skype

[Yvonne]

Hi everyone
I have just been told about this fantastic FREE download.  Perhaps you have all heard about it, but it is certainly new to me.  If you are on line and have speakers and a microphone it is possible to actually SPEAK to other computer users.  I downloaded it yesterday and have since spoken to relatives in Canada.  Worth trying out?  The site is skype.com
Good luck. Yvonne

[compage]

Sorry to disappoint you Yvonne but this has been possible for quite some time.
Free too.

Anyone using Windows has this facility through Messenger.
I don't know the Skype offering but I would offer this advice to anyone taking advantage of free offers: Be very careful.  There is no such thing as a free lunch.

However, I must mention that there can be technical difficulties in setting it up, particularly if you use a firewall (hardware or software) and they can be quite tricky to overcome.
Best is to try it and if it works 'out of the box' then fine.

Of course, you will need a microphone.

[Ploppy]

Hi everyone
I have just been told about this fantastic FREE download.  Perhaps you have all heard about it, but it is certainly new to me.  If you are on line and have speakers and a microphone it is possible to actually SPEAK to other computer users.  I downloaded it yesterday and have since spoken to relatives in Canada.  Worth trying out?  The site is skype.com
Good luck. Yvonne
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=2603\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Skype has been around a while. This and other VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) applications could be big in the years to come. As John says you have been able to talk to other PC using friends for a few years, first with NetMeeting and then with Messenger type Apps.
The problem is that it is a 'computer thing' and you don't just pick up a handset and dial, also you had to speak with someone who was also online at the same time.
Things have changed though, you can now call a normal phone from your PC (though you will be charged) and you can also plug handsets into your PC so it 'feels' like a regular phone.
With more and more people with some sort of 'broadband' connection the future for this technology is rather bright.