THE Lowly Peon

Skype: Even More Awesome than I Thought!

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07 March 2011, 2:00am

Skype is way more loaded with features than I had realized. After browsing around skype.com for the first time in a while, I've found a few really neat services, most of which are free (or use existing services, but make things more convenient):

• Skype to Go: If you frequently call people who live in a different country (ahem...), Skype to Go provides a super easy way to call them. Rather than needing to log on to a computer to use Skype, you can simply tell Skype your friend's number, after which Skype will generate a local number for you to call. You get charged local dialing rates, but Skype will forward the call to your friend, charging you the same as they would if you were calling from a computer. That means you can all call me for cheap! Skype to Go works for up to nine numbers per account, and unfortunately is pretty limited in availability. It works to call from the US to lots of countries, but sadly, not China. And the number of countries you can call from is pathetically small. But still, I plan on using this a lot when I'm back in the states! (I already have it set up to use with my Google voice number, which I can use here thanks to some clever setup!)
• Skype Wifi Access - If you travel at all, you probably have been outraged at the number of times airports or hotels advertise that they have WiFi access, only to find out that you need to pay an arm and a leg to use it. Services like Boingo are everywhere, and they know how to get you: charge a ton for an hour, or a teeny bit ore than a ton for a month. But of course your return trip isn't for five weeks, or you're not sure if your return airport even has Boingo. I hate it. But Skype WiFi Access uses your Skype credit — $.14/min — to go through these services. So it's still a bit expensive, but paying as you go is much more reasonable, and, more importantly, you don't need to sign up and give your credit card for an account that you'll probably never use again. (And it works with Boingo!)

And all that other good stuff! Thanks, Skype!

(Note: calling the UK via Skype is expensive! Those Europeans sure like taxing stuff. And Google Voice offers lots of these services for similar prices, but GV is clearly only designed for people who are physically in the US.)