Summary39skype

ExperienceSkypetotheMaxTheEssentialGuidetotheWorld'sLeadingInternetCommunicationsPlatformJimCourtneyExperienceSkypetotheMax:TheEssentialGuidetotheWorld'sLeadingInternetCommunicationsPlatformCopyright2015byJimCourtneyThisworkissubjecttocopyright.
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Tomyunderstandingwife,Evelyn,whosepatienceIoftenchallengedwithmypassionforeverythingdigitalvDisclaimerThecontentsofthisbookreflecttheexperiencetheauthorhasgainedusingIP-basedcommunicationsapplicationssince1995,includingeightyears'experienceworkingwithvariousplayersintheSkypeecosystem—Skypeemployees,Skypehardwareandsoftwarepartners,participantsatvariouseventswhereSkypeiseitherasponsororparticipant,andbloggerswhowriteaboutSkypeandotherIP-basedcommunications.
ThisbookanditscontentshavenotbeenendorsedorreviewedbySkype.
Anyviewsoropinionsexpressedareentirelyviewsoftheauthororthecitedsourceonly.
TherehasbeennoendorsementorotherformofsupportforthepublicationofthisbooksuppliedbyMicrosoft,Skype,anditsaffiliatesotherthanthroughcontentthatmayarisefromactivitiesrelatedtoSkype'spublicrelationsprograms.
Thisbookisbased,inpart,oncommunicationssoftwarelicensed,andinformationpublished,bySkypeatthetimeofwriting.
AtitssolediscretionSkypemayadd,modify,orremovefeaturesandchangepricingwithoutnotice.
PleaseconsulttheSkypewebsiteforthecurrentfeatures,offerings,andpricingpolicies.
Whiletheauthorhasdiligentlyattemptedtoprovideaccurateinformation,theauthortakesnoresponsibilityforanyerrorsoromissions,andmakesnowarrantieswithrespecttotheaccuracyandcompletenessofthecontentsofthisbook.
TheSkypename,associatedtrademarksandlogosandthe"S"logoaretrademarksoftheMicrosoftgroupofcompanies.
TheauthorandDenaliInterConneXionsNAInc.
isnotaffiliated,sponsored,authorized,orotherwiseassociatedwithorbytheSkypegroupofcompanies.
Allothertrademarksarethepropertyoftheirregisteredowners.
viiContentsataGlanceAbouttheAuthorxvAbouttheTechnicalReviewerxviiAcknowledgmentsxixIntroductionxxiChapter1:PeopleLiketoTalk!
1Chapter2:ConnectingtoSkypeatHomeandAbroad17Chapter3:EnrichingConversationswithSkype41Chapter4:UsingSkypeinBusiness—UseCases55Chapter5:UsingSkypeontheDesktop63Chapter6:UsingSkypeonMobileDevices117Chapter7:CallingandMessagingLandlinesandMobilePhones129Chapter8:SkypeChat:AVirtualWaterFountain145Chapter9:ManagingYourSkypeAccountandSubscriptions159ContentsataGlanceviiiChapter10:HardwareConsiderations:PCs,Mobiles,andPeripherals173Chapter11:BuildingGeographicallyDispersedTeamsOverSkype189Chapter12:SkypeonOffice365,Outlook.
comandLync205Chapter13:TheWayAhead217AppendixA:Glossary225Index231ixContentsAbouttheAuthorxvAbouttheTechnicalReviewerxviiAcknowledgmentsxixIntroductionxxiChapter1:PeopleLiketoTalk!
