SKYPE 2: Just another messaging service?
Written: Mar 08 '06 (Updated Apr 28 '06)
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With AIM, Y! Messenger, MSN Messenger and even Google Chat is there a need for another messaging service? Skype seems to think so and redefines online communication by focusing on the spoken word (and now video) -- a traditionally weak area for most messengers. With over 4 million registered users, it's not exactly new, and version 2.x finally convinced me to give it a try.
IN A NUTSHELL
Yahoo's Messenger is just about to learn to talk to MSN Messenger and sets a precedence in a world where most services rely on exclusion rather than cooperation in order to keep their market share. Just like all the others, Skype is pretty much compatible only to itself. That's not too much of a handicap yet, but a messenger is only as good as the community -- or the acceptance amongst friends and family -- to make it worthwhile.
Skype has come out of nowhere for me, and version 2.0 was the first time I actually tried it. Video conferencing, low cost calling of land line phones (international) and a surprisingly large community are great reasons to give it a try. I found video conferencing to be excellent, and mostly depending on your connection speed and camera. I am told that my friends receive the picture and tone from my QuickCam Fusion in excellent quality while low end models seem to have some trouble in generating a sharp and steady picture. Skype, however, cannot influence that part of it and with the right hardware (including a reasonably fast computer), results are very convincing.
Best feature of the long list is known as SkypeIn and SkypeOut. Calling land lines doesn't have to be expensive or at low quality. So far I had no connection issues, sound was always great and frankly cost has been minimal. The minimalistic interface is good, though in some cases it takes some searching to find a function or parameter.
SKYPE WITHOUT THE HYPE
Features: [****-] At first glance, Skype isn't that different from other services. Video transmission, talking between two computers, exchanging notes (messages), and exchanging files is nothing new to instant messengers. What's different is the ability to conference calls (voice only) multiple users, and the ability to call real phones (pay service) and receive calls from a land line phone on the computer. Another major difference to most other services is also that Skype is available for Windows, Mac, Linux and PocketPC (with limitations). Currently not available is text messenging (SMS) or multimedia messages (MMS).
Cost: [*****] If it's free, you might think, why talk about cost? Well, the truth is that Skype is both a free and a pay service. As long as you communicate between computers it remains free unless you're downloading themes, pictures, sounds and so on. Advanced services are not free and that's the secret to the "missing" advertisement. Calling land lines is a pay service and it depends on the country you're calling how much that is, but in most cases it's only a few cents per minute and that beats practically any international plan. In my case that's 1.7 cents per minute to Germany.
Community: [****-] The best messaging software isn't worth anything if there is nobody using it that you want to talk to -- unless you're the kind of person that has fun to call up strangers. (In that case be aware that other might not share your idea of entertainment.) Anyway, since Skype is free (as described above) the reluctance to get all your friends to use this one may be reduced to using "another service". Bandwidth requirements might be another factor, but overall, Skype already has more than 4 mio. users (at least those that registered) and chances are that if your friends like new stuff (i.e. gmail), they may already have skype as well. Fortunately the search function here allows to look for real names and locations (provided the other person cared to disclose those). With that it can be easy to find almost anybody.
Software: [****-] Currently version 2.0.90 is the latest build and the interface is clean and easy to use. Some functionality is hard to find since it's accessible via menu only and others simply are named slightly unconventional -- at least if you're used to the "big" messengers. Focus is on video messenging and other functions like the chat window and consequently file transfer are relatively hidden in the menu. For most applications that may be fine, since realistically the other messengers do fine with the texting and even SMS (Y! messenger). The latter is currently not provided by Skype. Overall, the software was easy to install and operate. Reliability is great. (No crashes or forced re-installs yet.)
Audio: [****-] As mentioned above, audio quality is great most of the time. I am using the QuickCam Fusion with its built-in microphone and when using the Skype test call feature the sound quality is amazing -- unlike a regular phone. Of course that only applies to calls made between computers. Further, I am using the crystalizer function of my Soundblaster X-Fi and that may have to do with the quality as well. The only exception is when more than one person is talking at the same time. Short interruptions are relatively normal in that case but not really bad enough to affect the overall positive picture.
A problem for gamers can rise from an option within Skype: "allow to change your sound settings". With that enabled, the hardware acceleration and EAX of my Soundblaster X-Fi were disabled. Games like "Call of Duty 2" or "Condemned: Criminal Origins" would act as if there was no high-end sound card installed. Turn mentioned option off to have advanced sound hardware enabled and working.
Video: [****-] Skype can display video in 3 basic ways. Integrated in the window (small), or displayed in a separate window (webcam resolution up to 640x480) and full screen. The latter is a little handicapped due to the low resolution of webcams, but a nice idea nevertheless when you're not very close to the monitor. Transmission is good, or at least with my 3 Mbps cable service (which performs more like a 1.5 Mbps to be honest) video quality is great -- most of the time. Exceptions seem to be related to variations in server speed (user load?) and sometimes content (audio plus highly changing video content). Keep in mind that Skype doesn't fill in for your camera's inability to utilize MPEG encoder hardware and loads the CPU accordingly. Further, the duplex data stream (sending and receiving simultaneously) seems to occasionally stall for a split second when both sides talk and move a lot.
SkypeIn / SkypeOut: [****-] The most important feature for many users when choosing Skype is the ability to make regular phone calls (even internationally). The given rate depends on the country you're calling to, but the cost per minute is extremely competitive. While quality may depend on bandwidth, I found that Skype in conjunction with the QuickCam Fusion and a 3 Mbps service beat any given standard phone, especially when attempting to use a speaker phone. Add a Soundblaster X-Fi and its Crystalizer function and sound quality is simply excellent. (Make sure you're aware of the option mention under "Audio") I have not attempted to run this service on a lower bandwidth.
Voice Mail: [***--] Unlike Y! Messenger, the voice mail feature in Skype is not free and requires a subscription -- unless you already bought SkypeIn (a regular phone number to reach Skype on your computer). Currently at 15 Euro per year, the cost is relatively moderate. Main reason to get voice mail is for times when your computer is off and Skype cannot transmit messages. Unlike Yahoo Messenger's link to the web-based YahooMail and the access from virtually any terminal, Skype's voice mail depends on the software to be installed. (A limitation for internet cafe access.)
Compatibility: [****-] At this point in time Skype is only compatible -- well to itself. It appears that this remains the theme for a while and there is nothing terribly wrong with that. On the bright side, it's also compatible to a much bigger network: the standard phone. Availability across the most popular operating systems is a big plus in compatibility to other computers. Of course it does require enough bandwidth for video and sound to have good quality (or quantity in conference calls), hence PocketPC device are at a disadvantage anyway. Currently there is no chat implementation for mobile phones, which might be a restriction to some users. Computer requirements might restrict low end users. My system holds a AMD Athlon X2 4200+ CPU and 2 GByte of RAM. With that the overall load on the CPU peaks around 30% (video encoding and sound). Skype had no problem recognizing my QuickCam Fusion and immediately use it -- something that cannot be said of Y! Messenger.
© 2006, theuerkorn
Recommended:
Yes
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About the Author
Member: Thomas Theuerkorn
Location: North Carolina, USA
Reviews written: 417
Trusted by: 130 members
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