Skype™ for sale

In the 2005 eBay bought Skype™ for the "cheap" amount of about 4 billions dollars principally to make easy the interaction between its users of the popular online auction, now, considering the poor achievement for this use, eBay want to sell Skype.
The price is about 2 billions dollars, it seems that the purchase has been done by a group of private investor of which for now has not been revealed the identity.

A trojan that record Skype™ calls

Symantec named it Peskyspy, it's the new trojan that threaten the popular Skype™ (just the Windows version), it doesn't create any kind of damage to the software, it just intercept Skype™ VoIP calls, record them into MP3 format, crypt them and finally send them to the author's server.
The author of this trojan made available the source code and some video tutorial to learn to use its creation, they are available on his blog.

Skype™ 4.1 improve the audio/video quality and introduce the screen sharing

The new versione of Skype™, the 4.1, improve the audio/video quality of calls and introduce a new feature: the screen sharing between two Skype users, practically you can show your Windows desktop to another users and vice versa, to not confuse it with the remote desktop function.
To download and install Skype 4.1, visit the official website.

Flying VoIP (VoIP on airplanes)

The airline Virgin America has equipped its airplanes with WiFi Internet connection, Skype™ has been successfully used to make a live videocall with a famous american TV show.
The service offered by Virgin America is not for free and the fee is variable from about 6 dollars to about 13 dollars.
The videocalls by Skype™ are blocked by default to maintain a quiet and restful cabin environment, anyhow you can use the GoGo service to interface Skype and use just text messages.

Skype™ for the iPhone

It's finally available the software to videocall by VoIP for the iPhone, the popular Skype™ is ready to use for the factotum cellphone by Apple; Skype™ for the iPhone is freely downloadable from the official website, or from the App Store website.
At the momento you can make calls by Skype™ just via a wi-fi broadband connection using the wireless connection integrated into the iPhone.
Skype for the iPhone is compatible also with the iPod Touch (the 2nd generation one).
For more informations, visit the Skype™ website.

P.S.: this is not an April fool's joke!

Skype™ open its SIP Protocol

Skype™ launch its beta version of SIP (Session Initiation Protocol), to allow companies and offices that own a PBX, a telephone exchange like Asterisk, to use the cheap rates of Skype™ to call telephones all over the world, obviously the Skype-To-Skype calls, by the SIP protocol, are free.
In a near future it will be possible to knock down almost completely the costs of normal phone calls, when most companies, offices and business activity will be equipped with easy and practical systems of voice communication by Internet, without the need to use a phone provider, if not for the broadband connection.
A defect is that the dispatch of normal fax is not still supported by the SIP protocol and it still need the use of a normale telephone line, even if soon, supposedly, the fax will be substituted by the Certified E-mail.

Google Voice, Skype™ new rival

In 2007 Google acquired Grand Central and start the Google Voice service to provide VoIP communication services starting from the U.S. to arrive all over the world, Google Voice will be soon available in every country and it will be a new rival of Skype™.
Google Voice will give us free or low cost phone calls and SMS sending from landlines phones and cellphones.

More informations about Google Voice: http://www.grandcentral.com.

If you own a Gmail account, you can also try the new VoIP communication service called Gmail Voice, with high definition audio and video; official site: http://mail.google.com/videochat.

SkypeIn Telephone Number Available Also For Italy

From a few days are available also for Italy the SkypeIn telephone numbers, practically you can buy a telephone number to allow the reception of normal phone calls from landlines phone and cellphones to your Skype™. Who will call you will pay the fee of a normal phone call, the cost depends by the phone provider used.
The costs of SkypeIn number are 18 USD for 3 months and 60 USD for 12 months.
For more details and infos, refer to the Skype™ Shop.
The SkypeIn number however is included in the three Skype™ offers: Unlimited Country, Unlimited Europe, Unlimited World.

Skype™ On Cellphone

Skype™ release now its popular VoIP software also for a lot of cellphones like Nokia, Motorola, Sony Ericsson and Samsung, the complete list of compatible models is on the Skype™ website, in the download page.
The download happen simply inserting your cellphone number, then you will receive an SMS containing the download link for the application.
If your cellphone integrate a Wi-Fi connection, you can use Skype™ with every available Wi-Fi LAN.

