Is it time to get rid of old pay phone, and just use free vo ip (skype) ?

[lucho2mars]

I have 3 roomates, and the phone is always ringing like crazy. We all have computers and we also have DSL internet. I would like to get my roomates to move to vo ip only, because it's cheaper, makes less noise, and we all get a different number. I want to ask them to use skype, the only thing I'm wondering is about how to get a good answering machine functionality, and free since a normal answering machine is free.

Do you now anything really good ?

[luxb2000]

I've recently found out about v4s (http://www.orb.com/skype) in skype journal. It does everything you can dream about, like giving you a web access to your messages !

[Monty Burns]

Skype-In comes with free voicemail.

[luxb2000]

Can you receive skype-in voicemails on your celllphone ?

[Monty Burns]

Originally Posted by luxb2000

Can you receive skype-in voicemails on your celllphone ?

Nope. Not that im aware of.

[dejongj]

Skype may sound good for yourselfs, but it isn't for anyone else who isn't on Skype to contact you...Go for a proper VoIP solution and even your grandma can have cheap call to you...

I really can't stand Skype and people just keep on falling for it....And quietness you only get when your PC's are silent, unfortunately you will need your PC on with Skype...Switch it off and so are your phone calls....

[Monty Burns]

Originally Posted by dejongj

....And quietness you only get when your PC's are silent, unfortunately you will need your PC on with Skype...Switch it off and so are your phone calls....

Its horses for courses as you say

The advantage that Skype has for me is that I move around (the world) on roughly a yearly basis, example, this time next year I will be living in Beijing... so for me, Skype on my Laptop is ideal.

You are correct though, for most people there are better soloutions

[dejongj]

Maybe a very ignorant question...But can you get the kind of Internet you'll need in Bejing or is Skype censored?

[Monty Burns]

Yeah i can mate, and thats not ignorant at all ..., China has some very odd rules.

The part thats not allowed in China is Skype-Out inside of China and thats only because there major telcoms operator is still state managed.

The rest of Skype works fine in China.

[Loobster]

Originally Posted by dejongj

I really can't stand Skype and people just keep on falling for it....And quietness you only get when your PC's are silent, unfortunately you will need your PC on with Skype...Switch it off and so are your phone calls....

That's funny. My view is that people "keep falling for" paying for VOIP services and also new VOIP equipment, when a perfectly reliable service is available free (Skype). Many of us who are running a computer 24/7 (i.e. a server of some sort) incurr no additional costs or penalties of any kind by running Skype on such a machine. My international calls have dropped in price to zero since installing skype.

Just because you have some biased idea that VOIP is better than Skype doesn't make Skype cr@p.

[SPicke01]

Yeah, I'm into Skype, we the use the client for the basic service and run conference calls and one-2-one calls in work. A lot of the guys all work on different sites so it's brought down mobile phone usage quite dramatically.

I think Dejongj commented that it only for Skype customers to contact you, well if you sign up to a subsription service about 30euro per year then you get a phone number which will follow you around the world +voicemail etc.

I cut my calls to mates in the city and across Germany and Cyprus, as long as Skype keep the basis service free then it will always be in the public domain.

It's free, give it a try, and get your mates on board, the bigger your community then your savings will be bigger.

[fleeced1]

I think 2006 is going to be the year for real VoIP growth. Keep testing all those different Voip providers out there to see which you find best but once this technology goes mainstream prices will tumble even further.

I think everyone will need to keep landlines for a few years whilst things develop, I think once they have cracked wireless things will take off.