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Jewish World Review April 29, 2005 / 20 Nissan, 5765 Skype is not hype By Mark Kellner
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
ST. LOUIS — I can't believe I haven't written about this before: Skype, a
free Internet chat service which also offers super-cheap calls to regular
telephones, is a magical addition to the computing world. The software is
free; using it over a broadband Internet connection (your office network,
your home high-speed hookup or even from a hotel or coffee shop) will let
you chat with other users, regardless of platforms. As of March, Skype,
which is based in London and Tallinn, Estonia, claims 29 million downloads
of its program, and a million customers of its optional
pay-to-call-regular-phones service.
Sitting a half-mile from the Mississippi River and the famous Gateway Arch,
I was sending written "instant messages" to my wife back home in Rockville.
Suddenly, I remembered Skype, and suggested she download the software. She
got busy on her PC, I was doing the same on my Mac, and, presently, we were
chatting away without hassle, and for free, or essentially so; we have
high-speed Internet at home, while my hotel supplies the same service as
part of the room rate.
This is the same as a "voice over Internet Protocol," or VoIP (stet), call,
but also different. Traditional VoIP services such as Vonage and Lingo — and
a new one from AOL — involve a box that bridges a traditional telephone and
a high-speed network connection. Here, the processing is done in the PC or
Mac, but with the same result: speech is converted into data packets, sent
over the network to a destination, and reassembled at the other end to
become speech. With Lingo or Vonage, you pay a monthly fee; with Skype,
computer-to-computer calls are free, while calls to regular phones are
charged, but again at low rates.
The convenience of Skype is something else. After chatting with my spouse, I
"rang" a friend in Riga, Latvia, who I noticed was available. Such a call
would cost more than a few pennies the traditional way, but was cost-free to
us. There is an immediacy and personal "feel" to a voice conversation that
no "IM" can duplicate, which will be apparent to most users when the fire up
the program the first time.
The Skype software (http://www.skype.com) is available for PCs, Macs, Linux
systems and even Microsoft Pocket PC devices. Add an Internet connection and
you're good to go, although you'll also need either a built-in microphone
and speakers or an equivalent headset for conversation. The headset is a
good idea if you're working in an office or want more privacy.
Once you "find" another user and determine if they're online, you simply
click an on-screen button to "call" them, and you'll hear a traditional
telephone ring. If the other party answers, you're in business.
Sound quality can vary given the demands of network traffic. I'd imagine a
Skype call from New York to Washington in the height of a workday might
sound different than the same call placed at a more quiet time. However,
there seems to be enough robustness in the software - and the Internet - to
carry most calls clearly; my wife and I chatted for about an hour this
evening without too many hassles.
Having additional paid services — a voicemail service is in a free Beta
trial right now — enhances the value of Skype as a business tool. Being able
to place long distance and overseas calls for less money than traditional
services charge can help a small business grow, for example.
The software does require some setting to avoid echo and feedback on the
line (you don't want to hear yourself speaking while trying to have a
conversation, for example). But the results are so good that the effort
should pay off. As I said, I'm surprised I didn't tell you about this
earlier.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
JWR contributor Mark Kellner has reported on technology for industry newspapers and magazines since 1983, and has been the computer columnist for The Washington Times since 1991.Comment by clicking here. © 2005, News World Communications, Inc. Reprinted with permission of The Washington Times. Visit the paper at http://www.washingtontimes.com |
Arnold Ahlert | |||||||||
