Skype

Full review
SKYPE is a great leap forward in communications service. It encompasses voice, chat, video. file transmitting. The cost of using the service is much cheaper than traditional long distance if a regular phone line is involved on either end. If you are calling computer to computer then you can talk to anyone for free.

Families can have conference calls on-line for no cost other than your broadband and computer equipment. So instead of relay calls with family news going from one to another on each call gather everybody (up to five) and talk.

You can have a phone number for another city so that your out of city or state customers can have a local calling number.

You can have a chat instead of voice so now you can offer your clients a method of getting support via chat.

There are even devices coming on to the market now that will allow you to connect your Broadband SKYPE to a regular phone.

Most transmissions are encrypted for privacy and security.

When I am at my computer I like to use a headset which gives me and the person I am taking to great clarity. There is a slight delay when using SKYPE but since everyone I know knows about SKYPE the transition to slightly longer pauses is automatic.

My contacts and I can see when we come on line and drop offline. This is great for impromptu calls. Sometimes this is a bit inconvenient so you can ask SKYPE to show you as offline or as away.

There are devices that can control electrical equipment via phone calls over SKYPE. So you could turn on the lights or the coffee maker over SKYPE.

When a SKYPE call comes in you can ask SKYPE to ring all of your phones no matter where they are. So you could ring your home phone, your cell phone, your office phone, and your vacation cottage allowing you to pick up your calls where ever you are.

In short this is a service that everyone should have if you have broadband. If you don't use it much it costs you nothing. If you use all of its features than you will pay less now than you would buy using only your normal phone service.