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Skype Makes U.S. Retail Debut
JamesAlfaro wrote to mention a C|Net article discussing the U.S. retail debut of Skype. From the article: "More than 3,000 RadioShack locations nationwide on Monday [the 21st] will begin offering the Skype Starter Kit, which includes the software that enables a customer to use Skype's free computer-to-computer telephone service, a headset and 30 minutes of Skype's premium service, with which a user can call a landline or cell phone, company executives said. The move is an attempt by Skype, the world's largest provider of voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, to introduce its service to mainstream America."
Let's just hope it's not crippled with over-regulation before it, or any other VoIP service, becomes mainstream. Telephone calls need to do some serious catch-up with free email & IM.
I'm not holding my breath though.
Argh.
Skype and Vonage are both crap in my perspective, because they are closed systems that insist on controlling all ends of the transaction. Vonage is OK for clueless Aunt Sadie, but any added functionality or interoperability is completely in their hands. If these guys would allow any SIP or IAX connection in, or out, then they'd be useful.
Is Skype compatible with other VoIP software and the International Standard SIP?
Dear ./ editors,
in upcomming articles about Skype tell us (=the readers) that Skype was aquired by eBay.
It's important to know that Skype has the multi billion dollar backing of eBay. Whatever Skype tries out, they never will run out of money for the next years.
Grundgesetz * 23. Mai 1949 - 30. November 2007 - http://www.vorratsdatenspeicherung.de/
How much are they selling this for? First of all, paying money for a boxed version of software I can get for free online seems rather silly. They are offering up a headset though, though I suspect it's probably not of the highest quality. What exactly are you paying for, and how much is it going to cost? While this might raise awareness about the service, I fail to see how it's anything more than a money grab by eBay.
Skype and Vonage are both crap in my perspective, because they are closed systems that insist on controlling all ends of the transaction.
Guess you think Slashdot is crap merely because it is a closed system that insists on controlling all ends of the transaction.
I generally use Gizmo http://www.gizmoproject.com/ as it is Internation Standard SIP compliant, whereas Skype is not compatible with any other service.
But there are also lots of other Applications out there which are standard compliant and work on a large number of different platforms.
Skype are just going for a service lock-in.
I initially had planned on using skype for my long distance. However I soon grew tired of being tied to the computer with a headset. While there are some ways to get a regular cordless phone to work with skype, all involve having a computer running. You can also purchase stand alone voip phones that are skype compatable for the small price of $200+.
I finally settled on buying a Sipura voip adapter and service from SIPphone. Setup was pretty easy and now instead of my $60 phone bill I have a $10 - $15 bill. After two months it paid for itself.
VoIP not only needs to catch up but also be open like email, and unlike the divided IM space.
Unfortunately Skype is not the application which connects to an open network.
Only applications like Gizmo http://www.gizmoproject.com/ and many other ones (which I don't use) connect to the International Standard-compliant Protocol known as SIP.
If you want voice chat (VoIP) on Linux then you have a good selection too (I don't know which are SIP compliant and which are not though):
http://www.phonegaim.com/
http://cockatoo.mozdev.org/
http://www.gizmoproject.com/
http://www.linphone.org/
http://www.wirlab.net/kphone/
http://www.minisip.org/
http://www.sflphone.org/
http://www.sipfoundry.org/
http://www.twinklephone.com/
http://www.openwengo.com/
http://yate.null.ro/
http://www.divmod.org/projects/shtoom
m'kay
There are places where the networks are not touching,and there are places where they are-Boeing's Lori Gunter
The kit includes "30 minutes of Skype's premium service"! One has to wonder how they can throw in something so valuable. I mean, SkypeOut currently charges, umm, 1.7 euro cent per minute for calls. So 30 minutes is a stunning 51 euro cents of value (~$0.65)!
Deals like this don't come along every day!
Where can I find a Radio Shack in Canada?
I've said it before and I'll say it again until more people know. Here are some concrete reasons why Skype is kind of a bad thing.
I had the displeasure of talking with my sister on Skype this week. Apparently Skype connections are made from some form of solid lag. I've heard better audio fidelity using tin cans and string.
I'd rather pay 3 cents a minute on a phone card than suffer another fscking skype call.
