Skype

[anjou]

How many other people use SKYPE or other voip system to stay in touch round the world for free?

Ive recently added it to my laptop and find its great. I call my Aunt who shares her time between Huston and Nova Scotia several times a week.

I cant believe that we can chat for free.

Why dont more people use it?

amyjaneadams

[Tellie]

We've been useing Skype with the camera for about two years. It still has a few connection poblems, but the price is right. It's great to see and speak to family and friends all over the world.

[anjou]

Its been slow on one occasion but thats down to my mobile broadband and not the fault of Skype

[Factor]

I have really good high speed net connection, and skype is absolutely brilliant, also have MAc computers with great cameras and sound, so that enhances it a bit for me.

If you look left - you will see my skype status

[conachair]

Yep, great isn´t it. Though in Trinidad I can call home for just £0.11 per minute with a local digitel sim card without the annoying delay.

[Ram]

Yes I use it daily, the video phone works great and keeps you connected better than just a phone call!

[Philsboat]

I use Skype to keep in touch with friends in London,On.Works great!Nice to be able to see them.

Phil

[TrevC]

There's plenty of free audio/video services that work well, but Skype has a good number of people already using it. iChat on the Mac also has very good video quality, especially on faster connections.

I use (pay a small amount for) a "skype-in" number, which gives me a land-line number that non skype people can reach me at. It's our main phone. So, you can be on your boat with a landlubber style number works anywhere in the world, never changes. Very convenient.

I'm south-creative on skype.

[Zanshin]

In places such as the mad Mongoose in Falmouth, Antigua where there is free 24x7 Wifi available for sailors, there are usually at least 5-10 sailors with notebooks there at any given hour of the day, most of them using Skype to call home. It is a great system that I use whenever I can. Those $10 payments last a long time at Skype's rates to landlines; and if the party at the other end of the line also uses Skype then it lasts even longer! It certainly beats the $1.60 a minute price tag on Iridium calls.

[speciald@ocens.]

We added a Skype-in number this year for $60/yr. Now my wife's parents and friends at home can call us on a US number. Skype was recently sold by E-Bay to a private investor - hope he doesn't screw it up. I have Skype on my cell phone at home so that I can make long overseas calls use the 3G network.

[Pblais]

It can vary as far as reception. A good friend living aboard in Spain has a Skype phone along with a Skype In phone number local to family here in the US. It's like real phone service as long as the boat has WiFi. Not all corners of the world are accessible but it's a large and growing network. Since you'll want Internet access when you can it's not a huge cost. Should you get all the friends and family on Skype it's also free.

I use it here in Virginia as my long distance. $2.95 / month for al you can eat service to real phones in North America is not a bad deal.

[jackiepitts]

We have been using skype exclusively since starting to cruise Mexico and also purchased a skype number so family can call free from the US anytime and it comes with free voicemail so we can pick up messages at a later time if we are not on line. We also purchased a pre-paid unlimited wifi service from Telcel here in Mexico for approx. $40 US per month which gives us almost a perfect skype connection all the time.
Jackie
s/v Chrokeva

[scotte]

We do use Skype when communicating with friends+family who use it, but we also use a combination of Google Voice and Gizmo5 as described here http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ice-35231.html - it's just another option, and free for inbound PSTN calls (except that new Gizmo5 registrations are closed as Google figures out what to do with them).

[Solitude]

Yes we have been using Skype for relatives for about 3 years. The video can be choppy. The audio is good. Remember most home internet connections alow for a specific download speed (say 10 meg) but the upload is usualy throttled back to 10% of that or less.