So that's what Skype is for!
 

I always thought Skype was just a gimmick. Free calls around the US, big deal, my cell phone does that.
I just took a trip to Costa Rica. BTW, loaded the external card with about 5 movies to watch on the plane. They played flawlessly. Have a 2 into 1 headphone jack so me and the wife can listen with $20 noise reducing headphones (Creative). Makes the plane ride so much more pleasant.
First night in Costa Rica we are at an outdoor restaurant and my friends are lamenting how their cell phones don't work at all there. I turned on my 800 and immediately found wi fi connections. Amazing as this was just a little tiny fishing town (Coco). I turned on Skype just to see something. I hit 'Home' in Contacts. Unbelievably it dialed and started ringing. My daughter answered and it sounded like I was talking next door! No one could believe it. It showed the minute rate at .02 ! Made about 30 calls on the trip and used about $4.00 of my credit. Crystal clear on both sides from a 3rd world country. My friends said they are all getting N800's. So that's what Skype is for.

Re: So that's what Skype is for!
 

Sweet! I always thought Skype didn't work that great on the N800! I guess OS2008 fixed that! This will come in SO much handy! :D

Re: So that's what Skype is for!
 

For those that use Skype often: Skype pro is only $3 a month

Re: So that's what Skype is for!
 

with skype-to-skype calls for free, why would i pay for monthly service?

i use my n800, my buddy in london uses a dual mode cordless phone that uses a skype client over wifi. we can talk for hours, crystal clear and best of all for free.

Re: So that's what Skype is for!
 

Works also (free wifi) on Italian beaches, most European cafés and US coffeehouses, most railway stations, the mall in DC (free wifi) and most US and EU hotels. Paris France puts wifi cables in every citystreet.! Love it,: happy skyping.!

Re: So that's what Skype is for!
 

Well, I prefer an open protocol like sip instead of a secret, bandwith sucking one like skype.
There are many sip providers (in fact you can set up your own at home with asterisk), sip to sip calls are free and for landline calls most of them are cheaper than skype (the various betamax brands even offering free calls to many countries).

Re: So that's what Skype is for!
 

luca, have you got any good SIP providers to share? I'm on Gizmo now, and not all too pleased with the quality of the connection.

Skype has been working pretty well for me, except that i really do need to find a good headset. Called parties generally complain that the audio from my side is inaudible (too soft) when I use Skype with my Sony Ericsson GV-435 BT headset, and there seems no way to increase the volume on audio-in.

I'm seriously considering the Nokia HS-81 headset (http://europe.nokia.com/A4400018) but it seems to be using a 2.5mm instead of the 3.5mm one that we use on the N8x0. I'm able to find 3.5mm to 2.5mm converters but not vice versa.

Re: So that's what Skype is for!
 

Tried a few: Complex to install or connect, not always available etc. Can I trust them ?

So, I hope you can recommend a more economical SIP that really works always and provides guaranteed privacy (only outside the US, China and other third world countries, of course). :rolleyes:

Re: So that's what Skype is for!
 

I thought it was 5 dollars a month? Hmm.. can't remember what I paid for lol.

But it's a nice deal. I use it to call my friend in Canada. :D

Re: So that's what Skype is for!
 

Dont you just love those moments when having that gadget really saves the day. Makes it easier when you are ready to get the next expensive toy, you can say: But honey, remember how nice it was when we had the n800 on vacation?
So I can I get it pleeease!
LOL ;-)

Re: So that's what Skype is for!
 

So, with the new WiMAX IT coming, I guess some of us can replace our cellphones with it. Of course we would pay for WiMAX service, but coupled with Skpe Pro and SkypIn, it might work.

Re: So that's what Skype is for!
 

The only problem with replacing your cell with skype is that because it's a VOIP technology, you're subject to situations where the audio gets distorted as packets get slow-downs. That's the down-side to packet switched communications over circuit switched ... and it mostly shows up in as an artifact in voice and video calls, but not as badly in other communications (ie. game lag is annoying, but it's not like you're unable to hear your boss tell you a critical business detail because skype got distorted right then).

All of the times I've tried skype, I've had that problem.

I do wish that skype allowed me to dial into skype with a regular phone, and then either:

a) check my skype voice-mail, like I can do with any other voice mail (I don't have to check my voice mail via specific protocols, I can call from any device at any location)

b) park my phone, and make calls via that phone, as well has have skype calls routed to that phone, until I un-park it (essentially using any phone as my skype phone, and then at least the link from me to skype is circuit switched instead of packet switched). Plus, in a way, this could be like the early days of Sprint and the other AT&T competitors, were you dialed some number (Sprint's access number) and THEN got a sprint dial tone ... and called the number you wanted to talk to.


With (a), I'd probably use skype as my universal voice mail, and the number I give out as my default home phone number.

With (b), I could do something like get a T-mobile phone, with the 5 my-faves, and then put skype as one of my favorites. Then I could make unlimited calls via my cell phone.

Re: So that's what Skype is for!
 

Hey guys, I'm trying to set up a SIP account to use through Skype. I'm currently using Broadvoice VoIP at home, and they support any device. I've been reading their tech support documents and I'm confused about using the N800 with skype - would I use the same settings and account my current phone adapter is using, or would this be an entirely new device added to my account?

BTW, if this works, Broadvoice is a really really nice VoIP provider with an inexpensive World plan that lets you call nearly every country on the planet for free.

Re: So that's what Skype is for!
 

I'm not sure you can use the Skype client/program as a generic SIP client.

