The world is really getting smaller with all the available communication means out there. What would you do when someone dear to you leaves for another country, say the US, and stays there for almost two months? Definitely not call the person every single day lest you want your cellphone bill to skyrocket high. And so I learned the power of Skype. Yesterday, I made my first video call through Skype. I would like to apologize for being too giddy about this, as I am sure everyone else had tried using this before. But then you see, as I’ve mentioned in my blog before, I am not a very technology-savvy person. The flip side about this is that you have to make the calls sitting by your computer. This is actually going to be intimidating to people who either don't like or have trouble with technology. Unless you’re using an I-phone, in which case there is already Skype for I-phone.
After searching over the Internet regarding this newfound love of mine, I discovered that Skype application would soon be available to televisions! Talk about being accessible!
The Skype on TV application should work similarly with the application that many people use to make free PC to PC calls, or for a fee, PC to landline. Skype accounts are free to set up and can be activated using the TV's remote control right on the screen. The video calls will also be free, as will voice calls between Skype users. Using Skype to call traditional landline and mobile phones is a few cents per minute. Calls can be answered while watching a program, but it's not yet possible to both talk and continue to watch uninterrupted.
Now, major companies like Samsung, Panasonic, and LG are pushing the idea of the TV as videophone. Consumer surveys show that people are beginning to buy Internet-connected TVs, which allow not just Skype calls, but also other activities on the TV that are normally confined to the computer. That includes accessing Internet radio and video streaming from services like Pandora and Netflix, and social sites like Twitter, Facebook, and Flickr.
Can you imagine making video calls through your TV set. Is that cool or what?
Anyway, Skype-enabled TV or not, I am kind of just satisfied with the idea of being able to communicate with someone who is a thousand miles away from you even through a computer set and not spending a single penny for it. Now, I am just a bit curious on how a company like Skype can afford to provide services like that for free. Will research on that more!
1 comment:
Welcome to the world of skype. My sister (who is a nurse) would often chat with me for an hour and would even show me around her host family's residence through skype. Amazing! I did not notice that she's been away from us for two years already because I see her from time to time.
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