Skype and N800 2
Today I visited the skype.com website to get a newer version of Skype for my Nokia N800. The download page has been removed for that and the N810 devices. The N900 has a download, but I don’t want to risk it.
As long as Skype on the N800 continues to work, I’m not too worried. Just like many people, I’m unhappy with my telecom provider.
- They are too costly. They think they compete with AT&T on price, not Vonage or some other $9/month VoIP services
- Calls are dropped mid-sentence
- Connectivity disappears weekly
Bundled Costs are HIGH
I’m currently on a bundle with video, voice and internet, but received a balloon bill since my trial period seems to be up. I’ve activated a Skype account with an online number – which is really just a regular phone number. The cost was $3/month for 6000 min plan (or 6 hrs/day) and $12 a quarter for a real phone number that people can call. For the last 3 years, the most that I’ve used a phone is about 4 hours a day for a week straight. The rest of the time it has been 10 minutes at most per day, so Skype’s costs are more inline with my telecom requirements.
In a few weeks, I expect to drop voice from that expensive bundle and maybe video too. See, for video, I’m very willing to use Netflix at $10/month and drink a few beers while watching the single sport that I care about at the local bar. I’ll come out much, much cheaper and not have to deal with commercials. At some point, I’d like to hook up skype with my VoIP devices in the home to make it look and feel just like a phone. All the needed parts seem to be there, but it does violate the strict Skype User Agreement.
If I can’t get Skype working the way I’d like, it was less than $20 for the trial. Seems like a bargain to me.
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Just did a quick test call using Google Voice to make the outcall from Skype easier. The quality from the N800, via g-voice, to a cell phone 5 states away was less than ideal. Lots of places to blame in the link there. It worked, just with the quality of 2 bad cell phones with eh coverage. Not bad coverage, but there was static and dropped syllables. Everything was understandable. BTW, I was on the N800 headset.
I know the call quality can be fantastic over Skype or VoIP. I’ve heard excellent voice quality on my own network. My first belief is that G-Voice in the middle is the problem. Then the Skype software on the N800. I’ve seen N800-Skype have quality issues connecting to Windows-Skype users. OTOH, I’ve used N800-Skype from all over the world and been happy enough with it – actually, I was a little surprised at how well it worked.
Time to take g-voice and the N800 out of future tests.
So I’m trying to jump into using Skype to replace home phone service, but they aren’t making it easy.
I use Linux most of the time, but have access to Windows for emergency needs. My Windows machines are locked do – really locked down to avoid all those viruses.
The Skype Linux program comes in both 32-bit and 64-bit versions. Nice. However, those do not support all the features that the Windows program supports. Linux is a beta version 2.1.x and Windows is at 4.×. The main thing I’m missing today is the ability to import contacts. The Linux version doesn’t support import. Ok, fine. I’ll use Windows.
Go over to the Windows VM and load Skype. Fine. Select Contacts
→ Import Contacts … and wait. And wait … and wait. Nothing happens. Go and visit the Skype web site looking for an answer. Nothing found. Login to the forums and search – nothing. Click a few other options/tabs in the Skype-world and it seems that I’ve been logged out. Go back -go-back —go-back and I’m logged in again. Hummmm. They use a single userid/password, but not SSO for a web site that appears to all be the same. Ok, I log in to Skype – the main site and search there too. Nothing. Time to create a ticket to get real support. Visit support.skype.com and look around. There’s no way to enter a ticket. Seriously?!!! I’m a paying client.Ok, after wasting over an hour trying to get help from Skype – no phone number, no email address, no ticketing system, just search their knowledge base which doesn’t help at all. I’m really frustrated.
Time to try something else. Google – don’t let me down. Quickly I discover that the Skype folks have implemented Import only on Windows and use Internet Explorer to make it work. Seems they also created IE plugins … which explains why they don’t have Import on Mac or Linux versions. I’ve written Import/Export functions for professional cross-platform programs. It really isn’t that hard unless you have a product team manager that doesn’t believe how trivial it is and lets the single-platform programmers decide what is possible. This appears to be what Skype has done. Further, Skype has a web interface. To completely avoid the platform-specific issues, they should develop for the web for those things that don’t need a client (settings, contacts, etc.) Basically, the Skype management team is failing, IMHO. Managing contacts via a web page, including import/export, is something that the free PBX/VoIP systems already do. You and I can download that other code (including source) and use it for free – today. There isn’t any excuse for Skype NOT to have have this capability. Honestly, it is a 2 month project for a college programmer and about 2 weeks for a pro. Oh, along the way, I read that Skype removes phone numbers from their import/export functions. They want you to pay to do that. Since I still have a blank import screen, I don’t know if that is true.
Skype Management – Customers hate being nickeled and dime’d without a very good reason. For example, I completely understand why you charge for SMS separately – there are real costs to do it and lots of your customers don’t want that feature (like me). I don’t want to get or send SMS. Import/export of contacts makes the Skype system more usable and that will increase paid customers. Why wouldn’t you want that to be available? Heck, even if you need to at $0.25/month to the cost to give contact import/export with paid subscriptions, then you should do that.
Anyway, after the last few hours of trying to handle these minor Skype issues, I’m very close to asking for my money back and going elsewhere for a solution. The hassle factor has risen very close to what the cheap factor will allow. the only way I’ll keep using Skype is if the PBX/SIP link described above works and works well.