Posted on : September 10, 2008
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It is pretty
aware to everyone today that instant messaging is definitely something that is
not new. We have had it for quite awhile, and it is safe to say that it cannot
be labeled as “the latest thing” as far as technology is concerned.
So we have our
basic instant messaging programs right now such as AOL Instant Messenger, Yahoo
Instant Messenger, and Windows Live Messenger. Each messenger program comes
with all the bells and whistles to keep you entertained while talking to your
friends. These messengers even let you play games with your friends while you
are both online.
Then we also
have the iChat for the Apple followers, which by far blows all the other
messengers out of the water with its crisp video conferencing and clear audio
chatting sounds. The only down side is that you cannot exactly play games
together, and the program doesn’t have all the bells and whistles as the other
Windows programs include.
However,
there is one messenger client that stands out above all the rest.
This is by
far the best messenger client out there to my standards. It has a really nice
interface with easy chat capabilities and all the emoticon smiley’s you can
handle. You can do video conferencing with each other, and you can group chat
with an unlimited number of Skype users.
There is one thing that sets this client far apart from all of the
others (granted Yahoo is now copying this method). Skype is also a telephone.
If you have
other people that use Skype as well and you both have microphones connected to
your computer, you can talk to each other all the time you want for absolutely
no cost. But it even gets better from there. Skype also let’s you sign up for a
subscription service to use the program as an actual telephone for incoming and
outgoing calls. You can pay $2.95 per month to call any landline and cell phone
in the U.S. and Canada for free. $5.95 per month gives you additional access to
Mexico, and $9.95 per month will give you further access to 37 different
countries you can call anytime you want.
You can also
purchase your own local phone number if you want others to be able to call you
through Skype which ranges approximately $12 to $24 dollars. The only downside
to this service is you will not be able to dial 911 which I suggest a pre paid
cell phone service or another cheap telephone service in case of those
emergencies.
Overall,
this is a great alternative to paying ridiculous prices for telephone services
today. The best part is they even have an online store where you can purchase
actual cordless phones so you can have them around your house like you would
with a real phone plugged into a jack. It couldn’t be anymore convenient of a
service. And for those who are into starting your own home based business, this is a highly effective and affordable service for your communication needs.
