Topic: Anyone tried free phone calls?

[kenkew]

Check the site. I downloaded it, not got a mic yet. Think I might try it. Anyone done so yet?
http://www.skype.com/

[Mrs Ava]

Copied and pasted this from a biker site I frequent.....

As a product it is OK, the quality is good and the calls are incredibly cheap where charged for.

The odd thing was, and sorry for getting a bit techie here, if you look at the network once Skype is running there are loads of packets destined for unknown servers.

I don't know what this was for or why it might be there but the result of the volume of traffic was sufficient to knock it out of consideration, ie there would be little network bandwidth left for the rest of the company!

The servers could be remote service providers or advertisers being told of your existance. I would hope for the previous scenario but never followed it up.

If Skype was flooding people with adverts then I suppose we'd have heard something by now.

Nice system, simple to use, right price!

[Doris_Pinks]

Vaguely in the back of my very small brain, do I remember someone saying no to skype cos of viruses, or did I dream it?!

[kenkew]

Ta for that. Still tempted.

[plot51A]

I've had it on my machine since last October - use it to call my brother (free because he's also got it) and my sister who lives in Spain and I call her landline phone. It is amazingly cheap you buy 10 euros worth of credit and it costs 1.7 cents = 1.1p per minute. You can call USA for that price.
It's great - no problems at all with virus's etc (tho' I've got firewall and virus checker etc.)
The sound sometimes breaks up a little bit - and not much privacy with mike and speakers. Might be better with headphones/mike, haven't tried that.
Takes about 5 mins to download and set up.
Thoroughly recommended!  :)

[gavin]

Fwiw, Skype was developed by the same people as "gave us" Kazaa - with all its virus and spyware capabilities. 

Personally, I wouldn't touch it with the proverbial bargepole - but then I spend hours every few weeks cleaning up my kids' computers.

All best - Gavin

[Admin aka Dan]

I use Skype as well, have found no ill effects.

At the moment there are 1,876,705 users online, and I have seen upwards of 6 million - although you can never be sure, I think any ill effects would have been found out by now.

And the SkypeOut feature is very cheap !

Cheers

Dan

[kenkew]

Used Skype for the first time about 5 mins ago. Contacted the UK from Belgium....free.
Worked a treat.

[oubykh]

for extremly cheap calls i use 18866.com, which has slashed my phone bill down to the bare rental cost. Its online only, and UK landline calls are 1p connection and thats it - you can be on the phone 10mins or 4 hours its still 1p only. my last quarterly bill was BT rental charges plus VAT and 18866 charges were only 1.87!!

[Roy Bham UK]

If useing Skype, do you not have to arrange the call in advance with the person you are calling, or can you ring them like on normal landline? I'm out of my depth again, (where's that old tape measure?) ::) ;D

[ken (69)]

Didn't find any nasties when I removed Skype..just the usual 'remove some files yourself'..stuff.