Devices That Work with Skype


Skype works with a variety of devices, such as headsets, microphones and speakers, USB handsets, Bluetooth wireless devices, and more.

Desktop Computer

On your desktop computer, Skype works like any application program on Windows 2000 or XP, Mac OS X, or Linux. To use Skype, you need either an inexpensive headset or a microphone and speakers. Decent headsets can be acquired from the Skype Store or a retailer in the United States such as Radio Shack for as little as $12 U.S., and some people claim that the inexpensive headsets work as well as the more expensive ones on PCs. You do not have to have a fancy or expensive headset to enjoy using Skype.

Companies like Plantronics and Logitech sell premium headsets with features such as noise cancellation, higher-quality speakers, and folding capabilities in different styles at prices ranging from $12 to $75 U.S. Companies like Motorola sell wireless Bluetooth headsets for approximately $100 U.S.

You can also use a USB handset like the CyberPhone or the Linksys cordless VoIP phone. USB handsets plug into your computer's USB port, which you can use much like a traditional telephone. USB handsets cost approximately $75 U.S. Alternatively, you can use a residential dual-mode cordless phone, which rings in at around $175 U.S.

Webcams are available from companies such as Logitech, Creative Labs, and Hewlett-Packard. They range in price from $20 to $150 U.S., depending on image resolution and features like a built-in microphone and the ability to track facial movements.

Wireless Laptops or PDAs Running Pocket PC

Skype is not restricted to desktop computers. Skype also runs on Internet-capable laptops and PDAs running Pocket PC over home wireless networks or Wi-Fi hotspots (or newly emerging Wi-MAX networks). Therefore, you can use Skype on a portable device at any hotspot.

Increasingly, hotspot providers are opening their paid wireless networks to Skype users. This gives Skype users good coverage and lets them access the Skype network to make calls for little to no cost. These Skype-friendly hotspot providers are motivated to do this in the hope that some of the Skype users will also pay for services such as Web access or broadband content. Did you know that if you're using Skype on a mobile device in London, you can use any one of Broadreach Networks's 350 hotspots to make calls?

Another popular way to use Skype is to access the Internet from a broadband cellular network data connection. Most cell phone companies offer digital data capabilities, which means you can access their networks either by connecting your laptop to your cell phone with a special cable or by using a cellular data PC card. A cellular data connection allows you to access the Internet using the cellular network so you can surf the Web, IM, send e-mail, and make Skype calls for the price of a data connection (see Figure 1-4).

Figure 1-4. Skype over a broadband cellular network


Residential Cordless and dual-mode Internet Phones

Residential cordless Internet phones are cordless phones with a base station that can be connected to a USB port on a computer instead of being connected to a traditional telephone socket. These residential cordless Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phones let you move the handset up to 150 feet away from your PC.

Residential cordless Internet phones, such as the Linksys cordless VoIP phone, display your Skype Contacts List so you can see who is online, allowing you to receive calls and to make Skype or SkypeOut calls at the touch of a button.

Residential dual-mode Internet phones, such as the Olympia cordless DUALphone, are cordless phones that can be connected to a traditional telephone socket and a USB port on your computer. Essentially, a dual-mode phone is an ordinary landline phone and Skype phone combined (see Figure 1-5).

Figure 1-5. Using a Skype-enabled cordless home or office phone


Here's how to make a call using either a residential cordless phone or a dual-mode Internet phone:

  • Local calls Use Skype if the person you want to call has a Skype account. Or you can simply dial the phone number of the person you want to call. The call is routed from the handset to the base station, over the traditional phone network, to the person you are calling.

  • Long-distance calls Use Skype if the person you want to call has a Skype account. Or use SkypeOut to dial the phone number of the person you want to call. In this case, the call is routed from the handset to the base station, over the Internet, and through a gateway to the traditional phone network to the person you are calling.

Multimode Cellular Phones

Multimode cellular phones are regular cell phones that can make calls over the cellular network(s) for which they were designed and over the Internet from a Wi-Fi connection or hotspot.

Essentially, a multimode cellular phone is a Skype-enabled Wi-Fi phone and an ordinary cell phone combined into one package. These multimode cellular phones allow you to make calls wherever and whenever you want, as long as you have a cell signal or a Wi-Fi connection to the Internet.

Multimode cellular phones display your Skype Contacts List when you have Wi-Fi access to the Internet so you can see who is online and make Skype or SkypeOut calls at the touch of a button.

To make a call with one of these phones, you can:

  • Use Skype if you have Wi-Fi access to the Internet and the person you want to call has a Skype account.

  • Use SkypeOut if you have Wi-Fi access to the Internet and the person you want to call either does not have a Skype account or can be reached only on a traditional phone.

  • Use the cellular network and simply dial the phone number of the person you want to call.

The cost benefits of using Skype on a multimode cellular phone will depend on your cellular calling plan. If, for example, you have a national calling plan with free roaming, you may not gain much of a financial edge by using Skype to make a long-distance call within your country's national boundaries. You would save a lot of money by using SkypeOut when dialing an international number, however.

Wi-Fi Phones

Wi-Fi phones are mobile handsets that can make calls over the Skype network from a Wi-Fi connection or hotspot. Although Wi-Fi phones are not as full featured as Skype on desktops, laptops, or PDAs running Pocket PC, they do allow you to access your Contacts List to see who is online and make Skype calls when you can connect to the Internet.




Skype. The Definitive Guide
Skype: The Definitive Guide
ISBN: 032140940X
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2004
Pages: 130

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