Providers like Skype and Pulver's Free World Dialup are designed for softphones alone. Although the services may use optional USB handsets for control and communications, the telephone functionality is provided by the softphone software itself. This section looks at the configuration of one of these services. Installing and configuring the Skype softphone serviceSkype has created its own proprietary softphone application, which combines many of the features of VoIP and instant messaging in one place. This application enables multimedia communications and gives users unprecedented capabilities. To install Skype on your computer:
Integrate messaging and communications with SkypeWith the unified communications of Skype, you can make voice calls, text-chat, and send files all at the same time. This multimedia communications ability is something you just cannot achieve with common telephones. In fact, the power of this medium will take some getting used to. Spend a little time chatting with Skype veterans to get a handle on how they communicate. It is an eye-opening experience. |