| Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption |
| alison |
IMHow do you do instant messaging.? |
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| jema |
Re: IM
You need to get AIM or Windows Messenger or one the all-in-one IM clients. |
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| alison |
Is that part of xp. I have never bothered looking for it before. | ||||
| Róisín |
No, you have to download it from the internet. Go here:
http://messenger.msn.com and you should be able to download and install the programme. |
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| dougal |
If you want the AOL program go to
http://www.aol.co.uk/aim and download the version for your system (Windows) Then you'll want a "screen name" you can get an AOL/AIM one from http://my.screenname.aol.com And then you need the 'screen name' for each of the "buddies" that you want to chat to... But why not just use Skype? And s*d the typing... http://www.skype.com |
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| sean |
How well does skype work? I'm tempted by the idea but also (in my capacity as a late adopter) fearful at the same time. | ||||
| alison |
Right, I am doing that now. Thanks 
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| alison |
Sean you're like me.
Once I get a mobile phone I am going to learn how to text   
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| dougal |
Rather well by all accounts. (Until I progress beyond 10.2.8 I can't say first hand... ) but my xp-using computer illiterate brother has no difficulty (after I installed the s/w, plugged in a headset, etc for him... ) in talking for free to his daughter who is currently working in Hong Kong.
My niece was so taken by it that she was contemplating opening a (paid) SkypeIn account so she could have a London phone number for her friends to call her on... |
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| alison |
done it. Thanks
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| nora |
I've found it to be good and use it with headphones with microphone bit on it. You can get skype phones to plug into computer but I havn't tried one of those. |
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| RoryD |
There does'nt seem to be much you can do with Skype that you can't with IM is there? plus with IM you can do video too? |
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| dougal |
A headset is the minimum requirement really. Mike + speakers does echo horribly - no bother with a headset. You could play with it using the iMac's built-in speakers and mike, but the conversation quality is very much better with even a basic headset. Most of the special phones are Mac un-aware - but there are interface boxes that you can plug in to allow the use of any spare phone. (DECT cordless?) It only gets trixy if you want to use a single handset for Skype and your landline. Don't bother. |
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| jema |
If i used the phone enought to be bothered about the bill, I think I would go for a skype bluetooth phone. The quality is first class. | ||||
| dougal |
There are indeed IM clients that will do video, Apple's free iChat AV for one. And if you really want to type, you can do that in Skype. The thing with Skype is the simplicity and naturalness. Its a phone dammit. It even rings like a phone... It requires zero network firewall reconfig. (OK I did have to tell XP's firewall to allow Skype to contact the world.) If it matters, it happens to be encrypted. And you can do (even cross-platform) file transfers really simply. And if you care to pay Skype, you can call any landline and most mobiles worldwide at pretty reasonable rates. (Skype Out) And the SkypeIn service is being seriously virtual. (Would your business like a local number in New York, Los Angeles, London, Paris and Hong Kong? Its just €30/year per number!) And they'll sell you voicemail too - which ain't any sort of an IM option. Oh, and it doesn't involve either Micro$oft or AOL, which has to be a bonus... |
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| tawny owl |
Disadvantage though is that you're still tied to your PC, and the person at the other end has to have Skype too, or else you need to use SkypeOut to ring their actual landline. Granted, it's still cheaper than BT, but not quite as cheap as 18866 (www.call18866.co.uk) or 1899 (www.call1899.co.uk). With these guys, you register your number, give your credit card details (yeah, yeah, I know, but they are legit!) and every time you ring a number, just dial 18866 (or 1899), followed by the phone number (including dialling code even if it's the same as yours).
Unbelievably cheap - 2p (18866) or 3p (1899) connection charge for all calls. Then, for UK landlines, it's 0p/min 24/7, (so you can talk for as long as you like for a one-off charge of 2p or 3p), and calls abroad are hugely reduced compared with BT. Both sites have really clear rates, so you know exactly what you're paying, and when the phone starts to ring, a voice will tell you how much the charge is per minute. Unlike some of the 'box' systems, it also only charges you when the phone is picked up at the other end, and it works with NTL, Telewest, Talk Talk and several other systems too. You still have to pay BT (or whoever) line rental, but it's cut my phone bills by three-quarters. I've been with them several months, and it's brilliant - dead easy (especially if you have a programmable phone), and you get a fully itemised (unlike BT) bill emailed once a month (or less often if you've made less than £5 of calls). Can't recommend them highly enough. You can register with both, and use whichever one is cheaper (so for instance, 18866 will obviously be cheaper for UK calls, but 1899 would be cheaper if you were calling Albania). |