Do you Skype?

[Mikey]

Skype is great!  We just finished visiting, via Skype, with our daughter and baby grandson, Gibson.  Our daughter called and told us to turn on Skype because baby Gibson was in an unusually good mood.  So we chatted and Gibson drooled and wiggled.......hey, he's only 2 months old.....  We got Skype a few months ago in order to regularly see and visit with our daughter and son-in-law, and of course little Gibson, who live in Oregon.

For those who are unfamiliar with Skype (pronounced to rhyme with "ripe"), Skype is a free software that lets you talk via the Internet to another Skype user, anywhere in the world, for free. Your computer works as your phone.  In addition we bought an inexpensive web-cam so we can see the other person we are talking to.  The picture from the web-cam is jerky but the voice clarity is very good; better than our cell phone...  Isn't technology great?

[livetogarden]

We don't but my best friend's daughter was an exchange student in Germany last summer. Her mom got Skype when the daughter went over and it was so cool!!! They were able to keep up with each other and it was a godsend for the daughter when she felt homesick since she was so far from home. All she had to do was log on and home didn't seem so far away.
Wonderful idea!!
Cath

[Jerry]

I signed up.  I assume I need a microphone, will get one.

[Mikey]

Correct Jerry.  I forgot to mention the microphone.....  It helps to have headphones as well because there is a slight delay but we usually use it without bothering with the headphones.

[-Greg-]

We use ichat av, it came on our mac's, our daughter video chat's with her cousin in Virgina on a regular basis. I also use it to talk to two of my friends back in Michigan, the cool part is that one we can do a 3-way video chat with sound, and the video is not choppy at all, it is almost as if you are there. Also, the one friend has a pc, he uses his video camera hooked directly to his computer via firewire, and uses AOL. All very cool!

Greg

Forgot to mention, my newest imac has a built in camera, and I purchased a "isight" camera for my daughters imac. Then a second isight for my webpage, it is mounted out on the patio so all of my friends/family, can view a live image of our weather and the mountain here in Palm Springs.

[barb]

I had never even heard of it before now, I am way out of touch.  My 17 year old son talks on hi computer with his friends all the time, maybe he has it.

[happyoutsidegirl]

So will it work on my slow dial up? I'm so far out in the middel of nowhere USA I can't get DSL yet!

[MikeW]

I have a friend who lives half in L.A. and half in Japan. (Jolly uncomfortable that sounds!).
Anyway, he uses Skype, not only to keep in touch with the other side of his life, but also to teach English to businessmen in China. He just has to be up at odd hours while here in California.
All free of charge.

Mike

[Dave in Michigan]

Debbie, yes it will work on dial-up. I have tried that before. It will be a little jiggerish. It will have delay, like you said a few words, a few seconds later the other side here it. Sometimes words got broken (like cell phone when the signal is bad).

But if you are calling overseas, the good thing is both sides are paying local toll fees.