When was the last time you actually made a phone call for no other reason than to simply talk to someone? How long ago was it that you sat down and wrote a letter to send through the postal service? These forms of communication were the way we connected with others for many MANY years, and they are apparently a dying art form these days. I admit that I haven’t done either of these things in far longer than I can really remember. There are just too many other ways for me to get ahold of someone, do business with them or reach out to make a connection.

Why would we send a hand-written missive and pay money for a stamp, only to have it arrive several days later – if at all? We can sign into our email program of choice, type out our thoughts and have the completed message show up in the other party’s inbox within seconds… for “free” (not counting the cost you already shell out for your Internet connection).

Even though most of us have cell plans which include unlimited calling (or at least during nights and weekends), it’s still easier to use other means of speaking with others. I’m sitting at my computer working most of the day, so it’s just simpler to click that button on Skype when I need to hear another person’s voice. Heck, I’ll admit it: I don’t much like having to voice chat anyway. If there is business communication to be done, I prefer handling it via email. This allows me to keep track of the prior portions of a conversation for future reference. It also lets me be in control of when I reply.

Using voice communication can actually be a burden. As I just mentioned, you have the burden of being “on” during every moment of a conversation. Your attention shouldn’t wander… you need to focus right then and there. If you’re buried in a project, having to stop and take calls can be a huge downer. With an email, you can put off your response until you have the time to dedicate to the person trying to get your attention.

How do you talk to others? I have a feeling that social networks will actually be near the top of the list for many of you out there, along with email and VOiP services.

How to Communicate With Others

Good grief, people! The news officially broke less than ten minutes ago, and already the naysayers are screaming all over my Twitter stream. I counted at least fifteen “omg Microsoft will ruin it!” messages in under two minutes. I think that just may be a record. The speed with which y’all are dismissing the potential alarms me, to be honest. What happened to giving something a chance before proclaiming its imminent demise?

Over on TechCrunch, Robin Wauters reminded us that “the many tech industry pundits and analysts will look at this deal from all possible angles and then some, and still only a handful will end up being somewhat accurate when we look back in a couple of years.” In this case, “many” refers to about a kabillion people. A “handful” points to about three persons who might – sort of – get it right.

We can theorize until our fingers turn blue. We can tear this deal apart from the inside out, analyzing every possible angle. At the end of the day, we will likely all be dead wrong with our findings. We cannot predict the future any more than we can vacation on Mars. The cool thing, though, is that this deal has the potential to be pretty damned awesome. Why aren’t more of you opening your minds to that possibility? What good does focusing on the negatives do anyone?

Are you being sheep? Is your fanboy side coming out? Seriously, y’all – think for just a moment about what this could mean. Imagine a world where you can integrate Skype with your Kinect system. Take a few moments to ponder what businesses will be able to do when using Skype inside of their currently installed Windows applications. Allow your brain to realize what CAN come out of this deal instead of spreading doom and gloom from the get-go.

Skype’s current user base is six million or so registered users – which is nothing to sneeze at. The service connects people in every corner of the world every moment of every day. The growth potential is astronomical if done correctly. Can Microsoft pull it off? Only time will tell, I suppose. I’m willing to give it the benefit of the doubt because I can see the possibilities.

I think this deal makes sense. I predict that Microsoft may just surprise you with this one. Then again, I could be one of the masses who were proven to be wrong at some point in the future.

Will Microsoft Ruin Skype?

If you’ve owned a smartphone at any point in the past few years, you’ve likely heard of Qik. This company was the first to offer live streaming video from the iPhone – and several Android devices. I remember how cool it was to be able to stream live video to a virtually unlimited number of live viewers using nothing but a jailbroken iPhone 3G in the early days of the Qik service.

Qik has come a long way since then, and Skype has taken notice of it. Earlier Today, Skype announced that they have purchased their “competetor” Qik. I don’t think anybody saw this one coming, but it could pay off for Skype depending on what exactly they plan to do with it.

Skype’s new CEO, Tony Bates, wouldn’t discuss the purchase price or any future plans for their integration. However, Bates did say that Skype is planning to “work closely with Qik.” As of now, we have no idea what this means. We’re uncertain of how – or when – Skype will integrate Qik into their service and brand.

Bates also declined to discuss the failed video-chat tablet demo that was almost shown at the Nvidia press conference yesterday. Skype has made several other announcements which include: Paid group calls with up to 10 users per call, Skype on TVs and Blu-ray players made by Sony and Vizio, as well as Skype in classrooms and developing countries to help communities in need.

Skype Purchases Qik

I think everyone uses Skype these days – and half of everyone has an iPhone. My numbers could be slightly exaggerated, but I know I’m not that far off. Skype is exceedingly popular, as is the Apple phone. Having a full-featured, well-working app for iOS simply makes sense, and that’s what Skype has delivered.

