people."
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No other options that were free.
Install software process was quick and easy. Updates are rolled out frequently.
Caller ID shows up as 012-345-6789 - Awesome!
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Review by Cubytus
Posted: 110 days ago
member for 1.8 years, 121 visits, last login: 73 days ago
Montreal,QC
$10 per month
"Attractive rates, easy to use software"
"Completely closed system; unreliable call quality; no incoming canadian numbers available; Mac and Linux versions very lacking"
"Enough for occasional VoIP users or as an inexpensive add-on to cell service"
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They have a quite good-looking website, but it's not that easy to find detailed information on it.
No way to easily contact customer service, although they DO have one.
The software (didn't tried any hardware device) itself is pretty functional and user-friendly, but, on the downsides: Linux and Mac versions are not on par with Windows' one in terms of functionality, and all of them are heavy in RAM, and extremely heavy on the CPU while in call (70% with video on a Core 2 Duo 2,33GHz). If you don't have a big RAM reserve, you don't want to run Skype all day long. And forget about recycling that old PC in a Skype station.
Call quality os very variable. Basically, if you pay for your call, it's excellent. If you use Skype-to Skype service, call quality can be top-notch a minute, and crappy as hell for the next 5. This is due to P2P architecture, but I believe paying customers get a better treatment. Video quality is terrible and choppy, most of the time, whatever some people say. So, far from being stable.
Their system is completely proprietary, and although they advertise it as "secure", I won't trust any company that doesn't publish its security implementations and have backdoors implemented in their software.
That said, it's still very good for occasional user, but one shouldn't take its call quality as a reference for all VoIP providers.
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 Review by MrMoody
UPDATED: 121 days ago
member for 6.8 years, 1188 visits, last login: a few hours ago
Smithfield,Johnston,NC
$3 per month (3 month contract)
"Cheap and works"
"Increasing price, decreasing service"
"OK for supplemental use & avoiding long distance charges"
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Installs easily on PC, ready to make calls with a little audio configuring. I use Skype Out only to save on long distance. Sound quality is nothing great, but it's sufficient for a conversation and lagging/dropping etc is minimal.
A recent change they've made is an annoyance. It only allows a call to ring for about 15 seconds, so it is now impossible to leave voice mails to anyone whose phone rings first, then goes to voice mail.
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Review by jduffy
Posted: 126 days ago
member for 2.8 years, 292 visits, last login: 24 days ago
Cincinnati,Hamilton,OH
$5 per month
 about 1 days
"A lot of features, text, audio and video, cheap"
"cannot use a TA without a computer"
"Good Quality, Video, and Text makes it a nice service for families"
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We have used Skype in our family with the video feature. Makes my daughter in Atlanta feel like she is closer to the family. Now here husband's family is going to get it so they can use video from up in the northeast.
I also have the SkypeOut at $3 a month for unlimited call to the US and Canada. What a deal that is! We also have a number so people can call-in with regular phones. So for about $60 bucks a year, we have a cheap back-up phone and video calling (basic Skype to Skype calls are FREE).
Quality of the calls has been very good. We are happy with Skype.
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Review by kieranmullen
Posted: 138 days ago
member for 3.5 years, 491 visits, last login: a few hours ago
Portland,Washington,OR
Contract price not specified.
"No hassles with routing as it is all taken care of. Good for introduction to VOIP."
"Per connection/call fee. Lack of open SIP standards."
"OK for introducing people to voip. No so great long term."
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I realize the per use connection fee can be avoided if the monhtly unlimited fee is paid, but really, do you need it? They skype rates are high enough as it is in some cases. Yet another company that markets an "unlimited" plan with * denoting a fair usage policy applies. (10,000 minutes per user per month max 6 hours per day and 50 contacts called per day) So it seems limited after all! Even though I do not need the minutes and it is fair for them to place limits on their own service, it should not be marketed as unlimited. This policy almost seems commonplace with VOIP companies and is starting to get on my nerves. »skype.com/legal/terms/fair_usage/
Open sip standards. So how can one call a skype user using different software from another provider. Oh they can't! Otherwise you could call them with sip uri ( id@domain or ip ) In order to get this to work with your computer off you have to buy special skype only hardware.
Skype Steals/borrows Your Bandwidth and CPU for routing of calls through your connection.
An Analysis of the Skype Peer-to-Peer Internet Telephony Protocol
»www1.cs.columbia.edu/~library/TR···9-04.pdf
»pdfmenot.com/view/http://www1.cs···9-04.pdf
or through google
»drlinky.com/~skype
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Review by kristimyers
UPDATED: 183 days ago
member for 3.3 years, 827 visits, last login: 26 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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 Review by swhitney2003
Posted: 217 days ago
member for 6 years, 1063 visits, last login: a few hours ago
Weare,Hillsborough,NH
Contract price not specified.
