This is the first post of “How And Why” which is intended to be a series of blog posts explaining what software I use and for what reason I’ve chosen to use it instead of other alternatives.

It’s hard to miss the news about Microsoft acquiring the popular communications tool Skype. Unlike many, I will however not discuss the different ways Microsoft can ruin the application. Let’s instead talk about why one should consider using it.

Because I’ve been living in different countries than my family the past five years, I’ve been using Skype to keep in touch and I can’t overstate how great it has been for me. When I was living in the US (and later UK) I started using it extensively. Below are a few of the reasons why I’ve continued to use it since then.

Why I use Skype

• Skype-to-Skype and Skype-to-Landline / Mobile (and SMS).
• Great rates for landlines and SMS around the world.
• Pay per minute or by monthly subscription.
• Audio and video conversations.

• Skype-In phone number

  "Online number" for calling your Skype account from phones. As you sign up for this service, you’ll specify area code and choose your own number. Read more.

• Great audio and video quality.

  This was not always the case a few years ago but it has improved tremendously.

• Convenient voicemail.
• Call forwarding.
• Available for Mac, Linux and Windows.
• Available on iOS-devices and Android-devices.

• Skype Manager for businesses.

  "Skype Manager is a web-based management tool that lets you centrally manage Skype for businesses of any size. Give Skype Manager a try today, and discover how easy it is to create Skype accounts for your colleagues, allocate them credit and features and keep track of what everyoneʼs spending."

• Video conferencing.

  Group video calling only available on Windows. Group audio conferencing and regular video calling available cross-platform.

• Skype Connect integrates with existing phone system.

  Don’t know much at all about Skype Connect as I don’t need it but it seems fancy.

• Many devices and accessories available that are Skype-certified.
• The founder is Swedish!

How I use Skype

• My office phone is logged in to Skype 24/7.
• I use Skype as my landline.

• Local phone number

  People can reach my Skype account using my regular Amsterdam 020 number at their normal landline rate just like they would call any other phone, and they will of course have no idea I’m using Skype.

• My Unlimited Europe subscription lets me call my family in another country as much as I want to and at a low monthly cost.
• I receive voicemail once in a while.
• I can use Skype on the iPhone to call both phones and Skype users, and send SMS.
• I’ve got a Skype desktop phone with speaker-phone in my office which I use to take and make pretty much all my calls. I find it more comfortable than using my Mac for calls, and it’s stand-alone so it works perfectly with my Mac turned off.
• Occasionally I use my Logitech C910 HD camera for hands-free calling at my computer—it has exceptional audio and video quality.
• Skype is what I use for instant messaging so also using it for phone calls means I don’t need anything I don’t already use.

Conclusion

Until a year or two ago I was using Skype just for instant messaging and calling between computers, only occasionally adding credit to make a landline call or send an SMS. That was before I noticed how convenient the other features of Skype really were.

As mentioned above, I now use Skype as my business phone and landline. I’ve got a local/regional Amsterdam phone number for my Skype account and I rarely use the iPhone for regular calling anymore. I’ve also got an Unlimited Europe subscription, meaning I can make unlimited calls to my family in my home country at no other cost than the monthly.

One of the best things about all this is that as I’m visiting my family for six weeks this summer, my business phone number and all those features will come with me. Having a mobile office becomes simple.

So how much is all this? The price may have been what surprised me the most about the paid Skype services. The SkypeIn number is €5.95/month. The monthly SkypeOut subscription costs me €5.40/month. That’s it. I pay a total of €11.35 (including 19% VAT) for my office phone number to be used from anywhere, including voicemail, and unlimited calling within Europe.

Now that Microsoft has acquired Skype, should we be concerned about them neglecting the Mac version? It’s a legit concern. TUAW recently wrote about it and linked to an article in which Steven Ballmer ensures that MacOS X and iOS versions will in fact continue to be actively developed.

Perhaps they won’t be prioritized as highly but we’re already used to new versions of Skype being released on Windows first. Hopefully the acquisition will have mostly positive consequences.

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