Skype - Free Internet telephony that just works

Holy freaking cannoli. I just tried Skype two days ago for PC-to-PC calls and I am still agape at how good it is. The quality of sound really is better than any phone I've ever used. It literally sounded like Anita was hiding somewhere inside my speakers. Better still, I didn't need any special microphone (on the head or boom mike). My built-in laptop mic in my trusty Dell 600m produced outstanding sound on her end, and her built-in Toshiba Tablet PC mic sounded superb. There is *no* feedback, *no* latency, and no need to upgrade equipment... It's utterly magical. Did I mention it's free for PC-to-PC calls? We just leave it on and we talk when we feel like it. No "push-to-talk" or anything. Utterly amazing.

Now, one caveat. I've tried SkypeOut, also. It enables you to do PC-to-phone calls, and it was a markedly different experience. There is a small, but noticable, latency and it did require me to wear a headset mic and speakers to avoid feedback and avoid call jitter. Still, it's the best VoIP experience I've ever had. And $0.02 / minute ain't bad.

It also comes with traditional text chat features, supports file transfer, emoticons, chat session logging, and the ability to search for registered Skype users that match names in your Outlook address book. It doesn't support the same kind of detailed buddy list management features that other chat apps do. Nor does it have the over-the-top backgrounds and themes that the latest Y! and AOL Messengers do.

But I don't really care about these kind of superficial features. I'm less about the style, more about the substance.

Skype, I think I love you.