Do you know about Skype?

It's cooler than I thought it would be.

As long as everything is working okay. But, in general, it is pretty amazing. I mainly use it when I'm outside of the US to save a ton on phone calls.

with their kids overseas in the military via Skype. They love it.

I had just signed up, and used a fake name even, and then I touched this one icon and it was a number pad, so just for kicks not knowing it would work, I dialed a friend's number and they picked up and I talked to them!

I don't even understand why the call went through when I haven't given Skype any money??

Yes, i have a wifi network and am connected that way.

The part I don't get is why they apparently let me make a voice phone call to my friend for free, when I thought it costs money unless you buy a plan from Skype.

Now I'm wondering if Google play store is going to charge me for that Skype phone call and they have some agreement with Skype or something. Because Google play does have my debit card on file.

Or maybe it is a free trial after all, I'm not sure.

if you call from a computer to a phone, there is a charge. But it's pennies minute for domestic and international calls.

We've been using Skype for years and since we have family overseas, it's been a huge money-saver (on both ends) and allows us to keep in much closer touch than if we had to pay AT&T's (or other phone company's) rates for international calls.

We really use it a lot.

When you have people's Skype name in your Skype address book, there's a window that pops up when they come online. So you have an impromptu chat on a moment's notice.

Also, you can text someone and you can leave a voice message for them on their Skype account.

Last time I was out of the country for a while, I paid for a Skype phone number and had my home phone forwarded to that number. Then, I called in via Skype periodically to check my voice mail messages and call back if I needed to. Way cheaper than an AT&T Calling Card!

I was away for a few weeks and even after making calls back to Europe after I got home, I still had about half my initial $10 investment.

The only downside is if your bandwidth is limited or connection is slow or the network is busy, it gets choppy and sometimes very hard to use.

a 3G network or Wifi on your phone to use skype.

It seems to me THAT would be the way to save the post office. Either reduce non-paper communications, or give the USPS a piece of the pie. In another message, I mentioned a tax on SMS texts, e-mails, and online bill paying. Maybe they can get a few pennies per call from Skype, Google, Magic Jack, and the traditional telcos as well.

It's pretty frakkin' cool!

to video call family members out of town. I have the app on my android phone (free from Google Play) and bought a year of unlimited calls in the U.S. and Canada for $31.00 from Skype. when it is installed on your phone, you can choose to use skype or your mobile carrier to make calls. Skype calls are not deducted from your balance.

I love it. However, I heard that Verizon doesn't allow skype use or makes it difficult to make or receive calls on it.

I don't have Verizon any more - thank goodness. They are TOO expensive. Virgin Mobile for me!

and it cost me like $400.00 bucks. I paid the penalties and dropped Verizon forever. I am back to a land line now for good. If I travel it will be because of an emergency so I'll just buy a trac phone for $20.00.

I keep a local cell for emergencies, social things, etc., but Skype my husband and family. It's great.

any national call is free.

When I just can't take another conversation in Hindi, Skype is my go-to technology. Even works on Linux.

Smaller carbon footprint.

but, for now, the convenience in dealing with clients outweighs the possible SPYING.

But, it's a concern. Still...it's so EASY...does make one wonder WHY!

I was here on the east coast, she was exactly 12 hours difference in China, with our laptop cameras we could see and talk to each other clearly, which our little girl, who was with me, just loved. And, we could talk twice a day, and see each other.

For free.

http://www.wired.com/business/2011/05/microsoft-buys-skype-2/

I'm sure Microsoft will wreck it.

Our youngest son introduced us to it, actually, and it was great
to be able to actually SEE him when he was in the sandbox, and
S. Korea, and Kentucky and upstate NY.

It meant a lot to him to be able to see his kids, too; we would hold
them in our laps while we talked. His daughter would kiss the screen
giving her Daddy good night sugars, and his infant son would climb on
the computer to go to his dad. They did that to US when he was at Fort
Drum, NY.

He's home for good now, after six long-ass years.....Thank God.

a death at home to their relatives in other countries who could not travel to the US.

It's very sad that families can't easily visit when someone is dying. The laws are very restrictive these days since 9/11. I do believe skype is better than a phone call for families who want this in hospice situations.

but I still want a flying car

I've really enjoyed FaceTime for visiting the grand kids.

People can see not only me, but my family and how clean or messy my bedroom is.

There is also an app called Talk-a-Tone that works with Gmail to let you make wifi calls from your Apple iOS devices.

so we switch over. There's never a problem with gmail at the same time, thankfully.

I have no desire to be looking at the people I'm talking to.

The one time I actually participated in a Skype call -- at a party to be in touch with an absent friend -- I was quite unimpressed with the quality of the video. There seemed to be a definite lag time in the transmission, which I found strange.

Every business all over the world has a Skype address. Telephones and teleconferencing services are dead. If you live in an area that suffers frequent power outages, you might make a case for a land line in case of emergency, or if you are stuck in the backward land of America you might need one for outdated access to the internet. But the rest of the world has moved on and most of don't even know it.

Microshit bought it last year for $8B, so expect them to start trying to find a way to scam some $ from you, but the djin is out of the bottle and there are always alternatives, so don't be a sucker.

Over the last 30 years we've moved from number one to number dumb and are a global laughing stock.

- it was in Hawaii and we're on the East Coast. Couldn't afford to go and were really bummed as the couple are very dear to us. So - they propped a computer tablet up near the wedding arch and our family gathered around our PC on the East Coast with drinks in hand. We had a better "seat" than most for the wedding. The couple came up to the tablet and chatted with us after the ceremony and we toasted them. Wasn't quite the same as being there but it was second best to it. Wasn't nearly as expensive, either!

but I am actually on an Island somewhere...I have a local Skype number so they don't know I am even out of the country and all my calls are forwarded to my Skype ph #

calls on the big screen TV that's got a computer & webcam hooked up to it so he can see all of us and we can see and talk to him and it's all free. It's truly a godsend. It's great at holidays and birthdays since he can feel like he's in the room with us and can see all the decorations and the gifts being unwrapped, too. I hide the food, though. It really makes him homesick more than anything else.