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 Review by sirpwn4g3 
Posted: 1.8 years ago
member for 1.8 years, 99 visits, last login: 9 days ago
 Joplin,Jasper,MO
 Contract price not specified.
 about 1 days
 "Free and/or cheap, Easy User interface, Great Quality, Video"
 "Charges for PC to PC calling, Must purchase additional hardware."
 "Definitely worth it if you have a USB headset or Skype compatible handset/wireless headset"
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Two years ago I used Skype while it was free to call anyone. I used a USB microphone/headset designed for the Sony Playstation 2. Call quality was great, the fact that I was calling whomever from home or a wifi hotspot with my laptop for free made it even better. If you can find a cellular phone with wifi capabilities Skype is available for some, you can also use it if you have an unlimited data plan with your carrier.
I highly recommend Skype, for $3 a month you can have unlimited calling, let's see Vonage or a local telco beat that.
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Review by wombough
Posted: 1.9 years ago
member for 8.2 years, 335 visits, last login: 1 days ago
Beaufort,Beaufort,SC
$5 per month
about 1 days
"Cheap, Great Call Quality and did I say Cheap"
"none"
"Great product and at a great price"
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I tried skype with the download at first then I was so impressed I went and bought a phone to were I don't need it plugged into my computer or the computer even on. I bought a netgear DECT dual mode phone. Skype and my landline in one. The call quality is better then my landline and the delay is non existent so far. I got skype pro for 36.00 a year and a skypin phone number for 24.00 for the year. So 60 bucks for the year for unlimited calling and a phone number.
I plugged the phone into my router and signed in on the phone and was up and running in seconds. I also like that you an stay logged in on the phone and on the computer at the same time. I am very happy with it so far!!
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 Review by jlconrod
UPDATED: 2.2 years ago
member for 2.2 years, 5 visits, last login: 1.2 years ago
Concord,Contra Costa,CA
Contract price not specified.
about 1 days
"Excellent audio, very good to outstanding video, easy installation"
"Rare video freezes or line drops with net congestion, infrequent software crashes, no 911 service"
"Best free video, outstanding audio quality, superior video quality, wide feature set"
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After many difficulties with other "chat" and messaging clients, I tried Skype at the recommendation of a friend in Europe. Full VOIP service was cost prohibitive, but social and business communications were greatly enhanced with video calling using popular messaging clients. My high-speed broadband is economical only because of bundled services from my ISP (Cable TV, phone and broaband) with an extra discount for having all three services. I preferred not to unbundle voice.
However, the messaging clients were generally terrible for voice and video. IM audio was poor quality, sometimes garbled. Video quality was worse with 10-15 fps being typical, even with a new, premium web cam.
Skype seemed a reasonable alternative, worth a trial. Installation and setup of the basic, free Skype service is incredibly simple. Download the software from the Skype web site and run the installer. Skype uses your existing broadband connection. For PC based service, Skype uses your sound card, microphone, and optionally your web cam for video.
The Skype client software will prompt you to create a Skype User ID. Account setup is simple and wizard driven, so takes only a minute or two. After you login, another wizard optimizes the client for your audio (and video). You confirm setup by placing a test call to the test Skype User. The test call prompts you to record a message, automatically optimizing microphone level, then plays back your message from the test User, typically in the UK for English speaking users.
You can search for other Skype users by e-mail address and add them to your directory. The Skype client allows you to initiate live or offline Chat, or live Video call. You can also add e-mail contacts from Outlook, Outlook Express, or other e-mail and messaging applications. There is a wizard that allows you to send an e-mail invitation to contacts who do not have Skype. You personalize the e-mail, it is not a "boilerplate" message. The e-mail gives a brief introduction to Skype, includes a link for the recipient to download the client software, and, of course, includes your Skype ID to add to their Skype contact list.
The Skype client is available in about thirty different languages. You can send the invitation e-mail in any of the supported languages if you wish. (I personally have my Spanish speaking family, friends, and associates, so have used this feature).
Within the U.S. you can even make free PC to landline (POTS) phone calls.
Free Skype Plug-ins allow you to add mailto: connections or contact telephone numbers to use Skype. There are plug-ins for browsers, Outlook or other contact list and address book software applications. Third party plugins have not proven as useful or reliable as those that are Skype-certified.
There is a large selection of Skype compatible or Skype certified headsets and other accessories, though virtually all audio/video PC accessories will work I have not investigated Macintosh or Linux options.
Even the free Skype client has the best audio call quality I have experienced for web-based calling. Generally, video quality is also exceptional, but sometimes degraded if there is severe network congestion.