1WhySkype2WhatIsSkype6WhereandWhenDoYouUseSkype7SkypeonPCs8SkypeonSmartphonesandTablets10SkypeforTV11SkypeasaBusinessandProductivityTool12UsingSkypeIntheOffice12UsingSkypeOntheRoad13WhereDoesThisBookTakeYou14Summary15KeyPoints15ContentsxChapter2:ConnectingtoSkypeatHomeandAbroad17OpeningaSkypeAccount18TheHomeScreen19BuildingaSkypeProfile20ProfileConsiderations22ConnectingtoSkypeatHomeandAbroad24HomeOffice24PublicWi-Fi26WirelessCarriers27ManagingContacts:WhomAreYouGoingtoCall29SkypeContacts30SelectingFavorites33ContactStatus35SkypeSecurityandPrivacy36SkypePrivacySettings36SecurityandSafetyofSkypeCommunications38Summary39KeyPoints40Chapter3:EnrichingConversationswithSkype41EnhancingandMovingBeyondtheVoiceConversation41Skype'sFullFeatureSet43ConversationFlow45Skype'sUniqueTechnology:InnovationfortheMasses49EmulatingFace-to-FaceConversationVoiceQuality49EvolvingtoHDVideo51RichConversationinAction:SkypeasaSupportTool52Summary53KeyPoints53ContentsxiChapter4:UsingSkypeinBusiness—UseCases55zenPeak—RecruitingExecutiveswithaSocialAlgorithm55Bicymple—InnovativeBicycleRe-Engineering57Advansys—SoftwareSolutionsBuildingBusinessProductivity58Summary61Chapter5:UsingSkypeontheDesktop63SkypeforWindowsDesktop65ThePersonalPane68TheContactsPane70TheConversationPane76FacebookChat78TheConversationPaneHeader78FileTransfer80ASkypeVoiceCall84CallQualityInfo88ASkypeVideoCall91ScreenSharing93GroupVideoCalling97SkypeforWindowsOptions98SkypeforMac100TheIndexPane100TheWindowMenu104TheContentPane105ASkypeVoiceCall107ASkypeVideoCall111SkypeforMacPreferences113Summary114KeyPoints115ContentsxiiChapter6:UsingSkypeonMobileDevices117SkypeFeaturesonMobileDevices118NavigatingSkypeMobileScreens119MakingaVoiceCallonMobileDevices124TheFutureofMobileSkype126Summary127KeyPoints127Chapter7:CallingandMessagingLandlinesandMobilePhones129ConnectingwiththeLegacyPhoneNetwork129CallingPhoneNumbersWorldwideatLowCosts130TheSkypeAccount131CallingLandlinesandMobilePhones134SkypeNumbers:"Local"NumberswithWorldwideReach138SMSMessaging139SkypeToGo140Click-to-Call142Summary143KeyPoints143Chapter8:SkypeChat:AVirtualWaterFountain145WhyChat145TheConversationPane146ChatCommands152Emoticons154FacebookChat157Summary157KeyPoints157ContentsxiiiChapter9:ManagingYourSkypeAccountandSubscriptions159PayinAdvance—NoPhoneBills159ManagingYourAccount160OptimizingYourSkypeActivitiesandAssociatedCosts165ManagingSkypeinaBusiness166AccountsManagedbyIndividuals167AccountsManagedbyanAdministrator167Summary170KeyPoints171Chapter10:HardwareConsiderations:PCs,Mobiles,andPeripherals173HardwareRequirements174ChoosingPeripheralHardware175Headsets177WebcamsforPCs179WebcamsforTV183AnAll-In-OneSolutionforHDTVSets184SpeakerphonesandMicrophones185Summary186KeyPoints187Chapter11:BuildingGeographicallyDispersedTeamsOverSkype189SkypeandCollaboration:BuildingTeamsandCommunities189CreatingaGroup190GroupChat:SkypeasaVirtualWaterFountain192Multi-PartyVoiceCalls:Travel-FreeConferencing196GroupVideoCalling:TogethernessAcrossContinentsandOceans198Summary203KeyPoints203ContentsxivChapter12:SkypeonOffice365,Outlook.
comandLync205SkypeonOutlook.
com206SkypeandOutlook212MicrosoftLync214Summary215KeyPoints215Chapter13:TheWayAhead217WhereDoesSkypeGoFromHere218WheredoInternet-BasedCommunicationsGoFromHere218IP-BasedCommunicationsandtheTraditionalTelcos220GuidelinesforEvaluatingtheEvolutionofIP-BasedCommunications221Conclusion222AppendixA:Glossary225Index231xvAbouttheAuthorJimCourtneyhasover30yearsofsales,marketing,businessdevelopmentmanagement,andconsultingexperienceinthehigh-technologymarketspace.
