NevOn Experimental

Trying out Gizmo internet phone

Does Skype have a serious competitor? According to the Gizmo Project, it does:

What distinguishes Gizmo Project from the other services out there, and why is Gizmo Project a better choice?

Skype: Like Gizmo Project, Skype has excellent sound quality, and is able to connect calls even in difficult home networks. Unfortunately, its technology is completely proprietary and you cannot contact their members without installing skype on your own computer.

That doesn't sound like a compelling differentiator to me. I've been using Skype for almost a year now and I have yet to find any other VoIP service that comes close to it in terms of overall tech reliability and scale of its user network.

But you have to start somewhere and competition is good. From a user point of view, Gizmo has many similarities to Skype: a peer-to-peer system, free calls to other Gizmo users, ability to buy credit to call normal phones, get a phone number so you can receive calls, get voicemail, etc. See the full story at Gizmo.

So I'll take Gizmo for a spin and see how it is. I will keep Skype as a) I'm happy with it overall, and b) I have a lot invested in it now (two SkypeIn numbers, for instance). Any alternative would have to be so compelling from many different points of view - wholly-reliable service and price being just two - that switching would be a no brainer.

Testing Teleo

Although I've commented recently on my main blog about some issues with Skype, specifically critical comment regarding SkypeOut, the paid-for service, that doesn't mean I don't like or continue to use the service. Indeed, I remain impressed overall with what Skype offers.

Then on Monday, I saw the beta launch of another VoIP service called Teleo. So I'm giving that a try as well under its 30-day free trial offer.

Like Skype, Teleo offers you free PC-to-PC phone calling. Install the software for the trial, find a friend or colleague who's also using the service, and away you go. Once the trial is over, you'll then need to choose one of two plans, each of which offers different service levels. And, like Skype, if you want to make calls to normal phones, that's a pay-for service.

Teleo has some interesting differences to Skype that some are calling a Skype killer.

To me, the prime advantage it has over Skype is that it gives you a real phone number, meaning that people can call you as well (this feature is available only with one of the service plans). Currently, you can choose a number only in the US, although you can select which state and city from a list. So I now have a US phone number, at least for the next 30 days!

It offers call forwarding, depending on which of the two service plans you choose - you can set it up to forward calls to your Teleo number to a normal phone, mobile or landline. And it will also soon offer voicemail.

Teleo also has some disadvantages compared to Skype.

For instance, there is no instant messaging feature. So no text chats with your friends and colleagues. I find that feature of Skype rather useful and, consequently, I now use no other messaging service. It also doesn't give you much information about callers such as the detailed profiles you have with Skype. But it is still beta, so perhaps such additional polish will be in upcoming versions.

Is Teleo a Skype killer? In just looking at what it offers, I don't think so. Stuart Henshall has a good initial analysis of Teleo vs Skype, with some thoughtful commentary on this point.

So, I'm trying it and we'll see how it goes.

Fixing the Norton worm alert for Skype

One problem I've consistently had with Skype in recent months is that, every time I load it up, I get an alert from Norton Antivirus 2005 to tell me that its worm protection feature has detected a remote system trying to access Skype:

No matter what I do, this alert happened every time I ran Skype. I just couldn't figure out why. Skype is included in Norton's list of permitted application yet Norton kept giving me these alerts.

The solution is actually very simple:

1. Close Skype if it's running
2. Open Norton Antivirus options and select: Internet Worm Protection > Program Control
3. In the resulting dialog, select Skype (which will be listed) and click on Remove and then click OK
4. Close Norton and run Skype
5. You'll get the warning, as per the dialog shown above
6. Select Permit and click OK
7. Exit Skype and run it again - you won't get the alert

Is this a Skype or a Norton issue? Or both? I don't know. This fix works - but you will need to repeat it each time when you install a new version of Skype.

Thanks to rocketman in the Skype Support Forum for this extremely helpful solution.

Make Skype calls using your regular phone

Engadget:

Sometimes when Skype rings we scramble to find the headset in time to answer the call. This wouldn’t happen with Actiontec’s Internet Phone Wizard. It connects a regular phone to a computer for making, and receiving calls using Skype. The box channels the sound through the phone instead of the computer speakers and mic. There’s also some echo-cancellation technology that enhances the quality of the call.

Engadget | Make Skype calls using your regular phone

Testing Skype voicemail

Yesterday, I joined the beta programme for testing the new voicemail service that Skype may be rolling out soon. I posted comment about this service last week on my main blog.

It works just like any voicemail service. If you call someone who's also in the beta programme, you can leave them a voicemail. I have it set so that another Skype user can leave me a voicemail if I'm not online. I also have it config'd so that if someone calls me on Skype when I'm already on the phone, the new call diverts to voicemail.

In a word, it's excellent. I'll post more comment about it here as I use it more.

When will it be available? Hard to say. My guess: sometime during Q2 if the testing is successful.