Skype offers numerous Business and Premium services. These are widely used in Europe. Single account users with a premium plan can have single number calling. Skype premium services add voice mail and the ability to have an incoming call ring simultaneously on POTS, PC Skype clients, mobile (cell) phone number, office or business line, or an alternative phone line. Business clients can have multiline service with secure, web-based "PBX" type services including account setup, adds - moves - changes, call forwarding, call tree voice messaging, call management and call routing.
Other premium services (all at very reasonable prices) include conference calling, either audio or audio-video, as well as multi-person Chat, and many others.
There are Skype clients for mobile phones, as well, for Windows Mobile (5 or 6) and Java, that let you use your existing mobile phone with your Skype ID.
Skype customer service and technical support has been outstanding in my experience. Even in the recent "worst case scenario" when the Skype network was unavailable for two days, Skype staff kept users informed by e-mail, frequent updates on their web site and blog, and through the media.
Rarely have I been as thoroughly satisfied as I have been with Skype. I highly recommend it.!
Skype web site: »www.skype.com
Attachments:
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 Review by NJxxxJon
Posted: 2.8 years ago
member for 4.1 years, 877 visits, last login: 59 days ago
New Egypt,Ocean,NJ
Contract price not specified.
"CHEAP!!!!QUICK SETUP!! WAS FREE FOR A YEAR!! SOFTWARE EASY TO USE."
"quality kinda sucks, I want a 609 # on skypein- not some random one, Ive yet to find a skype phone to match my taste!"
"Skype > Verizon > PAYPHONES."
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Yes yes. Its 10 am and skype rocks. Easy to use software. Setup took no time at all. [I suggest using the free year if they EVER offer it again] I took the 17.99 a year deal on this and its good. Plugged up a cheap wallo mart USB phone and BAM! Calls on the first hour to friends. (headsets are OKAY) About 2 out of 1002202 calls get dropped. The line quality echos like a mofo though...and the program may NAZI your sound card (turns things down sometimes even when you tell skype NOT TO CONTROL your windows volume.) If you want to try this PM me.....As far as I know skype may better better in years to come and the features are always being tested. Skype is a good company and is coming out with an internet TV too....so lets see!
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Review by pwog66
Posted: 2.9 years ago
member for 2.9 years, 0 visits, last login: 2.9 years ago
Utica,Macomb,MI
Contract price not specified.
"normal skype is working"
"skypein is down 4 days"
"slow and no voice support for skype"
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Skypein # are busy 24 hours, cant leave a vm either?
Followup comments: 
jlconrod
join:2007-08-29
Concord, CA
|  Skype outage feedback
Skype Logo | 
My Skype ID | 
My E-Mail |
 The outage lasted less than two days for me. FYI, I kept updated through the Skype web site, especially the "Skype Heartbeat" status page and the Skype blog.
»heartbeat.skype.com/
While there is not traditional phone in support, I have had extremely prompt, knowledgeable and useful responses from Skype technical support, sometimes in less than one hour.
Of course, "your mileage may vary - YMMV", but my experience with Skype has been exceptional. I just posted a review of Skype. It is probably in the VOIP forum.
Hope you find these comments helpful.
John
--
Great tech advice: "Don't Panic"
--from the late, great, Douglas Adams (Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy)
Sent from Concord, CA, USA on Astound Broadband 6 MBps | |
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 Review by verolom
Posted: 4 years ago
member for 7.7 years, 1823 visits, last login: a few hours ago
Durham,Durham,NC
Contract price not specified.
"Talk from any PC to anywhere"
"Availability is not there"
"A must have, no matter how many lines one has"
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I did not believe in VoIP until a friend told me about his experience with Skype and that I should at least try it. I did and I could not believe how it was able to traverse both NATs on each side, both firewalls, run on laptops and have a full duplex conversation with a high quality voice, no echo and a barely perceptable delay.... across the planet to Singapore!!!
I signed up for SkypeOut as well to call family abroad and to be able to make calls from my lab that does not have a phone line and does not have signal for mobile phone calls. Quality when using SkypeOut is less impressive but still very much acceptable.
The client application running on the PC is very easy to use, very inobtrusive and so far with no advertisements. Convenient contact lists, call logs and DTMF buttons are arranged in tabs. Settings allow some flexibility although connectivity, sound and encoding settings are not available.
Update 2005-12-02: Still great, video chat with ver. 2.0.0.43 works well. Webcams need to improve though. The only decent one is Apple's iSight, which does not work on PC  .
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Review by i386
Posted: 4.3 years ago
member for 5.4 years, 199 visits, last login: 4.3 years ago
Tucson,Pima,AZ
Contract price not specified.
