Skype is one of the best and most useful computer applications for travelers, digital nomads, and anyone who wants free voice conferencing with anyone in the world. Skype now has an app for the iPhone that lets you do all of these things (except video conferencing) for free. This is a great app for international travelers who don’t want to use expensive call and data plans to keep in touch with friends and family.
The Skype iPhone app works much like it’s desktop counter part. You log in to the phone using your existing Skype username and password. So long as you’re connected to a wireless network, you can make free calls to other Skype users and send them chats for free.
If you’ve got a Skype In number your friends and family can use that to call you for lower international rates than you can normally find. Another great feature of Skype that’s incorporated into the iPhone app is the ability to combine it with your Skype Out. Using Skype Out you can send text messages and even make phone calls to other landlines and cell phones for very low international rates. The minimum balance is $10 and you can add credit from your iPhone or the next time you can sit down at your laptop.
iPod Touch users who unlock their devices can, with a little bit of hacking, set up Skype to send text messages and even make calls (by attaching a microphone). The Skype iPhone app uses whatever wireless network is available so it won’t count against your minutes or data plan. If you feel you’ll be using Skype more often than not to call landlines you can purchase an unlimited calling subscription. Unlimited worldwide calls will run you $12.95 per month which is much less than you’ll pay per minute if you rely on international roaming.
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