3.Skype,a revolution in phone communication!
i)Background
Skype lets you make free calls over the internet to anyone else who also has the service. It's free and easy to download and use, and it works with most computers. Skype offers free global telephony and unlimited voice calls with its next-generation peer-to-peer software.
Skype calls itself "free Internet telephony that just works," but it's much more than that.
Primarily, Skype offers free software that lets you talk by way of the internet to another Skype user, anywhere in the world, for free. Your computer (or PocketPC) works as your phone.
Free Skype client software for Windows, Macintosh, Linux (Red Hat/Fedora Core, SuSE, Mandrake/Mandriva, and may be downloaded free from the Skype.com site. People download Skype client software by the millions every month. Skype spends nothing except for the server support to keep its download files available.
ii)How Skype Works(free call by PC-to-PC)
Skype setup and configuration rates among the easiest of any application you're likely to use. This is by design. Founders said they planned for Skype to be the most user-friendly application available today, and they may have hit their target.
Here's the process:
- Download the software. (Maybe you'll get a prize for being the 150 millionth download customer.)
- Install the software. It automatically configures itself for your computer and network.
- Register as a Skype user. (Finding a unique name will be the tough part.)
- Get a SkypePhone for your computer. Using external speakers and a microphone is possible but not practical.
- Locate another Skype user. Searching tools make this easy.
- Click on a Skype contact name. You can do this from a variety of places within the client application.
- Talk free to people anywhere in the world.
By a suitable SkypePhone set(because most of the SkypePhone is USB port supported,so,these sets are also called "USB Phone"),leveraging transmission efficiencies in digital voice and reliable broadband networks, Skype transmits the full frequency range of human hearing .Compare this with the standard phone frequency and you can see why Skype calls sound so wonderful. The extra frequencies transmitted add richness and depth at the bottom, and all the complex overtones and harmonics at the top, to make voices sound real rather than canned.
In PC-to-PC call-method,your computer must be turned on to use Skype, and people you call must have Skype running on their system in order to receive your call. Skype spreads by one person encouraging another to download Skype and call them, and that call usually comes within five minutes. Technically, a dial-up connection will suffice, but realistically you need broadband to really enjoy Skype.
iii)Skype Extras and Presence
So far, we've looked at how Skype can replace a standard phone or cell phone,but dig a little deeper into what else Skype offers now , and you realize Skype is the most advanced voice communications tool available today.
What you don't realize, because Skype doesn't make a big deal out of it, is that every Skype connection uses 256-bit encryption. The call quality astounds people, so no one guesses the encryption is automatic and engaged on every connection. You must move to restricted military telecom hardware to get a higher level of encryption than what Skype provides, free, on every call. Look for some serious hand-wringing among law enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security when they finally realize how prevalent Skype is worldwide.
Skype's standard features are:
- Talking free to other Skype users
- File transfers
- Chat (instant messaging)
That's a short list. Instant messaging with Chat works as expected, but only within the Skype application, skype is secure.
One of the best business uses of Skype is for conference calls. Costs to arrange a five-way conference through normal telecom providers start high and add up quickly, but Skype connects users for free. At least two conference phone vendors now include USB connections, and adapters for existing conference phones (USB to RJ-11) are available. Add in the higher quality of Skype calls, and the free conferencing functions via Skype make excellent economic sense for companies large and small.
Notice something critical that's missing? The ability to call regular phones and have regular phones call you on Skype. More on that shortly.
Skype's optional features are:
- SkypeOut
- Skype Voicemail
- SkypeIn (beta)
- Skype Zones (beta)
SkypeOut, Skype's first product that generated revenue, lets Skype users call normal phones. Currently, the price is very cheap.
Skype-to-PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network),so-called "SkypeOut" ,PSTN-to-Skype,so called "SkypeIn", the service assigning PSTN phone numbers to Skype users for outcoming calls or incoming calls. Voice mail, works quite well.
"Presence," the ability to locate and reach others over the network, adds to Skype's value. As with enterprise network offerings, Skype clients show availability based on keyboard activity. When a user logs in to Skype from multiple clients, calls and messages appear at all locations, making it easy to pick up connections no matter where the person may be. Adding to this capability is Skype Zones (beta), which uses wireless hot spots for Skype connections.
Skype recently offered developers ways to connect to the Skype application, and many companies are hitching their products to the global Skype bandwagon.
iv)How To Download Skype
Please click the following link to get into the download page,and select the version suit for you:
http://www.skype.com/download/
