Skype Caller ID now working in North America?!!!

Wow, this is huge. I stumbled upon some great news. This has always been one of the main sticky points with making the complete switch to Skype for an office phone. But, I think this added feature, will really push many more into taking the plunge.

If you just go into your account and select the CALLER ID option, it is self explanatory. You can choose to have it display your SkypeIn number or your mobile. I just tested it with my SkypeIn number and it worked like a charm. It displayed the number with "UNKNOWN CALLER".

I am switching it over to my mobile number to see what happens. Go check it out. I am interested in hearing people's experiences. I am assuming many people already know about this. I heard rumors that it worked, but didn't get time to test until today.

iskoot: skype for mobile phones

I received an email from a good friend, telling me to check out iskoot. It is a 3rd party application that allows you to access skype on your mobile.

It allows for texting, calling etc all through Skype. You are able to see if your contacts are online (check out the view below). If you call a Skype user, it is free. If you call a landline or mobile number, it charges your Skype Credit. Obviously, if you have a monthly plan, than the fees will be covered. I have recently switched to the Unlimited World Plan. It allowed me save over a $110/mo. on my office phone. I actually cancelled my office landline. I can use call forwarding, voice mail when on the road.

I just recently tested this out for a week in Europe. Works great. The only requirement is to have a data plan. It's not clear whether or not my mobile carrier will charge an additional SMS fee? So I only used it sparingly.

But, if I do not incur any additional fees, this will change the way I can communicate when traveling abroad. Currently text messages can cost up to $0.50/text. So if this works out, I will be able to save a fortune staying in contact with members of our team.

So, where's the catch? Not exactly sure?! I suspect there are more hidden costs than advertised. We'll see at the end of the month. Also, where does iskoot make their $$$? I recently read an interview with their CEO, who implied that there will be a small monthly fee once a network of users has been established.

Skype recently announced a Skype for Mobile package. I tried downloading it, but failed every time. Currently it is in BETA, so I will let you know how things progress. Even if there is a fee, Skype has certainly changed the way that I stay connected. The best thing is that it is at a fraction of the cost of the traditional methods.

VOIP: Skype vs. Yahoo! Voice

I am a bit obsessed with being connected and being able to communicate with anyone and everyone. I prefer instant messaging (texting) over email. I tend to use email for longer term things, where it may take some thought or where I do not need an immediate answer. But let's face it, I can be an impatient person. Most of the time, I need (want) an answer immediately.

I have written in previous posts about using MS Communicator for work and using Yahoo Messenger for everything else. But, recently I started using Skype to communicate with some friends and co-workers outside of the US. So, it may seem insane to use three separate messaging programs. But, each has features I like and I tend to use them based on what the person on the other end is using.

I have been using VOIP quite a bit lately. I have always used Yahoo Voice to call home when I am traveling outside of the US. But, I have been using Skype now to communicate for work. It is really convenient. I would love to be able to ditch my office phone (landline) altogether. I am almost always connected to the internet and when I am not I can be reached on my mobile phone. It is just much easier to have it all in one place. Skype has some really cool tools where you can quickly make calls on the fly.

So, why can't I just ditch my landline? For starters, I use Webex quite a bit and there are some bandwidth issues when using Webex and VOIP. Things are improving but still not perfect. There are some other issues as well.

+'s of Yahoo Voice

• $0.01/min to call the US & UK regardless of where you are calling from, this is half of Skype

• A fraction of a cent more to call France and Germany

• For $2.50/month I have a local (Philadelphia) phone number that anyone can call and will ring at my computer

• If I am away from my computer and receive a voicemail, it emails me an audio file which I can check on my phone or laptop

• I can forward my office phone to my Yahoo # when abroad. Otherwise, I would have to pay long distance to check voice mail or receive forwarded calls.

• My Yahoo # appears as a Caller Identification when I am calling landlines or mobile phones.

-'s of Yahoo Voice

• There is no unlimited US calling. So, even though calls are $0.01/min, I would like the option to pay a monthly flat rate to call unlimited in the US. So, pretty much a show stopper for ditching my office phone.

• The interface is a bit awkward when dialing landlines and mobiles

• Not as accepted as Skype internationally

+'s of Skype

• Solid interface

• Really cool tools built in to identify phone numbers in emails and websites to call directly

• You pay $3/month for unlimited calling to US/Canada

• $0.02/min to call internationally (twice that of Yahoo, but still cheap)

• You can get a phone number for non-skype people to call you for $20/year

• Call forwarding capability

-'s of Skype

• They do not have caller id in the US when calling landlines and mobiles. This is essentially a show stopper for replacing an existing landline for business as people rarely will answer from an "UNAVAILABLE"

• AMEX is not an accepted form of payment

• If you use a VISA credit card, you are limited to $30/month. You have to use other forms - Pay Pal etc to get more. Apparently, that changes the longer you use it.

• Skype mobile is still in its infancy in the US

So, because I am a geek for this type of stuff, I use both. So far so good. I would love to find a product that would do it all. The two show stoppers above would make me a dedicated user and huge evangelist for their products. Not sure anyone from Yahoo or Skype is reading? If so, hook me up.