Basic Facts

Skype is an application program that you can download from the Internet to make phone calls from your computer using Voice over Internet Telephony (VoIP) technology.

Skype software is free. After installing it, you can use your computer to call another computer with Skype. Even if you talk the whole day, your call is free.

However, Skyping to a landline or mobile telephone, or the other way around, is not free.

If all your phone calls are Skype-to-Skype, then you only have to pay for your monthly Internet connection (dial-up or broadband).

What You Need

You can use Skype if your computer operating system is Windows 2000 or XP, have a processor speed of at least 400 MHz, 128 MB of RAM installed, and 15 MB of free space on your hard drive. Your computer should have a sound card, speakers, and a microphone that you need to make and receive calls. Lastly, you should have a modem capable of transferring data at a minimum rate of 33.6 Kbps and a connection to the Internet, either dial-up or broadband like cable, DSL, or WiFi.

According to Skype, you get better results if your computer system processor speed is at least 1 GHz and have 256 MB RAM, 30 MB of free space on your hard drive, a full duplex sound card (most sound cards made after 1998 are this type), and a headset with a microphone.

Skype also works with computers and personal digital assistants (PDAs) with any of the following operating systems: Mac OS X, Linux or Pocket PC.

The quality of the equipment you use affects the sound quality of the conversation over Skype. Although laptops have built-in microphones and speakers, use a headset and an external microphone to ensure high quality sound.

To get the free Skype software, log on to the www.skype.com website and click on the Download tab or link. The website is user friendly and instructions are easy to follow. The size of the program is around 8.0 MB and the time it takes to download depends on the speed of your Internet connection.