What is Skype?

By: Cristina | Last updated March 15, 2019
woman girl on laptop chat voip service skype call video headset

Communication has truly come a long way. From the traditional stationary landlines up to the smartphones of today, it would be such a rare occurrence to not be able to have used a modern gadget.

As a user of gadgets for communication, one needs to discover every possibility they can take advantage of. One good example is Voice over Internet Protocol or shortened, VOIP.

Basically, it is a series of technologies that allows us to translate our voices into signals that can be transmitted through the internet. This makes it possible for a laptop to communicate with a smartphone and for a smartphone to communicate with a landline phone. This can be done all over the world, and it’s even mostly free.

This technology might sound new to you, but you might not have discovered it by its name yet. It is already used a lot in both the home and business setting. Familiar names that offer services like this include both Messenger and Google Hangouts.

Out of all these, the most popular one to date is Skype.

Made in back in 2003, the software has already gone through a lot of changes as to fit customers’ needs and demands.

What are the features of Skype?

Since it uses the Voice over Internet Protocol technology, it can make cross-platform calls. You can call a smartphone through their number, and you can fellow desktop or laptop-users through their very own Skype ID. You can even send SMS to cell phones!

The biggest feature, however, that makes Skype a viable option for using in business calls is its capability to connect up to twenty-five (25) people for a video call. Can you imagine the tons of possibilities that can be made with that many people online? It’s not limited only for business talks, as it can be made for hangouts with friends and families.

For personal use, however, Skype still has a great feature: international calling. If both users are using Skype, you can call him or her for free wherever she may be. This can be through voice calls or video calls. Another great part of this is the good and stable video and voice quality (as long as internet connection is stable for both parties) that Skype provides. This is a great feature for those who have relatives or friends in other countries.

There are also a lot of additional features for the software. If you are the type to express yourself more through images, you can use the trademark emoticons or send pictures to the other user. You can also share your computer screen for the other person to see. This can be useful for school or business settings.

For those that have foreign friends or business partners, Skype has you covered with their real-time translations.  Instead of having gaps in between chats, Skype gives you the option to translate your text messages into 60 languages. For those who want to communicate through voice, Skype has 10 languages available to be translated in the middle of a voice or video call. These languages include French, Spanish, English, Chinese, Portuguese (Brazilian), Arabic, Russian, German, and Italian.

With this, Skype solidifies itself as one of the best communication providers all over the internet. It is not a new name in the market, and yet, it proves itself as one of the best.

By: Cristina | Last updated March 15, 2019