Asterisk and Skype™ Together

Asterisk and Skype™ finally will work together, in the next version 4 of Skype™ will be implemented the code to manage and interface it into the famous and free software Asterisk, software that allow to create a "telephone exchange" for companies with a ridicolous cost.
Will this Skype™ move take the VoIP mastership also in companies, in addition to private users?

For more informations about Asterisk PBX software...
Asterisk official site: http://www.asterisk.org

ASUS Videophone

ASUS presents the first videophone Skype™ certified, the videophone ASUS AiGuru SV1 Skype is equipped with a 7 inch color LCD monitor, a 640x480 pixels webcam, a microphone and a speaker, the connection to the internet it's by Wi-Fi 802.11 b and g or by the classic cabled LAN 10/100 Mbit.
In summary it is a good product that doesn't need a pc connection to work, in fact it's enough to connect it to a wireless or cabled router, it offer all the benefits of Skype™ phone calls and free calls from and to Skype™ users; it will be commercialized starting from the next october.

SkypePhone Second Chapter

The second edition of the famous cell phone with Skype™ preinstalled is already available in the United Kingdom, the new SkypePhone S2 distributed by Tre will be available starting from the next September also in Italy, many important differences among its predecessor, first of all the way to connect to a HSDPA network and take advantage of, where available, the speed of 7.2 Mbit and so use it also like a broadband modem with a computer.
The integrated camera has been upgraded with a 3.2 Megapixels sensor, the LCD monitor is a 2.2" with a resolution of 240x320 pixels, also the software and the graphical interface has been renewed.
More info here: http://www.3skypephone.com

New Sony PSP 3000 With Ready VoIP

It will be sell starting from the next 15th of october, the new PSP 3000 by Sony has been upgraded regarding the video quality of the LCD display that offers a better graphic, also it is equipped with a built-in microphone for voice communications and it will be distributed with Skype™ preinstalled, so it will be possible to use it like a real VoIP Phone, by taking advantage of internet.

New Skype™ Fees And Subscriptions

A short time ago Skype™ introduced three typology of monthly subscriptions to make almost unlimited calls (10.000 minutes/month - about 166 hours) over landline phones.
The first subscription typology that I read on the Skype™ website is called "Unlimited Country" and allow to call "without limits" one preferred Country between the ones indicated and enabled at the cost of 4,95 USD/month.
The second one is called "Unlimited Europe", like name says, it allow to make "unlimited" calls to 20 european Countries at the cost of 5,95 USD/month (supported Countries are specified on the subscription page).
The third and last subscription is "Unlimited World" and for just 12,95 USD/month allow to make calls over landline phones of 34 Countries, for some of them, like U.S.A and Cina, cell phones calls are included and supported.
In all the three subscription are included a Skype-In number and the VoiceMail (Skype answering machine).
For those that don't need particular subscriptions there's always the "old" Skype credit recharge.
For more information visit the Skype™ website

A Skype™ Trojan InfoStealer

Since some days ago on the Internet there's a news regarding a trojan for Skype™, this malicious software is defined also as a Trojan InfoStealer, the file name should be "65404-SkypeDefenderSetup.exe" and it is delivered by E-Mail or instant messaging softwares, at the first look it seems a normal Skype™ plugin but once executed it shows an access window with username and password like the Skype™ one, all the expert pc users will immediately notice that it isn't the true Skype™ login screen but a fake.
The dirty work of this trojan is, by the news I read on the net, to "steal" the passwords stored by Internet Explorer and also the user data of your Skype™ account and then send everything on a Russian server.
Other more detailed news directly from the Skype™ bullettin at this link.
Happy Halloween to everybody!

A Skype™ Cordless Phone by Netgear

The company Netgear sell a cordless phone for make calls by Internet and the VoIP, the model name is SPH200D and it's Skype™ Certified.
One of the interesting feature of this cordless phone is that it works without the PC assistance, in fact you just have to connect it to a DSL router by a RJ-45 LAN cable and also you can connect it to your normale phone line by a RJ-11 cable, to make and receive normal phone calls over your traditional landline phone. It's possible to use the additional Skype™ services (under payment) like SkypeOut, SkypeIn, Skype VoiceMail, all without the need of a computer but simply setting up the Netgear Cordless Phone

This is a photo of the product taken from the official site:



By clicking here you can view the PDF document with all the available features

The price of this product it's about 150/170 USD.