Put that in your pipe and smoke it, eBay.
$
Funny, I've been seeing these kits for at least a month at Fry's though. What makes Radio Shack special?
At what price learning? At what cost wisdom? The price is a man's peace of mind, and the cost is his life.
Vonage on the other hand is a service provider that provides VoIP capability by using open standards such as SIP and IAX.
That said though, Vonage is still a walled garden in that they do not allow inbound access from other SIP providers. This in my opinion makes them no different to Skype.
I have found that the best solution to VoIP is to sign up to any SIP provider that allows other network inbounds and use a service like SIP Broker http://www.sipbroker.com/ to bridge these networks via peering and ENUM.
...go with the CIT200 instead. I don't usually plug commercial products like this, but in my opinion it's the first device which provides a legitimate VoIP landline alternative for home users.
I think you overestimated how much it is costing them.
That is at the rate they charge to make a profit - it comes to 65 cents (US Dollars).
Really may we expect about $0.40 (40 cents (USD)) or thereabouts for Skype's Premium Service?
Saying that, thats a kind $0.40 or so, thanks n all. But, I'd rather stick with a SIP standard-compliant phone.
Bullshit, ozzie.
I can use any browser, on any OS I choose, on any hardware I choose, via the internet service of my choice, to get to Slashdot to read your inane statement.
Because we all know how well they handled the :CueCat ;)
Your hair look like poop, Bob! - Wanker.
Because throughout the United States there are just as many Radio Shacks as there are Starbucks: about 7,000 of each.
Stop invalid scientific research. Ask your local scientists to feed their lab rats with a phytoestrogen-free chow.
Skype is great.
.Audio 85 Headphone:s p?id=33411
I bought a powerbook about 5 months ago, and whilst overseas working (I'm Australian) I bought a headset from an Apple store in NYC in Soho.
It was around $60 USD or something like that.
Plantronics
http://www.macaudiopro.com/articles/viewarticle.j
Highly recommended.
Comes with a DSP, and is USB. A LONG cable with a comfortable headset thats foldable a big bonus for frequently travellers like myself.
I was totally impressed on the mac, no drivers to install, and it Just Worked. Skype detects it as a Plantronics in Skype config.
Totally cool..
Once Google Talk offers their service via SIP and most importantly allows federation with others, they will become the glue that binds together all the currently fragmented voip offerings. Providers that don't want to open up and federate with Google will slowly dissappear. After all it won't be long and most the people that you talk to will not be on landlines, but IP only, and you therefore don't want a provider that is not connected.
If I was an incumbent telco in any part of the world, I would be scared, I would probably try dirty games such as providing restricted internet access with SIP traffic filtered out.
Literally all VOIP providers have statdardized on SIP for their protocol. This means that a Sipura VOIP box can work with any of them - EXCEPT Skype! Skype uses their own protocol that's incompatble. This is why you CAN't use them with a VOIP box such as the Sipura or Linksys. Skype only works with a computer. This relegates it to 'toy' or hobbyist status. Until they come out with an inexpensive (around 50 dollar) VOIP box that's easy to configure and works with a standard telephone, the masses will NOT use Skype except as a novelty.
Guillemot has a bundle with a headset and Skype, with 30 minutes of SkypeOut included. http://www.skype.com/company/news/2004/guillemotla unch.html/
Wasn't this available in the USA ?
If Vonage is like a telephone line, think of Skype like a phone card. You can buy a few dollars' worth of time and spend it calling people over a period of up to 6 months. (Every time you buy time, all your existing time gains another 6 months of useful life.) I like Skype better than Vonage because I make very few long-distance calls; on those rare occasions when I'm about to run out of cell phone minutes, I can use Skype instead.
For more information, click here.
Bullshit glomph. I can use any OS I choose, on any hardware I choose, via the internet service of my choice to get to slashdot to read your inane statement.
My comment on Slashdot being a closed system stands I think. You have to connect to their servers, use their account system. A truly open system would allow registration from any website and allow the comments to be displayed on any website.
I've just done a round-up of some cool products which let you use Skype away from the computer which may be of use to Skype fans. You can find it here.
