Net Phones Grow Up

Skype: Sorting Through the Hype

Can 42 million users be wrong?

That's how many people worldwide have installed Skype, a free PC-to-PC phone service that (for a fee) will also make and receive calls to and from conventional telephones.

Skype isn't a true alternative to a desktop phone. It's a software-based service that runs on Linux-, Mac-, and Windows-based systems. It requires a broadband connection and a headset.

The service is easy to use. A pop-up message notifies you when one of your Skype contacts is online, and you can initiate a phone call with a single click.

Skype is free only when used to make a PC-to-PC call to another Skype user, but users can be located anywhere in the world. We found the audio acceptable, though hardly of landline quality: We noticed some clipped sentences, yet voices were audible.

Calling a conventional phone from Skype using the SkypeOut service--which lets users make calls to landline, cell, and VoIP phones--is a different story. We experienced low volume, clipped sentences, and garbling.

Skype also offers a service called SkypeIn, which assigns you a regular phone number. People who don't use Skype can call this number, and the call will be routed to your Skype account.

Despite our grumbling, we like Skype. It's free, fast, and great for calling other Skype users, especially internationally. But keep your primary phone, please.