Skype is very well know for internet telephone calls and particularly for its free Skype to Skype calls, no matter where you are in the world. Recently, the Skype video call facilities have been improved and new software is available to facilitate this. What’s more, it’s free to download and free to use between Skype users.
There are many different VoIP (internet telephone) services but Skype is probably the most popular of them all. Much of its power is dedicated to supporting video calls and has been concentrated on this for some time. Skype estimates that more than 30% of calls are video. The latest version of the software emphasises this function far more heavily than previous ones have.
Image via Wikipedia
If you haven’t yet upgraded to Skype 4.0 you might be in for a surprise when you do. First of all when it first starts up everything is in full screen mode and previous users will not be used to this. This can be downsized a bit but it’s still big compared with the compact previous interfaces used by the software.
You can resize video to full screen if you want to and there is also a smaller picture of yourself (the user) in the corner of the screen (picture in picture). File sharing and multi instant message chats can be run alongside your video call. This is a handy facility for anyone who is used to running multi chats and calls at the same time.
Image via Wikipedia
There are a few improvements in this version of Skype and you can now change microphones during a conversation if you want to, because the hardware detection has been improved. In previous versions you couldn’t always do this and sometimes, if you had a microphone problem you had to come right out of the program and back in to get Skype to detect the hardware and allow you to set it up correctly.
Some previous features that are quite widely used are missing from this version of Skype and these include contact groups, fast dial and the facility to keep a full history.
An update in the form of Skype 4.1 has been released and this includes a separate contact list window, but it is also planned to reintroduce some of the other older facilities at a later date.
July 2nd, 2009 at 10:18 am
Interesting. My oldest and I have been discussing developing the “virtual family get-together” since our family has become pretty scattered.
July 2nd, 2009 at 10:48 am
I am going to get a skype phone soon, I will look up the new skype, thanks.
July 2nd, 2009 at 1:01 pm
That is pretty sweet! I’venever heard of Skype before, it sounds pretty cool, I’ll mention in to my parents since my sister is going off to college, they might like it.
July 2nd, 2009 at 7:40 pm
Thank you for this very nice info maam.
July 2nd, 2009 at 10:48 pm
Thanks for that.
Inna
July 3rd, 2009 at 2:02 am
Great article, Louie. I signed up for Skype when ebay first introduced it, about four years ago, I think, and never used it!
July 3rd, 2009 at 8:01 am
This is great thanks
July 3rd, 2009 at 8:27 am
Very nice Louie,I find this info very helpful
July 3rd, 2009 at 9:49 am
Good job.
Thanks,
Clay
July 5th, 2009 at 8:43 am
Skype – best comunication with Family and Friends….
Grace.
July 17th, 2009 at 10:23 pm
Thanks for the update. I haven’t used Skype in about a year and am behind the times. Brian