Skype Has People Talking

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It left me with a nagging suspicion that the search missed some Skype users, and I know of one Skype type it didn't pick up.

OTHER ISSUES.

Skype Email Toolbar didn't work that well, either. The Toolbar lets you integrate your Skype contacts with your Outlook contacts. So you might get an e-mail from a friend and immediately call him, with a click of a button, from your Skype to his Skype, or to his regular phone, without actually having to punch any numbers.

Cool, huh? The problem was, the toolbar slowed down Outlook's performance, to the point where I had to uninstall the Toolbar to be able to use e-mail again.

Skype is different from your traditional phone service. For starters, it doesn't work when your computer is turned off, which is not the case with most other VoIP offerings. Also, as is the case with most VoIP offerings, if the power in your neighborhood is out, your Skype phone service will be, too.

More important, Skype doesn't support 911 calling. A lot of VoIP services say that, but at least they typically connect you to some emergency center when you dial 911. Not Skype. Skype doesn't route 911 calls anywhere, period. Frankly, I am amazed that in this day and age, it doesn't offer this capability.

PHONING IT IN.

That said, you can make your Skype experience similar to the familiar landline phone by purchasing one of several phones that work with Skype. I tried CyberphoneK, which looks like a small, ordinary phone. But keep in mind that, appearances aside, Skype phones don't function like your regular handsets.

For example, I plugged the device into my computer's USB port, lifted the receiver, and was startled not to hear a dial tone. I figured the device was broken. I tinkered with my set-up, scratched my head, and called tech support. Turns out the CyberphoneK simply doesn't have a dial tone. The device was working just fine.

On the other hand, Skype boasts many nice features regular phone services lack. Skype's directory allows you to search for users in a specific city, by age, and language. I searched for English speakers using Skype in Portland, Ore., and found nearly a dozen, some of whom even listed their home and work phone numbers in their profiles.

QUICK AND SIMPLE.

I sent them a brief message saying hello. They could choose to talk to me or to ignore me -- which, truth be told, all of the four people I contacted did. Still, considering that 2 million to 4 million people are logged into Skype at a given time, I'm sure I could find someone out there to talk to if I really wanted to.

I liked Skype's ease of use and its basic features. Right after you install Skype, a special wizard pops up and guides you through making your first call. You call Skype's test center and record and play back your voice, to make sure everything is working. The whole process is simple, quick, and easy to follow.

And, knowing how many new features Skype has in the works, I am sure the more advanced services will get better sooner rather than later.

Kharif is a reporter for BusinessWeek.com in Portland, Ore.