<p>At our son’s request, we signed up for a free internet site. We bought a little microphone, and checked into the site, and talked over the internet for 45 minutes to our son, who is in Asia for his junior semester abroad. And it’s free. It was the coolest thing, and the reception was far superior to a normal phone. Does anyone know anything about this? Have I just downloaded 17 viruses without knowing it? Or was this for real? We loved it. It was as if he were sitting on the couch next to us. (which, sigh, he is not.)</p>
<p>hayden, it is great. I talk with my son that way all the time. The computer rings and I press a button and voila. My computer has a built in mic and I put on headphones. Sometimes the reception is better than other times. He has a computer where you can see him as well talking but the picture breaks up a lot. It reminds me of 2001: A Space Odyssey.</p>
<p>What program did you use??? DD will be in Chile for 5 months and it is more than two dollars a minute to call!!! (I’m thinking we will be communicating only through email!)</p>
<p>For PCs you can download Skype.
For Macs, use ichat.</p>
<p>The one we used is skype. I think you reach it by going to <a href=“http://www.skype.com%5B/url%5D”>www.skype.com</a>, but not sure since my H installed it. It was absolutely terrific. I felt like reaching out and hugging the computer! If D will be in Chile, I sure recommend it. H and I sat together on the couch, and we all three were on the same conversation that way. No passing the phone back and forth. As my S says, though, the only drawback is that anyone else in the room where the computer is can hear the entire conversation! So he generally calls us when he’s alone, just for privacy.</p>
<p>H just told me that the guy who invented this was listed as one of Time Mag’s 100 most influential people. If that’s true, I guess it’s not a scam or a virus. That’s a relief.</p>
<p>I had the funniest “conference call” yesterday with my son. His girlfriend and roommate were in the conversation as well since they were in the room! When I said goodbye, I could hear their voices saying “goodbye” as well. What is this world coming to!</p>
<p>I have been using Skype for about a year, mostly for business calls to others in Germany, UAE, ertc. It’s awesome. I’ll be sitting there working away, and my computer rings, and I answer. We can talk as long as we want, and it’s free, and it’s crystal clear. </p>
<p>Some of my friends subscribe to advanced features such as call forwarding to cell and landine phones; I understand there is a charge to do that but it’s supposedly very reasonable.</p>
<p>We have Skype. Don’t use it a lot, but I did get to talk to Berurah!</p>
<p>We use google talk. The clarity of reception hasn’t always been the best but it works well enough and like the other programs … if you hook up your webcam (and send an invite that gets accepted) you even get to see just how messy your kid’s room is or if he/she has gained or lost weight! :)</p>
<p>Skype works for me as well. Great clarity on domestic/ international calls (Brazil & India so far). </p>
<p>Got to talk to Berurah as well (aka Skype Queen 
).</p>
<p>
Awwwwwwwwww, binx, absolutely MY pleasure!!! :)</p>
<p>
OD~</p>
<p>Now <strong><em>WHOSE</em></strong> fault is THAT, Mr. “I-introduced-berurah-to-the-joys-of-Skype”??? HUH??? <strong>HUH</strong>??? Yep, that’s OD…GUILTY AS CHARGED!!! ;)</p>
<p>~berurah, the newly coronated Skype Queen—and lovin’ every minute of it!!! :)</p>
<p>Yay for Berurah! I don’t use skype but I’ll still send you a big Happy Mother’s Day greeting and, btw, thanks for the smiles.</p>
<p>Almost everyone I know has at one time tried skype (pronounced around these parts “es-kay-pee”) but, as far as I can tell, most have abandoned the program because of “crank calls” and lack of privacy re: the calling list.</p>
<p>
Oh, honey, thanks!!! And right backatcha! About the lack of privacy in Skype…Now, admittedly I am a newbie at it, but I’ve ONLY once experienced a young guy tryin’ to “hit on me” on Skype <em>ROFLMAO</em>…and he was fairly easy to get rid of! <em>lol</em> I definitely wouldn’t let that stop you! :D</p>
<p>~b.</p>
<p>I didn’t know anything about crank calls, and have never had one, but we also selected the option to NOT publicize our “numbers”.</p>
<p>I use a little camera box on my TV to have “net meetings” with my baby nephews in Boston and New York. One of my brothers bought these things for the entire family, which stretches from Italy to Southern California. It’s amazing to see a five year old cousin in Texas recognize an infant she’s never seen in person, but has “talked” to via the television weekly since he was born.</p>
<p>The only cost is the box and a high speed internet connection.</p>
<p>Obviously, not the same as VoIP, but another option for those who love gadgets. :)</p>
<p>I just received an email from Skype saying that all calls within U.S. and Canada are now completely free through the end of the year - it used to be just family and friends, but now it’s everyone apparently.</p>
<p>Does anyone have a sense of the security of skype? I read the website security notice, but I also read a description of how it works in wikipedia and it seems possible that, as anyone’s connection could be routed anywhere throughout the network at any time, and that what the software does is somehow get around the firewalls, it could pose a potential virus or other security risk. If anyone with a greater amount of knowledge about this kind of thing than I possess (which would not have to be too much) could weigh in on that, I would love to hear and I really otherwise love to download it.</p>
<p>Okay, dumb question here.</p>
<p>My D will be going to Australia for 6 months. She has a Mac. We have a regular old pc. Not as concerned about video, just the free conversation. How would we do that? Would it work for her to be using ichat and us to be using skype?</p>
<p>It sounds like a fantastic solution…I really hope we can do this.</p>
<p>curiouser - our S has Mac, and we have regular old pc. Was not a problem. </p>
<p>ohmadre - that was my fear, too. We basically decided to leave it to our virus/firewall program to deal with, and are crossing our fingers. But if someone has the answer, I’d love to hear also.</p>
<p>latetoschool - I looked for announcements about that. What I interpreted from what I read was that basic skype was always free through the computer, for both sender and recipient. What I saw was that for the rest of 2006, it would be free for skype users to call landline and cell phones. Is that what you read, or something different?</p>