SKYPE

[zephyrcat]

Any good?

I bought a webcam today and then downloaded the skype software from the site but am in two minds as to whether to bother getting a phone...

It is totally FAB. My dp is in Japan atm and we have chatted for about an hour a day for free on skype and my dd can chat to her dad about rubbish without it being stressful about the cost.
And all my family are in Ireland and have it and we chat all the time.
I don't have a phone btw just use headphones.

I use it without a phone ,just have a laptop and it works fine.

don't even use headphones

Yep it works fine without headphones too, I just use them for privacy because the laptop is in the living room.

Sounds positive!! I'm a bit confused though...using it without a phone, isn't that basically msn?

I have downloaded skype from the internet, so is that all I need? Can I then buy a phone?

Is it worth using it for calls to landlines and Australia? (I don't know anyone else with skype lol)

How does it work without the phone? Do yo have to pay or are you just talking through the webcam as you would on msn?

Sorry to be so dense!!

not if you have a webcam

I have it without the phone or webcam and its amazing. I cant get over how clear it is.
I'm going to get a cam though because I chat to Melsy from here. She has a cam so we can see her but she cant see us and both our dd's like a natter

well i just talk whilst looking at the screen with the webcam pointing at my ugly mug.no headphones ..it's magic.

So if you don't have a phone or a webcam what do you talk to?

God I feel like such an old git - I'm usually the first one into every new gadget on the market but this has totally confused me!!

I bought a Skype webcam and registered, so if I go and pay to get a skype phone number and get some credit, what happens then??

What exactly is it?

Just shout at the computer.Tis weird.

UCM - from what I can figure out, you have a webcam, download skpye and get either a usb phone (about £20) or a little hands free thing with the webcam (or just the camera mic) and you can call people and they can call you through your internet connection and it's cheaper than BT, or skype to skype is free - anywhere in the world.

Is that right?!

I have a microphone on my laptop, so talk into that and use the speakers to hear other people, so no need for a phone.

You can use Skype either to talk to people properly, like I do or like you would msn, to chat to people by typing. Either way, it is free.

Thanks Zeph, silly question but what if your not online, does it ring like a house phone?

You don't need a skype phone number or to pay for anything if you are talking to other people on skype. If you want to use it to call people's landline then you need to pay.

It doesn't work if you're not online

lol I saw those webcams but they were about £70! One day

I'm just trying to get my head around it before getting a phone..or not.

So with normal skype,(ie the chat box thing that's a bit like msn) do random people come and talk to you?

It's fantastic. I use it all the time and it costs peanuts. I don't have a webcam and just use a headphone/mic thingy. It's saved me a fortune.

My Dad got into it for an Italian course he's doing. He thinks it's good. His tutor hooked him up with a student who wanted to learn English in Italy! He says it's a bit tempremental at times. I've heard him using it and he did have to hang up a few times and try again but he says that on the whole, it's great. I may have got the wrong impression but I think he had a three way conversation on it, too.