E-Paper
Let your PC do the dialling
Last month, I was in Stockholm, Sweden. Now I?m in Frankfurt, Germany. Next month, who knows?
Last month, I was in Stockholm, Sweden. Now I’m in Frankfurt, Germany. Next month, who knows?
You certainly won’t if I call you from my laptop computer, which I’m doing more often these days using something called Skype. It’s become my preferred phone service as I’m forever calling across countries — trying, meanwhile, to keep costs down.
The countries I’ve been working in have among the world’s highest densities of mobile phones, yet I use the Internet for most all my phone calls, business and personal.
Skype lets me call any phone number anywhere in the world for about 2 cents a minute, slightly more to some places, such as West Asia and Asia. My computer does the dialling, and the processing of incoming and outgoing voices.
All you need to use Skype and products like it — FreeWorld Dialup is another popular one — is a solid broadband connection (fixed or Wi-Fi).
With the basic version of Skype, all anyone needs to make or receive a call is to install the programme on their computer (and that includes personal digital assistants). All calls are free. You don’t even need a headset, though earphones can be a good idea if you wish to be discreet. I use my laptop’s built-in microphone and onboard speakers for voice in/out. Skype works on Windows, Mac, Linux, even PocketPCs.
The quality is crystal clear, provided there’s not too much traffic on the Internet. If there’s an echo: hang up and try again, it usually gets better.
