Due to a miscommunication from corporate HQ I ended up with a $400+ cell phone bill last month. This sent me on a search for some way to inexpensively call customers while working from home, and ideally use my Bluetooth headset.
Enter Skype. Yes, I know I'm a bit late to the game of using it, but I didn't have a need for it (until recently) because my personal cell phone has all the minutes I need for my personal calls, and until the recent plan changes at work, my work cell phone could handle all my corporate calling. In fact, the only reason I have plain old telephone service (POTS) is for DSL and 911; I shut the ringer off and give that number to all the telemarketers, and with no answering machine there are no unwanted phone calls interrupting me throughout the day.
Skype used to be limited to calling other Skype users, but a while ago they introduced SkypeOut: the ability to call any landline or mobile number in the continental US (plus quite a few foreign countries). And, until the end of 2006 all the calls are free. That's all I needed to hear, but it turns out that the Mac version of Skype also supports quite a few Bluetooth headsets. This includes my Motorola H700, so Skype on my Mac can effectively substitute for my work cell phone while I'm at home.
Another bonus of the Mac version is that when you make or receive a call Skype will pause iTunes if it's playing something. That's terribly convenient for me, as I tend to listen to music or talk radio while working from home. No more scramble to pause iTunes before accepting a call!
Installation and setup were as straight-forward as all good Mac apps are, and the software includes a test number you can call to verify that you can connect to the Skype service. It also makes it easy to test the voice quality of your microphone or headset. In general, with the H700 I find the voice quality to be slightly better than with my cell phone. There does seem to be a half-second lag on some connections that can make for awkward pauses or unintentional interruptions. This doesn't happen on all connections, and doesn't seem specific to a particular type of connection (land line, another VOIP service like Vonage, or cell phone). Not a deal killer, but it can be a bit annoying on occasion.
The first day I used it I got some pretty bad connections; some calls had extensive static, others couldn't hear me when I spoke, and on one memorable call it sounded like wind chimes were ringing. There were also a few occasions where I had trouble placing a call and it would take a second attempt to successfully connect. Fortunately, the second day with the service was much better, and now the service works just about as smoothly as any cellular network. I do find that it helps to quit the application at night and start it fresh in the morning, but that's not onerous.
The only other problem I've had is that I don't see an easy way to modify the phone book to include ancillary information in a profile (primarily multiple phone numbers). Maybe if I had some contacts that were Skype users those fields would be available.
Skype also offers users the ability to buy a phone number to allow non-Skype users to call you on your Skype service. They call this SkypeIn, and it comes with Skype's voicemail service, too. (Great, like I need another voice mailbox to check.) The cost is around $40/year—pretty negligible, and something I'm seriously considering. Right now when folks call me on my work mobile I have to politely ask if I can call them right back. My customers have been polite about it so far, but it's a pain and a time-waster for everyone.
The only thing I'm waiting on is to see what the price per minute will be once the free SkypeOut service ends. I hope they keep it very low cost, but we won't know for another couple of weeks.
Wow, that was quick! Skype just announced the pricing for their SkypeOut service, which lets you use Skype to call regular telephones or mobiles. For those devices located in the US and Canada you pay a flat fee of $14.95 for one year. That's right—less than $1.25 a month for unlimited local and long distance (US and Canada) calling.