FromoperatinganIBM7090/94atauniversitycomputercentertousinghisiPhone5andBlackBerryz30today,Jimbringsauniqueperspectiveontheevolutionofvarioustechnologies,includingtheevolutionofreal-timecommunicationsovertheInternetsince1995.
FormerlyassociateeditorofSkypeJournal,hehasbeeneditorandpublisherofVoiceOnTheWebsinceearly2009,coveringIP-basedcommunications,includingSkypeaswellasthetransitiontoamobileworldthroughsmartphonesandtablets.
xviiAbouttheTechnicalReviewerGregKettellisasoftwaredeveloperandwriterwithover25years'experienceinprogrammingeverythingfromenterpriseapplications,towebsitesandsingle-andmulti-playergames.
HehascontributedtonumerousbooksonWindows,Mac,andiOSapplications.
Gregisanavidphotographerandamateurastronomer,andhasrecentlybeengettingusedtotheemptynestlifeinupstateNewYorkwithhiswife,theirdog,andtworambunctiouscats.
xixAcknowledgmentsInJuly2012IpublishedthefirsteditionofExperienceSkypetotheMax.
OfcoursebecauseSkypeiscontinuouslyunderdevelopment,modifyingfeatures,andaddingnewones,thebookneededanupdatethreeyearslater.
Inthespringof2014IwasapproachedbyApressabouttheopportunityofauthoringsuchanupdate,thistimewiththeresourcesandsupportofaprovenpublisher.
IwanttothankGwenanSpearing,AcquisitionsEditoratApress,whoapproachedmeinitiallyandchampionedthiseditionatApress;shehasalsoservedastheLeadEditorduringtheauthoringandeditingprocess.
Gwenanhasprovidedboththesupportandguidanceneededtomakethishappen.
IalsowouldliketoacknowledgetheparticipationofChristineRicketts,CoordinatingEditor,whomanagedallthebehindthesceneslogisticsrequiredtopulltheentireteamtogethertoproducethefinaloutcome.
FinallyIneedtoacknowledgethecontributionsoftheothermembersoftheApressteam,mentionedintheintroduction,whoensuredboththeintegrityandreadabilityofthecontentthroughtheirreview,copyediting,andproofreadingactivities.
Theyhaveallbeenapleasuretoworkwith,evenwhenitonlyinvolvescommunicatingviaWord'sMarkupsandCommentsfeatures.
Ontheotherhand,SkypeGroupChatwithGwenanandChristineprovedinvaluableinmakingthecommunicationsflowduringthisprocess.
Ialsoneedtoacknowledgethesupportandpatienceofmywife,Evelyn,forgivingmetheleewaytofollowtheevolutionoftheInternetasacommunicationsandinformationdeliverytool.
xxiIntroductionAsachildgrowingupwelivedinSaskatoon,Saskatchewan,thousandsofmilesawayfromourfamilyinToronto,Ontario.
Onmyfather's$2,000/yearsalarywerarelymadecallsbacktoToronto.
ProbablyonChristmasDayandonlyforfiveminutesat$2or$3perminute;eachspokenwordwasvaluablebutcostly.
Operatorshadtoplacethecall.
Ourphonenumberhadatmostfivedigits.
Towardtheendofourtimetherethephonecompaniesbuiltamicrowavetowernetworkacrossthecountrywithtowersevery50to75miles.
Themicrowavetowernetworkalsobroughtlivebroadcastingacrossthecountry;wecouldactuallywatchthelasttwoperiodsofNHLgamesonSaturdaynightfromthousandsofmilesaway.
FastforwardeightyearslaterandwemovedtoLondon,OntariowhereIattendedhighschool.
PhonenumberswouldhavetwolettersandfourdigitssuchasGL-2522.
AndtomakesayingthemeasiertheywouldactuallybethestartinglettersofalongernamesuchasGLadstone.
Withinfiveyearscametheadditionofareacodes—welivedin519—andtheintroductionofDirectDistanceDialing,eliminatingtheneedforanoperator.
Callswerestillexpensiveat$1to$5perminute,dependingondistance.
Rotarydialswerestillthestandardphonehardware,buttheytransitionedthephonenumberstosevendigits—allnumbers—suchas451-2522.
