Paul E

Probably a repost but just thought I would flag up the new deal with Skype (and no - I dont work for them )

Make unlimited landline calls to the country of your choice for just £1.95 per month

I have just downloaded this onto the laptop - so when I come out I just bring the skype phone and find a nice friendly bar to call home from

Going to save me squillions on the bills

It still means call from computer to computer are free

gren

Are you sure PaulE?
Is that not just from within the UK?
If it is from anywhere in the world it sounds great!
How much was the skype phone though? Did you factor that in to the prices too?

Calling a UK landline from a Turkcell mobile isn't too expensive but not as cheap as £1.95..

turtle-webs

You select the country you want to call to, so if you live in Turkey you can select UK and call as often as you like. I must say it sounds like a good deal but most people I speak to have a PC as well so most often we talk PC to PC, and although I call phones in the UK fairly often I spend about £10 every 6-9 months using the standard service.

With all skype calls it doesn't matter where you are the cost is based on the country you are calling.

There are other options see http://www.skype.com/intl/en-gb/all...SubscriptionTab

Note for UK it only covers 01 and 02 numbers not 0845 type numbers.

tjd

You can also set up a 'UK Landline' in this offer, which means anyone can call your skype landline number, you pick it up anywhere in the world, for the cost of a local call to them.

Also includes voice mail by the way, so people can leave you a very cheap VM while you're abroad and then you can pick it up on skype and choose whether to call them or not.

Gren,

Don't get a phone, get a Nokia N800 or N810, works a treat to Skype, holds music, video and browses the internet!

TJD.

gren

Hey Terry. Great info...
I have been looking at ditching my landline and buying a new mobile with inclusive minutes and some new handsets have a skype feature and also allow skype calls
(i guess that means instead of using a dedicated 'skypephone'??)

Do you know anything about that? Is that what a N800/N810 is?

tjd

As far as I know the Skype phones offered by 3 and other mobile phone carriers only work in the UK, not in Turkey. You could check it out at the local 3 outlet but that was certainly the case 3 months ago.

For the other skype phones you need a wireless network, so will work OK around Bodrum where plenty of bars and restaurants allow you to hook into their networks, but I can't see there being too many wireless networks around Lake Tuzla.

The N800N810 is a wireless internet tablet, which runs Linux so you can download Skype to it. Doesn't have as many features as the windows version but it's OK.

gren

You know your stuff Terry! ...So 'skype' calls cannot be made in Lake Tuzla because there isnt the skype coverage? But normal (expensive) mobile calls CAN be made on the Lake...? But in the UK, wireless 'skype' coverage is OK?
So for use on Lake Tuzla, theres little point in getting a phone that uses skype then?
Mmm..'3' doesnt really have very good coverage yet does it!?

God, its bl**dy confusing innit!?

tjd

Not quite, Gren but close.

Skype from a 3 phone uses a 3g/gprs connection, and when I asked would only work in the UK.

You are correct, Mobile coverage is OK around Tuzla. (and expensive)

As I understand there is no point in getting a skype phone, but please ask in a 3 shop yourself and see what they say about overseas usage.

Have fun!

turtle-webs

There is no such thing as skype coverage. Skype uses the internet to make and recieve calls - so whereever you can get an internet connection and run the skype software you can use Skype. The skype 3 phones use a 3g (3rd generation phone service) connection to access the internet and the phones have cut down operating systems on them which can run the software.

There are (simply put) 4 types of skype phone,
The 3g ones which work as above,
WIFI skype phones which need a WIFI signal and access to the network to work,
Wired Ethernet based ones that plug into your router (these often double as home phones - you plug one cable into your router and the other into a phone socket)
And lastly the cheap usb ones that plug into your PC and are just really phone shaped headsets and not worth the money.

If you live in the UK a 3g one will do you well if you use skype a lot - I really don't know if you can get 3g coverage here in Turkey as I have never tried, I suspect not and if so it would probably attract some kind of roaming charge. Turkey is not on the list of available countries on the skype site anyway.

If you have a wireless network at work and/or home then a WIFI phone would be useful as you could also use it in hotspots such as internet cafes, bars, etc. Battery life on these can be very poor from reviews I have read.

The dual phones are good for home use if you know a lot of people on skype as one phone does all and you don't need the PC to be turned on to be reachable on skype. If you live in turkey and you can get a UK number assigned to your skype account for £30 and your UK friends without PCs can call you at local rates. You can also call them at normal skype rates.

I was going to get a dual phone as I do use skype a lot but have decided for some better WIFI ones to come on the market as the number of hotspots available these days it makes sense.