The new video chat function works both over WiFi and 3G networks and two-way video calling is supported by the iPhone 4, iPod touch 4, and iPhone 3GS. The iPad and third generation iPod touch support one-way video calling. Just like on Apple’s FaceTime application Skype for iPhone will video conference in both portrait and landscape orientations.

“The new Skype app expands the number of those who have access to video-calling on their Apple devices, as Apple’s new Facetime only works on iPhone 4 and Mac computers.” Skype says there are approximately 25 million concurrent users logged into Skype at any given time.

Video chats make up a large percentage of all Skype calls. approximately 40% of all Skype-to-Skype minutes for the first six months of 2010, according to Neil Stevens, Skype’s general manager of consumer business. “By bringing video to mainstream users at their home or work via their desktops, on the go with their mobiles, or into their living room via their TV, Skype has made it possible for millions of people to share their video moments wherever they are.”

Skype for iPhone – Full of Win

Do you have any idea how many people have been flipping out today because they could not connect to Skype? We’ve long heard the “number” – the amount of people who use the popular calling service as reported by the company. However, the actual impact of Skype truly never hit home until today. When the service went unavailable to everyone… the world began to cry.

The enormity of Skype going down is appreciated when you consider that last year it accounted for 12 percent of the world’s international calling minutes. The last major downtime experienced was just over three years ago, so having it crash in this manner today has left many people scrambling for alternatives. The problem is, though, that people may not have contact information for their Skype friends to be used on other services.

Skype isn’t a network like a conventional phone or IM network – instead, it relies on millions of individual connections between computers and phones to keep things up and running. Some of these computers are what we call ‘supernodes’ – they act a bit like phone directories for Skype. Under normal circumstances, there are a large number of supernodes available. Unfortunately, today, many of them were taken offline by a problem affecting some versions of Skype.

I’ve heard rumblings and speculations about this whole “problem affecting some versions of Skype.” Remember, folks, it was only a week ago we were talking about Skype forcing updates to their newest version. There are speculations and rumors floating everywhere regarding this, as always happens when something we rely on suddenly won’t work.

What are your thoughts? Have you been stranded today without Skype?

Skype Service Crashes and the World Cries

Word is trickling in that Skype has introduced a “feature” no one is going to like: forced updates. Many people have thus far opted out of upgrading to the newest version of the popular calling software, choosing to wait until the many bugs have been fixed. However, Skype doesn’t want to give you the choice of when to update your software. They are simply doing it for you, according to the community.

Even if you have told your current version not to automatically check for updates, it’s going to do it anyway. Users are reporting that while the software is updating itself, clicking the button to cancel it and exit out “does nothing to stop it.” Additionally, the option to disable auto updates or roll back is conveniently gone from this new version.

Thankfully, Jack Zhang has found a hack which will keep your Skype version where you want it. “Just set the file permissions for the “SYSTEM” and “Administrators” accounts in Windows on the Skype.exe file to deny writing. I have not gotten the forced update ever since.”

This stinks, fellow geeks. Since when should we EVER be forced to accept a software update if we don’t want it? Why has it suddenly become okay for Skype – or anyone – to make changes to my system without my authorization? If you have your program set to allow these updates, that’s all fine, well and good. However, when people have purposely turned that option OFF, there is no reason an update should be forced. Not allowing them to stop the update while it’s in progress or roll back to an older version is just bad juju.

Skype. Get with the program. Knock this crap off. Pronto!

What are your thoughts? Do you appreciate Skype so kindly updating your software for you?

Skype 5 Forcing Updates

Could the new Viber iPhone app actually work the way Skype should have? According to early reports… it’s far better than Skype mobile has ever thought of being. Viber brings free calling to your phone over 3G or WiFi to anyone anywhere in the world. The app costs as much as the actual calls do – nothing!

When you install Viber, the app syncs your phone’s contact list and shows you which of your friends are also using Viber. You can begin making calls instantly without having to register for anything or hold an account. Viber Media founder Talmon Marco says:

“Skype is modeled after a buddy list – you need a user ID and password, and in order to talk to someone you need to ‘add them’, get approved, etc. Viber, on the other hand, is modeled after a phone. So your ID is your phone number (authenticated via SMS) and you can call anyone, as long as you know their number.”

The coolest part about this app is that it does not have to be running in order to work. You can close the app completely – even removing it from your background services – and still receive calls. The user is sent a notification, a ringtone will sound, and as soon as you click “Answer” on the notification, the app is launched and a connection is made automagically!

The creators are already hard at work on versions of this app goodness for both Android and Blackberry. These should be available early next year. However, the most important future update in the works is the addition of free text messaging between Viber users. This is something that Skype has never managed to accomplish within their app.

