Anyone here use Magic Jack or Skype????

[BERIGAN]

Looking for more and more ways to save money, and was curious if folks have dropped their land lines for one of these services????

And if anyone was going to say it...cell phone service is just ok where we live, and some other reasons we wouldn't want to drop our land line completely....

Edited May 6, 2011 by BERIGAN

[GA Russell]

Funny you should ask! I started using magicJack on Sunday.

Sometimes there is a blip when I am listening to the other end, and the sound isn't great, but the calls are free! Perhaps the calls would be perfect if I had a new, more powerful computer.

[ejp626]

Looking for more and more ways to save money, and was curious if folks have dropped their land lines for one of these services????

And if anyone was going to say it...cell phone service is just ok where we live, and some other reasons we wouldn't want to drop our land line completely....

I haven't dropped my land line, but I am using Skype more. It works best when your other party is also on Skype, otherwise you pay a per minute fee (and it takes forever to get money into your Skype account!). I think the quality is pretty good provided both parties have DSL.

[Stereojack]

I've had Skype for several years, and it works fine if you're talking to another Skype user. Can't comment beyond that.

Signal is strong and clear.

[Hardbopjazz]

I am using Vonage. For 24.95 a month you can't beat it.

[medjuck]

I used Skype a lot when my daughter was in Australia. Also use it on holidays when my wife wants to take part in her family's festivities: we schedule and set up laptops at each end for a video conference. We usually end up using the laptop as a camera and walk around the house filming the dog etc. All of this is with the other user using Skype.

I've also had e-mails from a surprising number of overseas businesses asking to set up Skype conferences.

[AmirBagachelles]

Skype is really good, easy to set up, and terrific for distance video calling with your loved ones or friends.

[WD45]

I use Google Talk quite a bit. Much like Skype, you can do voice-only or voice + video calling.

Plus, you can call Google Talk to regular phone for free in the U.S.

I used it on a recent trip to Berlin, computer to computer. Worked very well.

[brownie]

I have Skype. Have not really used it much but it worked fine whenever it was on!

[porcy62]

Skype, usually I use it for international call, my son in SF and relatives in Argentina. Great service and quality, totally free.

[GregK]

I've used Skype sparingly, mainly because of the quality. Too much delay or something, but that may have been due to the other parties' computer. I actually had a job interview over Skype, though. I'm sure 10+ years ago, this same company would have arranged for an on-site interview, but with Skype, it was a simple video conference call.

For cheap calling, I use Google Voice. It's integrated with my Sprint cell service so I just dial any number from my cell phone and if it's international, Google Voice automatically takes over and low rates (not Sprint's criminal rates) apply, or if I'm calling Canada, it's free. Plus, you can call from your computer using Gmail or the Google Voice interface. Pretty slick.

[BERIGAN]

Thanks for the info so far! I didn't know til a friend mentioned you could "just" talk with Skype...but if you want to be away from the computer, you had to get a special phone...was hoping to hear a bit more about Magic Jack...saw some good reviews several months ago, but had a friend say all she heard was complaints about it...

[BillF]

Talking to Organissimo members on Skype adds a whole new dimension to the forum. Join the party!

BritishTelecom's charges for ordinary calls from a landline are now so high that I'm using Skype for them, too! I can see the day when we'll get rid of the landline.

[kinuta]

Skype. Great for international communications, great for compulsive talkers. I use it quite often.

Edited May 9, 2011 by kinuta

[mikeweil]

I use Skype to talk to my daughter who lives three hundred miles away - when I use a regular phone she's always typing something at her computer, but when we have a videochat I have her undistracted attention ... It was her idea to present me with a webcam and headset for this purpose on the occasion of my birthday earlierthis year.