"Reliable, good quality, very inexpensive"
"Tech support, website"
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I've been using Skype for over a year now for both making phone calls and video chatting. The price of phone service is amazing. I plan on going to Europe soon, and this is definitely the preferred way to go when making calls internationally. Even better, if someone else is using Skype all the calls are free.
As far as web chatting goes, it works the best out of any other client. When I first got a webcam I spent much time searching for a client that didn't have latency between audio and video, could do full screen, and had good quality. Skype definitely meets all these needs. It will even change quality settings and resolution to adjust for bandwidth issues.
Skype does run in a P2P environment, which some find unappealing. By default, if you have the resources deemed 'worthy' you can become a supernode. This means that others' traffic will flow threw your computer to be routed. This can be prevented by several methods: firewall and a simple registry edit to disable supernode capability.
Great client, great service. Free is always a nice addition.
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 Review by AtomBubble
UPDATED: 225 days ago
member for 1.9 years, 65 visits, last login: a few hours ago
Escondido,San Diego,CA
$6 per month
about 1 days
"Great call quality, PC-to_PC is extremely useful, confrence calling easy Camera chat"
"Macintosh client is buggy.Documentation is old and is not availible for OS X client"
"I've been using skype for a few years now, and I finally ditched my phone and went Skype and it's great!"
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For some background I should mention I've been using skype for PC-to_PC in daily use for a while, and I've tried the calling once or twice, but after trying a few companies for VoIP (Vonage, Viatalk, and one other who went out of business) I decided on Skype. So I went and bought a SkypeIn phone number, and the $3/mo US/Canada unlimited plan, and I waited for the credit to drop in to the account off my debit card, and ordered the service!
I couldn't be more thrilled, the calls go through quick, and with a good headset ( I recommend the Plantronics .Audio 650) no one can tell the difference. Caller ID is a plus, and if you add someones number to your contacts their name shows up, Neat.
Only thing I don't like is that the OS X client is buggy, I dual boot between OS X and windows on my Mac, and the windows program is certainly better.
I'm stuck to my desk now which is fine, but I hope to buy a WiFi phone soon for around the house and even if I'm away from home.
So I did the math: The Skypein servuce is $30/year at half off cause I bought a Unlimited plan. Plus $3.95 a month for the SkypeOut unlimited equates out to
$6.45/month
I'm saving a lot of money now, which is more important now more than ever.
Skype is also great for PC-PC calling, and the video chat is the highest quality I've seen.
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Review by Metatron2008
Posted: 232 days ago
member for 305 days, 318 visits, last login: a few hours ago
Stockbridge,Henry,GA
Contract price not specified.
"Decent quality, decent service, just decent."
"None really."
"Not the best, but certainly not the worst..."
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Skype was my main VOIP provider before it became a pay service. I've used it several times since then, and it's still pretty good.
To be honest, I would use Skype if I didn't need the excelletn call quality of Vonage. And I may switch back soon if Vonage dies...
Compared to the $24.99 month vonage price, the quality and service of Skype for the money is WAYYY better.
Not the best call quality, but a very good service, that doesn't excell in any one thing, but is a jack of all trades. Best way to describe it.
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 Review by supergirl
UPDATED: 273 days ago
member for 2.2 years, 760 visits, last login: 222 days ago
Pensacola,Escambia,FL
$3 per month
about 1 days
"Cheap is a word for it"
"Really bad quality to non-skype people"
"It is cheap and Nice for Skype Users"
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Update Oct. 2008
Not bad if you talk to other Skype users. Sorry, Skype, Yahoo is better. I tried Skype again since I paid for it but the software is kinda mettlesome. I'd like to see one that is just a utility not a full-fledged program.
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I tried it. Calls to other Skype people are usually good. Just had to try it for a month.
Calls to real telephones are so-so. Most said my voice was low or I was echoing or mumbling. It was nice to have NY # though. And, I could take it with me.
I'd only recommend it for calling other Skype users (think that is free). Of course, know who you are talking to. Norton gave some warnings with it so I dumped it after a month.
I have 12/1 HSI so no problem on my end. It is cheap for a reason.
I used my headset and made all calls through the computer. Not a big fan of it unless making Skype to Skype (people in Europe mostly for me).
All in all, Yahoo Phone is better.
You can buy the good AT&T headsets at WalMart that will plug into your computer or phone for like $29.95.
Followup comments:  wombough
join:2001-08-30
Beaufort, SC | must be you I have made calls from my computer to other skype and landlines and made them from my netgear skype phone whcih is dual mode and both are clear. My skype calls on my dual mode were better then my landline on the same phone. | |
| | robertfl
Premium
join:2005-10-10
Mary Esther, FL | Re: must be you funny, it's solid here. and im on the same zone as you. check your pings and your resources. skype turns your pc to a server. thus chewing up your computer's CPU.
i don't think cox is blocking anything here in pn.at.cox.net land.
-rob | |
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