WhenImovedtotheUniversityofTorontoformyEngineeringSciencestudiesourresidencehadonerotarydialphonetobesharedamongstallthemembersofourresidence.
Gosh,someoftheguyswouldtalktotheirgirlfriendsforhours;itwasatensioncreator.
In1965(blackandwhite)satellitetelevisionallowedustowatchlivetelecastsfromEuropein40minutesegmentsasgeostationaryorbitswerenotusedyet.
SowewouldgetsegmentsofWinstonChurchill'sfuneralinterruptedbydocumentariesabouthislife—andstillinblackandwhiteonly.
Overseaslongdistancecallswereprohibitivelyexpensive.
IntroductionxxiiMovingontoGraduateSchool,whereIobtainedMasterandPh.
D.
degreesinPhysics,wesawtheadventofcolortelevisioninCanada.
Andsomegraduatestudentswouldhavetheirownphonesintheirresidencerooms,atsomeexorbitantcost.
Theuniversityhadinstalledacentralswitch.
Labsandofficeswereassignedfourdigit"extension"numbersthatcouldbedialedforinternalcallsandyouhadtodial9tostartanoutboundcall.
Westillhadarotaryphoneinourapartmentandonetendedtominimizelongdistancecallingasitwasstillrelativelyexpensive.
MyPh.
D.
supervisorletusknowwheneverhesawalong-distancechargeagainsthisresearchgrant.
DuringmytimeattheUniversityofTorontoIhadmyfirstdigitalcomputerexperience.
OnenightaweekIrantheUniversity'sIBM7090andlater7094mainframeswithninetapedrivesandahugekeyboard.
IspentasummeratImperialOilrunninglinearprogrammingsoftwarethatdeterminedthefrackingoutputrequirementsofrefineries.
Youbootedthemachineusinga36-keyswitchboardandenteredeachofabout30instructionsmanually(andhopedyoudidn'tmakeamistake).
Punchcardswerereadontotapesviaapunchcardtotapereader;outputwasprintedonseparatechainlinkprinters,whichwerebothhugeandclunkyandlocatedinaseparateroom.
CalculationsrelatedtomythesiswereperformedonaHPdesktopcalculatorthattookupaonefootsquarefootprint.
HavingcompletedgraduateschoolwemovedtoWestGermanywhereIworkedforascientificinstrumentationcompany.
AllcommunicationswithNorthAmericaweremadeusingaTelexservice;punchoutapapertapeandthenrunitthroughthemachinetosendthemessagethatwastypedoutattheotherend.
Duringour18monthstherewemadeonecallbacktoCanada,usingmyemployer'sphone,totellourparentsaboutthebirthofourson.
Becauseittook18monthstogetphoneserviceinstalled,weneverhadone.
Wehadtogotoaphoneboothdownthestreet,putinsomecoins,andthenbeabruptlycutoffwhenthecoinsranout.
Andyoupaidforbothlocalandlongdistancecallsbytheminute.
DeutscheTelecomwasplacingtheseedsfortherapidadoptionofSkype30yearslater.
OnmovingbacktoCanadaandsettlingintoatownhousewehadtobeamongstthefirsttoinstallatouch-tonephone,forwhichwepaidanextracoupleofdollarspermonthfortheprivilegeofnotblisteringyourfingerusingarotarydial.
Forbusinessitwasgoodetiquettetohavealong-distancecallingcardandnotuseyourcustomer'sphones.
Well,withoneexception—whenIvisitedalabinOttawamycustomerwouldletmeusehisphonetomakecallsacrossthecountryatnoexpenseovergovernmenttrunklines.
Mostofmycallsweretofederalresearchgrantrecipients,soatleasttheyweretorecipientsofgovernmentmoney.
Butitgavememyfirsttasteofthe"free"long-distancecallingexperience.
IntroductionxxiiiOverthenext20yearsItravelednotonlyacrossCanadaandtheU.
S.
sellingcomputerizedinstrumentationandcomputerperipherals,butalsotoHongKongandAustraliawhereIstartedtogetafeelfortheoverseascallingexperience,includingfiguringoutcountrycodesandtimezonedifferences.