Well, not the same exact thing, but Skype reps here in London were handing out little packages with a mini CD with Windows software (Mac, Linux, and Pocket PC users had to go to the website), the 30 minute card, and a little earbud with mic. Of course, I would recommend getting a real headset.
Oh, and those that say that Skype will never be big until it uses SIP: the fact of the matter is, it already is huge in Europe and some other parts of the world (3,402,086 users are currently online, according to my client). Also, Skype calls to other Skype users have excellent sound quality and are far better than SkypeOut calls (ie to a standard phone number). So, like any service that seeks to become the standard, they're giving you incentive to join their orbit (think Aol Instant Messenger not working with other IM clients). But yes, it doesn't use SIP. However, if someone made a Skype-enabled box (like the Linksys Vonage ones), I'm sure they're clean up.
I agree with your sentiment. I am a US military member, stationed overseas. Phone cards here run about 11 cents per minute to the US, while Skype calls are the roughly-two-cents per minute rate. You can see the obvious savings.
In addition, I am aircrew on C-130s, so I travel throughout the Pacific. With Skype I don't need to deal with the hassle of local access numbers or phone cards that don't work in certain countries. Since I bring my laptop with me everywhere and high-speed internet access is prevalent in virtually every major metropolitan area, Skype works for me.
What I'm getting at here is that Skype, while probably not the best system from a purely technological perspective, is still a very good solution for some specific purposes, like mine. And let's face it. Joe Schmoe will not care about interoperability. He will care about cheap.
"More than 3,000 RadioShack locations nationwide on Monday [the 21st] will begin offering the Skype Starter Kit,
Would you like batteries with that?
You know you're a geek if you've ever replied to a tagline.
"Skype and Vonage are both crap in my perspective, because they are closed systems that insist on controlling all ends of the transaction. Vonage is OK for clueless Aunt Sadie, but any added functionality or interoperability is completely in their hands. If these guys would allow any SIP or IAX connection in, or out, then they'd be useful."
Vonage is smart to do that. It keeps their support costs down. Trying to walk even a somewhat competent geek through all the nuances of NAT negotiation, dialplans and other voip gook would be overwhelming for their tech support. The market for people not capable of understanding all that is much larger than the market for those who do (or have the tolerance to figure it all out). Their canned package is actually quite easy to install and get running.
IAX is interesting though, as it makes at least the NAT part less complicated. If there is one thing that disappoints me about SIP is it does not address the NAT issue. They did not learn this lesson from H.323. IAX is brilliant in that regard, using a single udp port for everything, initiated outbound. As opposed to SIP that uses a signaling port, and a boatload of RTP ports, which can be painful to figure out how to open a firewall and/or NAT for.
Dialplan issues (mainly, in what format to send the number to call) is still an issue, but much more easily solved.
It will be interesting to see if IAX catches on. It is starting to get noticed, that's for sure.
The other issue Vonage has to deal with is their product offering and fraud. If you had full control of your end you could resell your "unlimited" vonage access using something like Asterisk. Vonage does have a service that gives you full control of your end (they give your ID and PW, with SIP access info), but it is a per-minute charge, not an unlimited plan. For this reason, you may never see an unlimited plan like Vonage with full control of your end.
The only athletic sport I ever mastered was backgammon - Douglas William Jerrold
This should increase the shares on Radio Shack stock by a couple of points but when the bigger fish get to selling the stock will dip back down.Even still congrats on Skype making it on the shelves of a national retailer stores.
If you could get calls to your vonage adapter from any SIP device (rather than just their switches), what would prevent spammers from abusing the system?
Saying Java is nice because it works on all OS's is like saying that anal sex is nice because it works on all genders.
All depends on what Google Talk's pay scheme will be for calling landlines. You can't get rid of them 100% and you'll still have to call some business down the street for some services. A per minute rate for that just won't do. SIPphone charges $.02 per minute for calls around the US, which is pretty crazy for local calls, and having a real phone number is more on top of that.
I imagine they'll make some sort of free call offer for listening to commercials vs a $19.99/month unlimited call plan. Come to think of it, I WOULD pay that to avoid listening to commercials. Too bad my cable company doesn't work that way for all the cash I give them.
I'm really looking for something that gives unlimited calls per month, good quality, won't charge me per minute for calls in the US, and possibly lets me use Asterisk.
