Heard of Skype? FREE long distance calls until 2007!

[Chris Elston]

I am sure you've heard of Voice Over IP services like Vonage etc..but have you heard of Skype? They just announced two days ago you can make all the phone calls in the USA for free until the end of 2006. You'll need either a PC or Pocket PC and high speed Internet access to pull this off. http://share.skype.com/sites/en/2006/05/fr...ndlines_an.html Get a USB phone and your all set! Amazing...I am sure in 2007 they will start charging for it, but they did earlier this year and it was only 2 cents a minute. Although, I don't have a microphone for my PC yet....or a USB phone, but I can do text chat for now. Unless you catch me online with my PDA, it has a built in mic. I used my PDA like a phone with Skype installed today....weird....

[Groo]

Its always been free for PC to PC and you can pay local rates from PC to phone anywhere in world. Don't know if it will stay that way now ebay have bought it. My work colleague uses it to talk to his brother in New Zealand, with webcam as well, he loves it.

[Peter Nachtwey]

I use Skype and recommend that others do. I just got through teaching a class and I mentioned Skype. Half the class downloaded Skype and I was Skype'd' that evening by one of the students. I use Skype in areas where cell phone coverage isn't available like a couple months ago when I was in Australia. While there I Sykped back to the office and was Skyped by someone need help in New Zealand. The quality is good even when sharing a 128 kbps ISDN line. I don't have a land line anymore. I use Skype and MSN messenger for long distance. The PLC forum list whether one can be contacted by MSN messenger, AOL or Yahoo. Skype needs to be included. BTW, I have a nice USB phone by Logitech. It works well but it uses a precious USB port. I think the normal microphone and head phone jack head sets are fine.

[TimWilborne]

Wish I had known about Skype when my sister still lived in Italy. It would have save me a ton in phone charges.

[larry818]

I use skype to asia a lot. It also transfers big files much faster than msn or yahoo.

[gravitar]

I have a funny feeling that the free functionality will be greatly reduced or eliminated altogether before too long. Ebay isn't a humanitarian organization, they're a for-profit enterprise. They wouldn't have bought it unless they thought they'd make a killing off it. There was a time many years ago when PayPal was "always free" too.. :)