Viber simply works, and works well. Isn’t that what an app should do?

Viber iPhone App – Better Than Skype?

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Apple recently released the first public beta of the free FaceTime Mac desktop app. It’s not without its share of flaws, but for the most part works as advertised. I’m happy enough – for now.

FaceTime for Mac makes it possible to talk, smile, wave, and laugh with anyone on an iPhone 4, iPod touch, or Mac from your Mac over Wi-Fi. So you can catch up, hang out, joke around, and stay in touch with just a click. Sure, it’s great to hear a voice. But it’s even better to see the face that goes with it.

The only thing you need to get started is an Apple id and an email address… and the beta download, of course. Your address book is already integrated, so you don’t have to worry about having to add anyone. You CAN add anyone you want to at any point in time. With a MobileMe subscription, you can have several different accounts… choose one for friends, one for family and one for business to keep things more organized.

I don’t like that it won’t work on Windows or Linux. That’s depressing, Apple. You dont want to get leap-frogged by Skype, now do you?

I hate that you cannot block someone from within FaceTime. I had to change one of my usernames due to someone guessing it and trying to call repeatedly. There’s no way to just block them from calling at will. I hate that it won’t run full-screen natively. You have to toggle it during the call itself. Having some automated features would make it much better.

Call anyone who has a FaceTime account and see the smile you put on their face.

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FaceTime Beta for Mac – Not Windows, Yet

The new version of Skype was announced today, complete with several features you’re going to love. The company announced that the new version of Skype 5.0 for Windows will include a deep Facebook integration. Additionally, you will receive a free trial of the new group video calling function. The new version of Skype also features automatic call recovery, which helps you immediately reconnect calls that are interrupted due to Internet connection problems. Add in an overhauled UI, and you have the makings of a serious VoIP client.

After logging in via Facebook Connect, you’ll be able to see your Facebook News Feed with the Skype interface, post status updates that can be synced with your Skype mood message and comment and like friends’ updates and wall posts. In terms of actual integration with the VoIP end of things, you can now call and SMS your Facebook friends on their mobile phones and landlines from Skype. You can also make a make a free Skype-to-Skype call if your Facebook friend is also a Skype contact.

As of now, Skype has about 560 million registered users. Add to that the bajillions who use Facebook, and you have the makings for a beautiful friendship. It’s a no-brainer… not everyone on FB uses Skype, and not everyone on Skype uses FB. What better way to convince them to join up than by adding in an excellent and simple interface to connect the two together? It sounds like a match made in Heaven to me.

What are your thoughts? Will you connect your Facebook to your Skype account? Do you think the new features are something people will enjoy… or come to hate?

Skype Brings Facebook to the Table

Skype users won’t be shocked to see the numbers released in a recent report by telegeography. The findings show that Skype-to-Skype calls accounted for 13 percent of total International call minutes in 2009. The stats showed that a whopping 54 Billion (out of a total of 406 Billion) International call minutes were done through Skype. Even more interesting is the fact that while overall International telephone traffic has slowed down, Skype’s traffic has been on the rise.

The Skype minutes for last year were generated by 520 million users from 250 different countries. These kinds of numbers give even Facebook a run for its money. While some may scoff at the service, it’s quite clear that it holds a lion’s share of the VoIP users out there.

Are you a Skype aficionado? Have you ever used it to speak with someone in another country?

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How Do You Make International Calls?

Skype Access lets anyone pay for WiFi access per minute using Skype Credit, so that they can surf the web, email and make free Skype-to-Skype voice and video calls in a massive network of WiFi hotspots including cafés, hotels and airports worldwide.

This weekend, however, you can use Skype Access for absolutely no cost! Beginning at 00:00 GMT on Saturday, March 20th up until 23:59 GMT on Sunday, March 21st, Skype Access will be completely free to use from anywhere in the world. If you’re here on the west coast of the US like I am, that would be 5PM tonight (Friday, March 19th) until 4:59PM on Sunday, March 21st. If you’re in a different time zone, there are calculators online that can help you make the adjustments.

All you need to get started is a connection to a Skype Access Hotspot, and the latest version of Skype (Windows 4.2 or Mac 2.8).

Additionally, due to the industrial action by British Airways cabin crews, the time-frame for this promotion will be extended by 24 hours in the UK. This is to ensure that travelers who may be stuck in a British airport can still work and stay connected with their friends and family.

Skype has long been an excellent way to keep in touch. By using Skype Access to access wireless Internet, they’ve raised the bar even higher.

Are you a Skype user? If so, you’re among millions of others who have realized what a fantastic, easy and cheap way this is to keep in touch with friends, family and business connections. Being able to reach out to anyone in the world is something we all tend to take for granted. However, think back just a few years… we weren’t able to DO this. Technologies have advanced so much in such a short time. It’s absolutely cool to watch as it happens, isn’t it?

