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abe · May 16, 2006, 07:10 AM

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=1965131

Skype Offers Free Calls to Regular Phones
Skype Stops Charging Users for Dialing Up People on Landline, Mobile Phones in U.S., Canada

The Associated Press

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Skype, eBay Inc.'s Internet telephone subsidiary, has stopped charging users for dialing up people on traditional landline and mobile phones in the U.S. and Canada.

The Internet telephone service, which has always offered free PC-to-PC calls around the world, said Monday it will offer its SkypeOut service for free until the end of the year. Previously, Skype users paid about 2 cents a minute for calls to landline and mobile telephones.

"Millions of consumers around the world are flocking to Skype every month, and we believe free SkypeOut calling will rapidly accelerate Skype adoption in the U.S. and Canada," said Henry Gomez, general manager of Skype North America.

Users who make outgoing calls to and within countries outside the U.S. and Canada will continue to incur per-minute charges. The company also said it will continue to charge for traditional phone numbers that can be dialed from any phone to reach Skype users.

Skype, which was acquired last year by online auctioneer eBay for $2.6 billion, recently announced it has 100 million registered users worldwide.

Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Copyright © 2006 ABC News Internet Ventures

My problem with Skype has always been their name. How the **** do you pronounce it? What is it supposed to mean? It causes me great internal conflict. So much so that I have stayed away. But FREE calls??? Hmmmm...

We like free. As long as it's reasonable.

FireWire · May 16, 2006, 08:28 AM

Originally Posted by abe

My problem with Skype has always been their name. How the **** do you pronounce it?

Why not pronounce it.. Skype? Like sky/type, I guess? (from a French-Canadian point of view

)

As for this promotion, it's only a bait-and-switch campaign... "Free until the end of the year" "accelerate Skype adoption", then when it has become an "habit", a way of life for many people, BANG 5 cents a minute

or, since it has been acquired by "online auctioneer eBay", "We have 5 calling slots for Vancouver, bids starts at 6 cents a minute, 6 cents, who offers more??"

JoshuaZ · May 16, 2006, 08:46 AM

Eh, being outside the US I still gotta pay for it. Oh well. Its cheap as sin.

abe · May 16, 2006, 10:12 AM

Originally Posted by JoshuaZ

Eh, being outside the US I still gotta pay for it. Oh well. Its cheap as sin.

I think that of ALL the people on these boards who'd like to move to the US you must be the one who'd like to do so the most!

But as I recall you are in Japan on a teaching assignment and will return here once your commitment is satisfied, right?

tooki · May 16, 2006, 04:30 PM

Originally Posted by FireWire

Why not pronounce it.. Skype? Like sky/type, I guess? (from a French-Canadian point of view

)

It rhymes with "type", but not with "sky". "Sk-uh-eep", real fast!

tooki

Troll · May 16, 2006, 04:36 PM

Originally Posted by abe

What is it supposed to mean?

Doesn't mean anything. When the founders invented Kazaa, they were looking for something like Yahoo that would stick in people's minds. When it came to Skype, they adopted the same strategy. It was originally supposed to be called Skyper but that name was taken.

brapper · May 17, 2006, 12:28 AM

Good deal. I like it.

abe · May 17, 2006, 01:19 AM

Originally Posted by Troll

Doesn't mean anything. When the founders invented Kazaa, they were looking for something like Yahoo that would stick in people's minds. When it came to Skype, they adopted the same strategy. It was originally supposed to be called Skyper but that name was taken.

Thanks for the explanation.

turtle777 · May 17, 2006, 03:35 PM

Originally Posted by abe

My problem with Skype has always been their name. How the **** do you pronounce it?

Wow, you got issues. What's so hard about it ?

-t

abe · 02:53 AM

Originally Posted by what_the_heck

Wow, you got issues. What's so hard about it ?

-t

SKYPE

Skip = Hop skip jump?
Skyp = Like Hype?
Skypee = Urinating from the sky?
Skipee = Dog name?

From a marketing standpoint you never want to leave these things in question. When the customer has a doubt they often stay away.

The satellite radio provider Sirrius started out as Sirrus, as in the astronomical, "dog star." But Howard's input (I'll bet) prompted their changing it to Sirrius as in "serious." It means something to people. Serious Radio.

Skype.

or

turtle777 · May 17, 2006, 04:33 PM

Originally Posted by abe

SKYPE

Skip = Hope skip jump?
Skyp = Like Hype?
Skypee = Urinating from the sky?
Skipee = Dog name?

Only the Skype = Sk + Hype makes sense.

It's spelled skype, so pronounciations like skip, skypee or skipee would be plain wrong in English. So again, I don't get why this is so hard.

-t

tooki · May 17, 2006, 04:38 PM

Right. The real question was:

Sk-ah-eep (rhymes with "sky")
Sk-uh-eep (rhymes with "type")

Those are both sensible pronunciations, both equally possible from the spelling. I pronounce it to rhyme with "type".

tooki

Salty · May 17, 2006, 05:12 PM

I always thought it was just sk-I-pe

abe · May 17, 2006, 06:46 PM

Originally Posted by what_the_heck

Only the Skype = Sk + Hype makes sense.

It's spelled skype, so pronounciations like skip, skypee or skipee would be plain wrong in English. So again, I don't get why this is so hard.

-t

And when people don't understand something they often fear it or even hate it.