Send Fax by Skype™ and VoIP

PamFax is a little plugin for Skype™ that allow us to send faxes using the VoIP protocol, the fee for sending one fax page in Italy is 0,17 €, for the other rates it's possible to examine this page, the costs for the fax sending are directly charged in the SkypeOut credit.
An example of the user interface and of the PamFax functionality can be viewed here
Between the features we can find:

• Fully integrated with Skype


• User friendly wizard makes sending a fax a breeze


• Send faxes from Word/Excel 2003/2007


• No upfront payments, no subscriptions, no additional cost, no registration


• Preview your fax


• Status notification via Skype Chat, E-Mail and/or SMS

The download of PamFax is available by clicking on this link, the installation procedure is quite simple, you just need Skype™ installed (it's recommended to have always the last version available on the official Skype™ website), double click on the downloaded file to start the Skype™ Extra Manager and continue to use/configure the PamFax plugin.

Skype™ Old Versions

If for some reason you wish or need to install a previous version of Skype™ rather than the latest available on the Skype™ website, you can find a lot of previous version (starting from 0.90 Beta) on the website OldVersion.com, by clicking directly on this link will be displayed the page with the list of Skype™ old versions available for download.

A sea of Skype™ Extras

Skype™ Extras are plug-ins or add-ons that you can use for fun or better to increase Skype™ functionality also in job sphere.
Maybe the most famous and in vogue in the Skype™ community is CrazyTalk, by Reallusion software house, this add-on allow to Skype™ users to show themselves how they own a WebCam installed on the computer, but instead of showing our face in live breadcast, it will be show an animated avatar chosen from the standard ones, or, if you have some time, wish and patience, it is possible to insert, by following instructions, our face or someone other's face; the curious and impact thing for the user that is communicating with us will be the view of the interlocutor showing a robotic pose that will speak moving his/her lips, in fact CrazyTalk will automatically synch our lips by the words we speak in the microphone.
CrazyTalk is freeware for Skype™ and it can be downloaded to this link, where you can find also instructions for a right installation, program screenshots, additional features.
WhiteBoardMeeting is a sort of shared blackboard between more users where you can draw, write, type, like you are in front of a old style blackboard.
CallButler offers a sort of Skype's telephone system dedicated to small business offices, it integrate an answering machine, call transfer, call on hold and many more.
Last.fm Radio offer us the possibility to hear in streaming mode a normal radio, based on our favourite kind of music.
TalkAndWrite is very interesting because it allow Skype™ users to share documents and work on them, print, save, everything is synchronized, for example it's possible to work on a Excel sheet (XLS) or a Word document (DOC), Rich Text Format documents (RTF), PowerPoint presentations, etc...
If instead you want to play back an executed phone call or a vocal conversation, you cannot miss Pamela MP3 Call Recorder, an easy but useful recorder in MP3 format of Skype™ vocal conversations.
For those that have troubles with foreign languages, you can try Universal Chat Translator, an instant translator that use also Text-To-Speech technology, we type, it translate, others type, and it translate!, we will not get perfect translations but at least we will be able to understand and to make us understand; among supported translated languages we can find: english, dutch, japanese, russian, french, portuguese.
There are millions of Skype™ Extras, all availables, downloadable to this link: https://extras.skype.com. Some of them are freeware, some under payment in trial version, the "Skype Certified" icon means the right working with the last version of Skype™

Skype™ Annual Fee

Skype™ finally give the opportunity also for Italy to subscribe an annual fee to make VoIP calls.
The offer is called Skype Pro and costs 10 euros for the firsts five months, 30 euros discount if you buy a SkypeIn number, a free Skype VoiceMail (basically an aswering machine), 5 euros of SkypeOut traffic, 10 euros discount for the cordless phone Philips VoIP 841, 10 euros discount for the WiFi SMC phone and more gadgets and little gifts than otherwise they will be under payment.
Definitively we can "speak" by VoIP to all worldwide phones simply paying the famous
connection fee that Skype™ introduced lately.
More updated informations, fees and costs on the Skype™ Website.