Tuesday, February 22, 2005

Skype

Do you like to call friends and family, who live a long way away? Maybe these friends and family members have broadband internet access? And you have broadband too? Then you should definitely take a look at Skype.

Skype uses something called VOIP, which stands for Voice Over Internet Protocol. Basically, it's a way to transmit your voice over the internet. There are quite a few examples of VOIP showing up these days, but Skype is something special.

You see, if you have the Skype software, and your friend(s) have it also, then you can call and talk to each other -- for FREE. Yes, that's right. Sort of like e-mail or chat, you can actually have a regular telephone conversation for FREE.

The software is pretty cool, and is available in Windows, Mac, Linux, and even Pocket PC. In addition to voice, you can also instant message or send files back and forth pretty easily. It can break up or crackle occasionally, but it's not any worse than a mobile phone. I find it a little disconcerting to talk to my computer screen though, sort of like doing a hands-free with a regular phone. So, if I were going to use it very often, I would probably buy a phone handset to plug into my computer.

So, if you have broadband, and your friends and family have broadband, get Skype and then tell all of them about it!

<< Home