There IS a generic SIP client built in to OS2008, though. You just go to the control panel, accounts, and then add a SIP account.

Re: So that's what Skype is for!
 

Skype may not be that useful for lots of people in the US, agreed. For myself, as a European, it's great. Crossing borders all the time, travelling everywhere.. I use Skype to call landlines at home from the other side of the world, or from the next country. Great sound, costs nothing. Using the cellphone would bankrupt me (or result in a Serious Talk with the VP of finance if I use my work cellphone).

Re: So that's what Skype is for!
 

Well, I cannot tell about the privacy part, but I can tell you what I tried:

voipbuster (part of the betamax group), you can't beat the price (free landline calls) but my relatives complain that they hear me bad (though I hear them perfectly), and that's surprising since their local access number service (call a local number then dial the destination number after the voice prompt), which I suppose it uses the same infrastructure, works flawlessly. It works on the tablet but only if you remove the ilbc codec library and manually select the udp transport.

wengo, I just used the free trial, godd quality, very good rates, but I didn't buy credit since it expires after 6 months. Never tried it on the tablet.

eutelia (formerly skypho.net), has good rates (not as good as wengo but the credit doesn't expire), very good quality, and it gives you up to 15 free geographic free incoming numbers in italy, uk or romania (other countries cost 2 eur a month). I have a number in italy so my technophobe relatives can call me at the cost of a local call. Works out of the box on the tablet.

Re: So that's what Skype is for!
 

How does skype compare against these VoIP providers, and where does Gizmo stand in this list?

Re: So that's what Skype is for!
 

I use sipgate, in the UK you get a free telephone number for inbound calls, can be a "real" one - you get to choose the location, e.g. london or edinburgh - or a non-geographic one e.g. 0845.

voicemail is free, outbound calls are free, so far I've had it working with my Linksys/sapura PAP2T, my nokia E65's native SIP client; not tried yet with N800 but that's on my to-do.

skype is proprietary and can use a surprising amount of your internet bandwidth as it can act as a server without you knowing.

Re: So that's what Skype is for!
 

Toying with some things, I noticed that I can actually do most of (b) with Skype now (using Skype Pro).

With Skype To Go, I can call a given phone number, enter a code, and then call any one of 5 pre-determined numbers via Skype Out. And I can change the pre-sets via my N810.

I can also use Call Transfer and Call Forwarding to deliver my Skype In calls to my cell phone and/or house phone.

Now if I could just check my voice mail via my cell/house phone.

Re: So that's what Skype is for!
 

In Holland we have no Wimax and no Skype-in (or any mobile/landline to sip)..bummer.

Re: So that's what Skype is for!
 

well i install skype as quick as i umpack my n800 (just after the os2008)... I bougt a few points and i can make calls to us phones at 0.2 cents per minute... so that's really cool!!! cuz i'm on dominican republic... i have never use it with others n8x0/770 users... but i call to my girl and the sound quality is just great!!!

Re: So that's what Skype is for!
 

Yeah, I work for Lufthansa and have to commute between the United States and Germany a lot. Skype is very useful for me. It's saved me hundreds of dollars in the six or seven months that it's been out.

Re: So that's what Skype is for!
 

Has anyone found good headset, nonbluetooth?

Re: So that's what Skype is for!
 

Just tried skype for the first time today(sence I don't travel and am happy with my cell). I called my home pc from the n800 and it was awsome. It gave my voice that god-like omnipresent ecco effect that was probably caused by my connection, but the sound quality was amazing and I'm now seriously considering just using skype, when my cell contract runs out as I am most generally in the reach of wireless(and my cell is basiclly just a walkie talkie between my wife and I). Happy skyping!

Re: So that's what Skype is for!
 

While traveling in Asia this past November I used my N800 & Skype to call land line and cell phone numbers in the USA using SkypeOut minutes I had purchased prior to my trip. I made calls from the airports in Bangkok, Hong Kong and Tokyo using Skype through the free wifi service in each airport. The N800 & Skype worked well in all three locations. Others in our traveling group were quite surprised & pleased to be able to call their families while so far from home, and this made the N800 & Skype a big hit with our group.

Re: So that's what Skype is for!
 

What?! Where did you find free wifi in italian beaches? I'll reserve my next holidays there... (If my wife permits me.. ;) )

Re: So that's what Skype is for!
 

I've been using skype nor for about 2 years, and when I got my N800 back in October I realized skype was an option on there as well.

I paid $30 for Skype pro that lasts 12 months.

I live in Canada and have used my Nokia Sype in the USA, Mexico, the Dominican and Europe so far.

I can call anyone and they can call me, pending I'm in a wifi location which is almost everywhere now a days.

I actually just got back from a Caribbean cruise where there was wifi on the boat. Free calls from in the middle of the ocean!

I haven't had a single issue with skype on my N800.

Re: So that's what Skype is for!
 

I ditched my cell and bought the N800 to use with Skype as my "cell" phone. I have Skype pro (unlimited out) and Skype-in (so people can call me using a phone number) and it works well, as long as I have wifi. I don't regret getting rid of my cell; it was way too expensive.

Re: So that's what Skype is for!
 

Since I use ITs (first a 770, then a N800), I have travelled to New Zealand, Singapore, China and Turkey. Each time I have been able to use first Gizmo then Skype to call back home. Very convenient.

Re: So that's what Skype is for!
 

I know we are all tech freaks, but I am still just amazed as I stood on the beach in Costa Rica and talked on myN800 to Chicago and it was crystal clear!