For anyone interested in calling long-distance without having to pay high rates from a standard telephone provider, skype is a very good option. Just what is skype?
Skype, as you may already know, works through your computer instead of through your phone line; however, your skype program, working through your computer, may also be working through your telephone line if your internet connection works through the telephone line.

What You Need
In order to use skype to make your long-distance telephone calls, you will probably want to purchase a skype handset to make your experience with talking to a computer easier. Some people think using a skype gateway with a normal microphone built into the computer itself is okay, but most agree that a skype internet phone call is best when done through a handset instead of a standard microphone. As many reviews of skype calling programs can be found on the internet, it is a possibility to find out which program is best for your personal needs by reading about different options online.

Depending on your needs, you might want to go for skype beta or for a program that includes skype fax capabilities. In addition to what you want to do with your skype program, you’ll have to take your platform into consideration. There are many different types of machines that can handle skype, for example there is skype for mac and there is even skype for pocket pc. All of these different skypes makes it such that each person can find exactly what they need for their own personal use and their own equipment.

Beyond Functionality
Once you get your skype program up and running and start making your first calls using this program instead of your phone, you might start looking beyond the basics of what skype is for. For example, you might start looking into skype tv if you find the phone calling features to be really positive. Some people like to use skype for calling long-distance and nothing else; others use different capabilities of skype in many different aspects of their lives.

A skype review can help you find out just which skype program and capabilities are most attractive to you for your business and personal needs. You can check out skype mac possibilities as well as those for Microsoft machines. In addition, you can even look into some of the free skype services if you do not require a service with all kinds of bells and whistles. In the era of choice, internet calling is yet another domain where choices abound.