Free WiFi with Skype Access this Weekend

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While covering the CES conference for us recently, Traci was astounded by the new Facevision TouchCam N1. It’s an HD video cam with an embedded H.264 codec chip, and dual microphones! This allows for crystal-clear HD video and superior audio at the same time. This little gadget is the first Skype certified video camera, and works perfectly for all of your video-conferencing needs.

The folks at Facevision believe they have developed the next generation in webcams with this TouchCam N1. It’s a natural extension to video camera users. It’s plug-and-play via USB, so it works on any operating system. This is not only the World’s first Skype certified webcam, it’s also the first HD webcam! It renders in true 720p!

Over the years, Skype has evolved into one of the premier ways to keep in touch with business contacts, family and friends. By using the Facevision TouchCam, Skype users can enjoy HD-quality video conferencing. The picture is so true-to-life that it will almost seem as though you can reach right through your screen and touch the other person!

The camera will be available in early March, 2010, and should have a retail price of around $119.00 USD.

Thanks to Creative for sending Traci the Vado 3 to use during CES!

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HD Web Camera Wants to be Yours

I meet up with many people on a regular basis, thanks to things like Tweetups and conferences. Not everyone is so lucky, though. Often, deep and lasting friendships are formed online, but the people involved never have a chance to meet face-to-face. Many people maintain that it’s easier to make a strong connection with someone online, since you don’t have the fears and anxieties associated with how you look, or how you come across in person. Also, people tend to be more open about themselves when they are behind a computer screen, instead of hiding who they really are – and what they really think.

Have you ever met any of your online friends? How did it go? Was the friendship and connection as strong in person as it was while you were on the Internet? I’d love to hear your experiences and thoughts on this. I know that we have community members who met online, and later ended up engaged or married. I’m interested in seeing how many real friendships have sprung up, as well!

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Have You Met Your Online Friends in Person?

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Oliver has sent in this screencast, to help you out with your video and call quality while streaming. Many people use Skype to bring people in during their live streaming session, but the quality often drops significantly. It is possible to have the call (and the overall stream) maintain the crisp, clean quality that you are striving for. Oliver is going to show you how to accomplish this.

The best way to accomplish this is to use a powerful program called Audio Hijack Pro. This is a paid program, but the free version works for audio hijacks up to ten minutes. You’ll also need Soundflower. Have both of these programs, along with Skype, open before you begin.

First you’ll want to go in to Audio Hijack Pro. Click into the Skype pane on the left. Right click on Skype, and then mouse over “4 FX Effect” and then click on “Auxiliary Device Output”. This allows you to route the audio from Skype through Audio Hijack Pro, and in to Soundflower. When the window pops up after choosing the Auxiliary Device Output, choose Soundflower (2ch) from the dropdown menu. You don’t even need Soundflower open in order to do this.

Click the “Hijack” button at the top left of the screen, and then choose the “Quit and Relaunch” option from the menu. Once you open your Ustream show, you’re nearly ready to make your call! At the bottom of the Ustream window, you’ll see a dropdown box for “Audio Source”. Make sure you select “Soundflower (2ch)” here.

After you make this change, you won’t hear your own voice through your stream. You won’t hear it again until you take a Skype call. Oliver chose to call a Skype Test Call, which I recommend you do prior to your show going live.This will ensure that all of your settings are correct.

Audio Hijack Pro and Soundflower work together to grab both your voice and your callers’ voice, and throw them through your stream together. This way, you have a high-quality broadcast during the calls.

Thanks, Oliver, for an excellent tutorial and screencast!

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How to Take Live Skype Calls

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There are hundreds – if not thousands – of services that allow you to chat in real time. The one that tends to rule the roost is Skype. Nearly everyone seems to have a Skype account these days. Let’s say you have a Skype account, but you’re traveling. Yet, you still want to get ahold of your contacts without having to pay a lot of money to do so. What you need is a device that allows you to access your Skype account over Wi-Fi, instead of using a computer!

The IPEVO Wi-Fi Phone for Skype is exactly what you’re looking for. No computer is required: the Skype phone operates via any Wi-Fi connection. This gives you the chance to make Skype calls from your account every time you connect to a secure – or open – wireless network.

The Skype Phone includes all the same features that Skype itself does: locate your contacts, make calls and even review your call history… right from the handset. This thing puts the power of Skype in the palm of your hand… using a device as simple to use as your cell phone is.

You know you may need to contact people on your Skype list while you’re traveling or away from your computer. Don’t use your cell and rack up a huge bill. Just use the Skype Phone. Make your life a little easier.

[awsbullet:skype phone]

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Skype Phone Without PC