Skype; to some a free and convenient way to talk to others, and to others, a pretty decent text based messenger but to most its just another internet tool that they don’t use and don’t understand. Skype has been around since 2003 and uses a technology called VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) to provide free audio, video and text based chats over the internet. Whether you have just a headset for calling or a webcam you can communicate with anyone anywhere in the world, all completely free of charge.
Until recently, PCs have pretty much been the only use for Skype, but now it seems that the company is heading for greater things.
The VOIP which is most commonly used by PC and console gamers to quickly communicate with each other, has now been commercially adapted for a consumer call market.
Once Skype has been installed on a PC the software augments the PC with the ability to make phone calls to land line or mobile telephones at a small cost, and now, the program is being incorporated in many more mobile devices, most prominently the iPhone and Mobile phone handsets on the 3 (three) network.
The question Is this; Is Skype this going to kill telephone calls?
Well the biggest downfall of Skype is the need for a full on broadband connection for it to work, but now-a-days it’s very easy to find free wi-fi, all you have to do is go to a coffee shop or internet cafe with a wi-fi enabled device, such as a phone, Sony PSP, Nintendo DS, Blackberry or other similar device, grab the WEP code from the staff and you’re connected.
As technology evolves, these devices and others are being equipped with inbuilt or attachable microphones, enabling them to use Skype software. Pretty soon most devices could be equipped with such technology, meaning that more and more users will have the ability to make free calls, a major threat to phone network companies.
However, there have been cases where the phone companies work their hardest to make sure the Skype-like VOIP applications are not compatible or available for their phones, but with the advent of various ‘app stores’ making the program available at any time, could this be the end for regular phone calls?
Will Skype take over the voice call market, or will regular phone calls remain strong? What do you think? If you have the answer, leave your response below.
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Tags: Apple, Calls, free, iPhone, Messageing, PC, Skype, Technology, Telephone, Three, voip