"Beware of he who would deny you access to information, for in his heart, he dreams himself your master."
I often used Broadvoice (unlimited plan) with Asterisk. They have always been open. If it were not for their business/operational mess which effectively shut them down for a month, I'd still be a customer.
I fail to see how this is very much different from what some others are offering. For instance, Logitech offers quite good USB headsets with the equivalent of 2 hours of Skype calls to landline phones in many countries. (Incidentally, if anybody's interested, they work very nicely with Linux too.)
You really should check voipbuster, wich allow free calls to land lines in these countries: Austria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and United States.
--
Superb hosting 2400MB Storage, 120GB bandwidth, ssh, $7.95
Hmmmm........ I'm just thinking out loud here, but... perhaps they should merge and become:
STAR-SHACKS!
no? well, maybe:
RADIO-BUCKS!
If I was an incumbent telco in any part of the world, I would be scared, I would probably try dirty games such as providing restricted internet access
What you really probably mean is, "If I was an incumbent telco middle manager..."
All those boomers with high-paid jobs need somewhere to go (see also music and movie industries) but they are addicted to the power of doing not much and getting paid handsomely for it. It's a social, not a business problem.
Interesting. I'll be interested to see if they survive. They could easily get taken to the cleaners. There are a lot of very unscrupulous people in the VoIP termination business that will gladly take advantage of them if they can.
I see they have all kinds of fines for abuses in their terms of service, maybe that will save them if they watch it like a hawk and are successful in enforcing them. They also have to be careful as they might piss off legit customers if they get too hawkish.
As you say they already had business issues, it seems like they are at risk.
Again, I don't blame Vonage for taking the safe road, and primarily going after the mass market.
The only athletic sport I ever mastered was backgammon - Douglas William Jerrold
After resisting a close-dsource proprietary app, I tried Skype last night.
After much frustration with firewalls with other apps (notably Wengophone), I was impressed by Skype's NAT traversal. It WAS configurationless.
Unfortunately, Skype's ALSA sound support on Linux is in the stone age. Who codes for OSS anymore? Using ALSA's OSS emulation, anywhere between 5 and ten minutes into a call, Skype would hang my entire sound system, requiring the ALSA modules be unloaded and reloaded.
And we are now left to the tender mercies of Skype's programmers to code ALSA support. *looks at his watch*.
Are there any Share-Alike SIP voip apps that do NAT traversal? I've been looking.
Does anyone actually shop at Radio Shack? I always found it to be sort of the slums of electronic stores and it's usually empty when you go there. I have no idea how they stay in business. I have a Radio Shack about a block from here and it's been more than two years since I bothered going there because they never have what I need or anything very interesting to look at.
At what price learning? At what cost wisdom? The price is a man's peace of mind, and the cost is his life.
So it's bad because it's a P2P client (summary of the article linked to)
Well people who run P2P clients do not seem to mind. And people who use Skype for free do not seem to mind they are giving up a little bit of system resources for something free. What's so bad about that? Skype doesn't really try to hide what they do.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
I love open standards as much as the next guy, however, conformity to some open standard doesn't guarranty anything.
Apple built iChat AV around SIP years ago. Today, Gizmo and iChat cannot interoperate.
Another example: XML. Microsoft announced, proudly, that Word would utilize XML in Word's file specifications. Trust me, interoperability was NOT in their plans.
The SIP standard is very small and doesn't dictiate how things are to be accomplished -- merely that they are. Very nice.
However, until projects make interoperability a feature (none do) then SIP doesn't mean much.
At Staples, where I work, we've been selling Skype kits for over a month. I wonder, then, how this Radioshack deal constitutes a U.S. Retail debut.
No, you can't find the phones on the staples.com website, unfortunately. I found this out the hard way when a guy who had been buying quite a few for some out-of-country employees of his came in to buy more than we had in stock, and I had to get them from another store rather than just ship them to him from an online order.
Skype and Vonage offer Interet based calling right? Well, why not just use google talk (which I have found to be seemless in p2p chat) or any of the other chat programs that offer voice? Paying for something like Vonage/Skype seems to be a waste of money.
i do not suffer from Insanity... I revel in it.