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What is Skype?
Calling, seeing, messaging and sharing with others - wherever they are.
Video and voice calls to anyone else on Skype for free no matter where in the world they are. Stay in touch at home, at work or on the go - Skype's available on your computer, mobile, tablet, TV and even from your home phone.
Website: www.skype.com
Product reviews...
My brother in law moved to Australia six months ago with his oartner and their son. It has been difficult to keep in touch with them and talking to our nephew on the phone is not easy as he is only young and still new to talking. They suggested that I download Skype, but I was reluctant as I thought it would be difficult. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was very simple to download and to set up my own account. Within minutes I was on Skype, adding friends and chatting to Australia.
The thing I love about Skype is the picture. It is one thing to talk to a person on the phone, but it is completely different to be shown around their new home via skype and get an idea of where they are living. It makes the conversation so much more personable. Skype is a great invention and I would go as far as to call it necessary for everyone. Especially in this day and age when so many people have friends and family living abroad and people conduct job interviews and the like online via skype. I only wish I had downloaded it sooner!
I have family and friends in South Africa and Australia so Skype seemed the logical choice. My mum calls me at least once a fortnight to see how the kids and I are doing, mainly we get good audio but sometimes my mum ends up sounding like Mikey Mouse and there have been a few times the call has been cut off without any reason.
I have downloaded the new mobile app so technically I am always online but if for some reason I am not online then the call goes to my mobile and I can move around while on the phone or put my mum on speaker and continue to do my housework while we chat and my mum only complains occasionally that I keep dropping out. The kids like being able to see Granny and show her their masterpieces.
Overall it is a great program at an incredibly reasonable price but when the person sounds like Mikey Mouse it can be hard to have a proper conversation and it can be incredibly annoying when it is an urgent call and it gets cut off but those are only minor inconveniences that with a bucket load of patience can be overcome.
For such a basic program this does a really great job of keeping you in touch with anyone you care about, who has an internet account, anywhere in the world.
When I first signed up it was so that I could video chat with my Nanny B in Florida, the first time that I ever actually saw her 'face to face' which was a wonderful moment. Whilst we had very few video calls Skype worked well and never dropped a call, it was sometimes fuzzy but mainly clear.
Years later and I still enjoy using Skype, I have called people in New Zealand and Australia and used the message boxes just to message an aunt in America. The audio is good 90% of the time, but I did have lots of issues with the screen freezing when I would Skype my friend in Australia. This was more of an annoyance than anything.
Whilst there are always going to be some issues, when I compare it to the fact the the software is free... I'm happy to deal with the inconvenience.
I have been using skype for a number of years now. Especially since the kids father was in the Navy and then moved to Australia to the mines. Since my oldest was a year old we have been using it to talk to daddy online, she is now almost 5, both kids got excited when they heard the skpye ring tone and would come running calling, yay daddy time.
This is perfect for keeping in touch with family and friends while away or while they are not close to home to visit. You can talk to them just like they are there and see them too. It kept the kids in contact with their dad almost every night he was away in Australia, while we lived in Australia it was great to keep in contact with my parents.
The best thing is its free, just have the net connected sign up and off you go, once you have friends and family on your call list you can start talking to them, if you dont want to do a video chat at that time you can just write/message without the video. Its so easy i have taught the kids what daddy's name looks like so they can ring him on their own too, and answer the calls.
I have found while chatting to people overseas it fades in and out and sometimes drops the call which is very annoying, you can report it but i have given up reporting now as it doesnt really change, i keep using skype cause its free and saves me the huge phone bills.
I love skype, it has been the perfect way of staying in touch with the in laws while they have been touring in the UK for the past couple of years. Having skype and the ability to video call has meant that they haven't missed out on seeing the children grow and can still be there in a sense on special occasions such as birthdays.
We skype them every day so our one year old has got to know them very well and also skype too. When he hears the skype ring tone he comes straight to the computer to have a look and when you ask him where Granny is he goes and points to the computer. Will be funny when they get back and he sees they are real people not just images on a computer screen
Local calls seem to work really well like skype calls between me and my sister in Auckland but these long distance calls I get heaps of problems with the call dropping off and with muffled sound. They give you the option to report any problems you have with the call at the end but I do it every time and I still haven't seen any improvement. In saying that I keep using it because it is the perfect and cheapest way of communicating with friends and family.
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