UKVoIPTalk.com

Watching a BBC prog yesterday featuring new generation handset, either skype
or sip compatible. Skype is one of the most expensive voip carriers yet
everyone thinks it is the dogs boxxox ?. IS it they are just clever at
marketing.

Thus spake radioham:[color=blue]
> Watching a BBC prog yesterday featuring new generation handset,
> either skype or sip compatible. Skype is one of the most expensive
> voip carriers yet everyone thinks it is the dogs boxxox ?. IS it they
> are just clever at marketing.[/color]

Because it's completely free to other Skype users? Because you can instantly
see if others are available? How many people do you think actually use
Skypeout? I see SIP & Skype as entirely different services. Another aspect
of Skype is the number of people that have regained contact with lost
friends due to its searching capabilities. How much does Skypeout cost
compared to BT?

--
Basically, I hate people who preface nearly every sentence with the word
'basically'!

radioham wrote:[color=blue]
> Watching a BBC prog yesterday featuring new generation handset, either skype
> or sip compatible. Skype is one of the most expensive voip carriers yet
> everyone thinks it is the dogs boxxox ?. IS it they are just clever at
> marketing.[/color]

you can download a piece of software and you're away, so its barriers
to entry are practically zero.

Many people don't understand enough to realise its a technological dead
end.

Phil

Paul B (someone@somewhere.com) ha scritto:

::: Watching a BBC prog yesterday featuring new generation handset,
::: either skype or sip compatible. Skype is one of the most expensive
::: voip carriers yet everyone thinks it is the dogs boxxox ?. IS it they
::: are just clever at marketing.

:: Because it's completely free to other Skype users?

I think that isn't the truth. I suppose that skype eats an unknown
amount of my bandwidth when it "sleeps"...

You can also use msn and yahoo messenger the same, but the point I am making
it is not a particularly cheap voip system for paid phone calls yet it is
becoming a standard like Hoover as in vacuum ?.

radioham (nospam@nospam.com) ha scritto:

:: it is becoming a standard like Hoover as in vacuum ?.

I think it doesn't.

On Sat, 16 Sep 2006 11:00:07 GMT, "radioham" <nospam@nospam.com>
wrote:
[color=blue]
>Watching a BBC prog yesterday featuring new generation handset, either skype
>or sip compatible. Skype is one of the most expensive voip carriers yet
>everyone thinks it is the dogs boxxox ?. IS it they are just clever at
>marketing.[/color]
You could say that. After all they have conned plenty of people into
thinking that they offer cheap calls. The big advantage that Skype
have is that you install the software and it works - it works quite
well too. As far as most people who use Skype are concerned that is it
- if you want to talk to people over the Net you have to use Skype.
Some may see ads. from Vonage but dismiss it because they think Skype
is cheaper. The really big con is where people are persuaded to part
with big money for WiFi devices to operate Skype.
Most of the public, who use computers at home, are not very technical.
If they can get as far as installing Skype, and it works, then that is
the fullest extent that they will go.
Skype has its uses but, personally, I don't have a lot of time for it
and I certainly wouldn't spend any money on it.
If some of the smaller voip companies could afford to advertise the
way that Vonage and Skype do, and offer a ready set up device, they
may have more success. Until then, I for one, will grow more
frustrated at the ignorance and apparent foolishness of those who
spend their money on expensive hardware to run Skype.
Remove 'no_spam_' from email address.

Thus spake SBS:[color=blue]
> Paul B (someone@somewhere.com) ha scritto:
>[color=green][color=darkred]
>>>> Watching a BBC prog yesterday featuring new generation handset,
>>>> either skype or sip compatible. Skype is one of the most expensive
>>>> voip carriers yet everyone thinks it is the dogs boxxox ?. IS it
>>>> they are just clever at marketing.[/color][/color]
>[color=green][color=darkred]
>>> Because it's completely free to other Skype users?[/color][/color]
>
> I think that isn't the truth. I suppose that skype eats an unknown
> amount of my bandwidth when it "sleeps"...[/color]

Would you prefer the description "effectively free"? Why do I use Skype?
Because a friend in Brittany rang me up & invited me to do so, having stated
that they had themselves been invited. Technical expertise has got naff all
to do with it. I think some here are being slightly snobbish about voip.
What would some of you have me do - tell my friends that they are
technically ignorant for using a system people have actually heard of &
should change to a paid but superior SIP solution that may take days to sort
out?

I'm sure the more savvy among you use Skype & a SIP based service or three
anyway. Why is that something that works 'out of the box' is treated with
distain & does it imply that many possible alternatives don't? Do some of
you vilify others for still using BT for instance? Some people just don't
make a huge number of calls anyway.

--
Basically, I hate people who preface nearly every sentence with the word
'basically'!

Paul B wrote:
[color=blue]
> Why is that something that works 'out of the box' is treated with
> distain[/color]

I found the audio quality to be crap, and Skype is a technological dead
end.

When you've used it for a while and think "That's fine, but I want to
use the normal phone handset instead" you have to start again, so why
not start with free SIP services that work just the same as Skype
(software download, runs on PC using audio input/output of soundcard)
then later you can migrate *the same service* to different hardware and
greater functionality without having to start again.

Phil

Paul B wrote:
[color=blue]
> Why is that something that works 'out of the box' is treated with
> distain[/color]

I found the audio quality to be crap, and Skype is a technological dead
end.

When you've used it for a while and think "That's fine, but I want to
use the normal phone handset instead" you have to start again, so why
not start with free SIP services that work just the same as Skype
(software download, runs on PC using audio input/output of soundcard)
then later you can migrate *the same service* to different hardware and
greater functionality without having to start again.

Phil