"Everything other than the $12 minimum order for SkypeOut"
"About $12 minimum order of SkypeOut"
"Best VoIP service I've discovered"
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After being fed up with StanaPhone, I decided to try out Skype. I purchased E10 of SkypeOut credits (about $12), which was delivered instantly.
The only bad point I have is that there is a ~$12 (NOT EXACT RATE) minimum order when you purchase SkypeOut. Although, I have heard about HGC-Skype (Hong Kong).
Call quality is great. Reliability is also great. And Skype.com is a good-working/looking site.
Other than that, this is the best VoIP service around! Keep up the good work, Skype! 
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 Review by burgerwars
Posted: 4.3 years ago
member for 5.2 years, 500 visits, last login: a few hours ago
Northridge,Los Angeles,CA
$1 per month
"Just install their Skype program and you're up and running. Costs nothing to call other Skype users."
"Must be run from a PC, or a USB phone connection plugged into PC. Call quality varies."
"It's different from other VoIP companies, but not a POTS replacement. Worth trying."
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In testing Skype, I purchased €10.00 of SkypeOut credit (to call non-Skypers) and a virtual number for my area code (€10.00 for three months or €30.00 for a year).
Easy to install. The main difference between Skype and a standard VoIP company, like Vonage, is currently you can't use Skype with a regular SIP telephone adapter. Skype runs on port 80, where most of their users communicate via their PC's audio capabilities. No Skype adapter that can plug right into an ethernet connection, but maybe in the future.
Skype is more of community. There's a forum plus you can look up other Skype customers if they wish to appear in their directory.
In making calls from my PC and laptop (using a PC microphone), everyone could tell I wasn't calling from a phone. I could hear people better than people could hear me. The best quality calls are Skype to Skype. With calls connected through SkypeOut/SkypeIn, the other parties have told me I sounded like I was underwater or calling from inside a garbage can.
Outside calls are about two cents per minute. Funding my account didn't work the first couple of times, as their system was telling me my credit cards weren't valid (which they were), but I did finally get their website to accept a card. They have some strict limitations on using credit cards (amounts, limited to one account, etc.), which you can read about on »forum.skype.com.
My incoming number I established worked immediately (SkypeIn). Voicemail is included with purchase of one. Voicemail currently must be retrieved using the Skype software. No way I know of to retrieve it over a regular phone or having voicemail e-mailed to you. But maybe a future feature.
To conclude, I think Skype is great, but they do need to improve the sound quality when calling non-Skype users. Fun to use, but not yet a regular telephone replacement.
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Review by muppetmaster
Posted: 4.3 years ago
member for 7.1 years, 582 visits, last login: 2.9 years ago
Barcelona
Contract price not specified.
"Encrypted Instant Messaging and free P2P Voice"
"Poor quality for SkypeOut, charged additional for basic services like voicemail"
"Great when used free, paid services leave a lot to be desired"
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I have been a Skype user for over a year now and have had the opportunity to use the SkypeOut and Voicemail premium services (not SkypeIn). I purchased one set of credits for 10 Euros in November 2004 and now have around a 2 Euro balance after the previous 'Free SkypeOut Days'. The reasons I still have a balance and have not purchased more credits are:
- Often times I need to re-dial calls as they do not go through, or I hear silence when the caller picks up
- Calls may degrade after a successful connection
- A significant difference in the quality of P2P calls vs SkypeOut/PSTN calls
- SkypeOut/PSTN calls tend to be worse in quality than other services I use using the same broadband infrastructure
- SkypeOut is expensive as compared to other services at 1.7 Euro Cents/min (plus taxes as I am in the EU) and 1 minute billing increments
I used voicemail only during a free trial that I was invited too. It was cumbersome and not all that useful and definately not a service I would pay for since there are plenty of other possibilities (ie - Pamela from »www.pamela-systems.com) that do it for free.
The net is that Skype is best when used in it's 'free' incarnation for making P2P calls and as an IM client. Skype has a long way to go in it's premium services and this is reflected in my overall ratings.
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 Review by gmetenier
Posted: 4.9 years ago
member for 5.1 years, 66 visits, last login: 2.4 years ago
Belgium
$10 per month (6 month contract)
about 1 days
"low cost phone call to a lot of other countries in Europe, USA,..."
"the sound is not always really good"
"Overall, it seems to be a great service."
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easy to install and to use.
it does not need a lot of bandwith and you decrease your phone costs if you call really often to foreign countries, overseas or not.
you can call people who are connected to Internet or not (thanks to the option SkypeOut).
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Skype
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