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Stuart Henshall
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SkypeIn SkypeOut

March 11, 2005 03:28 PM

Topics: stories

After you read my the short story snips below you may change your mind about the impact of SkypeIn and even SkypeOut. There is more to this changes than just a new version number.

I've been receiving international calls to my cellphone from the moment SkypeOut was launched. However it was too expensive to return the call from my cellphone. Yesterday I made two international calls to SkypeIn numbers from my cell as I was driving home from VON. The calls were as good as any I have every had. Lesson: Global calls from cellphones just cost you local minutes when they have a local country number. Note as calling cellphones is expensive in many countries,this also allows the mobile phones to dial into Skype.

Second Story:

Came home and demonstrated SkypeIn to my 13 year old daughter. She said "that's so cool" and "you mean I can have my own phone line on my computer" and "I get voice mail!". "When can I have it?" I said I'd have to run the numbers. (She already has a cellphone.) I explained that minutes out would cost. She said then I'll ping them and get them to call me. Smart girl! I'm temped to try it just for three months to see what happens between her and her friends.

Third Story:
Yesterday, I was trying to reach my sister in New Zealand. I left a message via SkypeOut. She called me back on the traditional landline. after five minutes I said "I'll call you back." So SkypeOut and literally her comments were "Wow oh wow, that is so much clearer..." I'd have to agree I could hear the difference. So I checked the change log and Skype claims improved voice quality. It certainly sounded better. I'll have to have a few more similar experiences before I know it is guaranteed. Just note that when call quality all the time is better than the PSTN, it is simply dead.

Fourth Story:
I added my own SkypeIn number. I found one in the 415 area code that intrigued me. Not quite the area code I wanted. That will be the biggest complaint for SkypeIn at the moment. My daughter won't get a line because our local calling area is not available. SBC charges for short minute calls to 415 from our PSTN residence costs the same as SkypeOut calls to many global destinations. That means it's still hard to give up my landline right now.

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Posts linking to SkypeIn SkypeOut:

» SkypeIn Beta from Alex de Carvalho
Looks like the wait is over. While Skype reports that over a million users, including me, are using SkypeOut to place calls to regular landlines, Engadget picked up a rumor about SkypeIn: SkypeIn in beta - Engadget: [Read More]

Tracked on March 12, 2005 2:21 AM

» New Skype beta...and SkypeIn launches from View from the Isle - Professional Blogging & Blog Consulting
Late last week, Thursday I think, I was suddenly invited into the Skype chat with something like 12 people, many of whom I knew, about ... [Read More]

Tracked on March 12, 2005 3:51 PM

» Skype vs. Festznetztelefonie from Das E-Business Weblog
Skype ist eins der besten Voice-over-IP-Systeme für Computer (vulgo: "Telefonieren mit dem Computer", "Sprachkonferenz"), die zur Zeit auf dem Markt sind. Normalerweise "telefoniert" man von Skype zu Skype: Beide Teilnehmer... [Read More]

Tracked on March 20, 2005 4:08 AM

» SkypeIn from La vida pirata...
Skype started to offer its customers a phonenumber to receive regular phonecalls via Skype...wherever you are. With SkypeIn, you can get your own, regular phone number. So if your friends who aren't using Skype want to call you by dialing a regular ... [Read More]

Tracked on March 21, 2005 2:29 AM

Comments

Posted by: Charles Richardson at March 13, 2005 10:27 AM

I signed up for a SkypeIn number, but I haven't been able to get the beta to work yet. When I was running the beta, my SkypeOut calls would drop after a few seconds, and while the SkypeIn number would ring, when I picked it up, I couldn't hear or speak to the caller. When I reinstalled the stable version, my SkypeOut was fine again. Has anyone got SkypeIn to work? I'm running XP Pro.

I'm definitely not complaining, just curious and wanting to make this work.

Posted by: Chris at March 14, 2005 6:58 AM

"Just note that when call quality all the time is better than the PSTN, it is simply dead."

What does this mean?

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