Merry Christmas & a Happy new year to all readers and random visitors!
I'm playing with Skype today. Free peer-to-peer IP telephony with excellent quality and an ability (at least it seems so) to dodge firewalls is definitely an interesting product.
I'm still not convinced that it will replace services like ICQ, AIM or MSN Messenger; a textual message (even cached, like ICQ Offline messages) is still less obtrusive than a voice call (think shared office environments etc) but for broadband service pickup in Europe it can easily be one of the many killer-apps people want and need to be convinced to replace the good old dial up.
CNET writes: Skype's VoIP ambitions
Will Skype continue to be free?Cool!Now it's free--it's free in the beta phase. When we launch it'll continue to be free. We think it's very, very important that people can use it for free and for the momentum to grow. We want people to spread it around. We have to be very good in up-selling users to premium services like voice mail and conference calling. That's what people are asking for.
One of the great things about P2P for this product is that we don't have any incremental cost for a new user. There's no marketing because we don't run marketing campaigns. It's being spread virally by users. We don't have any operational costs because they make calls peer-to-peer. It doesn't cost us any more.
Stuart Henshall says:
I'd like someone to tell me quickly how I add an additional input section to my comments like the e-mail address that enables a Skype callback. Be a lot easier to thank people that way!Indeed :-)
Integrated with at least Microsoft Windows / IE, the callto:// prefix allows "Skyped" URLs. For example to call me all you need is to click here: callto://andersja/
I've been using Skype for a few months now and I agree that it won't replace AIM for me anytime soon. It is a cool alternative though. If they get it so you can do multiple people (conference call) on it then it'll be a killer app!
Posted by: C.C. on December 30, 2003 01:59 PMWell, I wouldn't call Skype "quite a revolution in communication technology ".
I remember we used to talk with a VoIp software long before Napster invented P2P.
It is true, we could call and talk, and understanding was something else.
Skype looks much better if you consider the voice quality, thanks also to the fact that now we have faster connections.
But what people really want?
When they want to call they want a telephone ( mobile), they want to dial a number and they want to talk.
If possible cheap and, why not for free...
The real revolution is what we can give:
www.worldonip.com
1) Access point that reaches up to 15 Kilometers and up to 90 users on one line.
You can have as many as you want...
2) Wireless mobile IP telephone that works in a coverage of 15 Kilometers( 10 miles) costs around 200 dollars, is as easy to use as any other GSM .
3) Any phone can call for free another Ip phone, locally, Nationally, Internationally, Intercontinentally.
Can call any other phone using a termination.
The VoIP Access Point costs around $1400 and you can share it among 90 people.
This is a Technological revolution.
Hard to believe, but it is true.
Marconi invented the Wireless and Antonio Meucci invented the Telephone, it happens that we talk the same language...
Patrizia
patrizia@worldonip.com
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