WhileinSydneywefoundthatthecountrymanagerneededtobereplaced;thatinvolvedseveral"discrete"callsbacktomymanagerinCalifornia.
Hotelswouldhavesignificantchargesformakinglong-distancecalls;infact,theycountedonlong-distancecallingforasignificantportionoftheirrevenuestopayformaintainingthehotelswitchandthensome.
WhenIcompletedmyExecutiveMBAin1985mynewemployersetmeupwithoneofthefirstcellphones.
Itwas—alargebrick-sizedevicethatIcouldonlyuseinmycarandinvolvedsignificantwiringwithinthecarastherewasalsoapowersupplyinstalledinthetrunk.
Youwouldnotmakecallswhendrivingbecauseitwastoodistractinganexperience.
DuringthistimeIwasinvolvedinsellingequipmentthateitherusedembeddedmini-computersorembeddedprocessors.
Oneoftheitems,areal-timeaudiospectrumanalyzergavemelotsofexperiencewithaudiospectrum—thatmadeiteasytounderstandwhytelephonecallshadsuchbadaudio.
IsoldthelastcorememorycomputersoldinCanadaforwhicha4KBmemorymodulecost$2,500.
Anda15-inchdiscplatterwouldhold4MBofdata;thediscdrivewouldbea$5,000expense.
TowardtheendofmytimeinthescientificinstrumentationbusinessIboughtanApple][inordertousespreadsheetsforbudgeting.
WhilecompletingmyMBAIalsoboughtmyfirstPersonalComputer—anIBMPC-ATwitha20MBharddisk(abouta6cube)and1MBofRAM;oneofmyemployersactuallysoldmemoryexpansioncards.
Thatalsowasmyfirstexposuretomulti-tasking,sellingamulti-taskingenvironmentforDOS-PCs,whichhad386orlaterprocessorsthatraneachapplicationoninternal"virtualmachines.
"From1990to1994IrantheCanadianoperationofQuarterdeckOfficeSystemswhopublishedthetopsellingutilityforDOS-PCsaswellastheDESQviewmulti-taskingenvironment.
IspentthenexttwoyearsattheirSantaMonicaheadquarterswhereweattemptedtoenterintotheInternetsoftwarepublishinggame,includingthedevelopmentofawebbrowser,havingboughtalicensefromtheUniversityofIllinois.
Windows95killedoffourbusinessforthosetwoutilities;someotherutilitiespersistedforacoupleofyears.
HoweverthewebbrowserexperiencetaughtmealotabouttheInternetanditspotential.
Infact,QuarterdeckevenbroughtoutoneofthefirstInternetcallingapplications,usingVoiceoverInternetProtocol(VoIP)technology(moreonthatinChapter13).
However,theInternetinfrastructureandPCprocessortechnologywerenotquitereadyformassadoption.
Asforthebrowser,MicrosoftintroducedInternetExplorerasonecomponentoftheWindows95operatingsystem,sayingthebrowserwasafeature,notanindependentapplication.
Endofourbrowserbusiness,Introductionxxiveventhoughitcontainedfeatures,suchastabs,thatdidnotappearinIEorFirefoxforanothersevenoreightyears.
OnreturningtoCanadawhileremnantsofQuarterdeckwerebeingsoldtoSymantecIwentintothebusinessplanconsultingbusiness,havingbeenexposedtothestart-upenvironmentwhileinCalifornia.
Iwouldbillcustomersanywherefrom$100to$500permonthforlong-distancecallsinvolvedintheiractivities.
Andaconferencecallwithfivepeoplecouldrunupa$100to$300billinminutes(ormaybeanhourorso).
Personalcomputerscontinuedtoadvanceinprocessingpower;theInternetwasevolvingfromdialupconnectionstobroadband(cableandDSL)services.
YoucouldstayconstantlyconnectedtotheInternetwithouttyingupaphoneline.
AndthefirstInstantMessagingapplicationsappeared;itfrustratedmywifetonoendthatIwasexchanginginformationwithmydaughteratauniversityresidenceusingICQandshewasnotprivytotheconversation.
Butitwasmyfirstexposuretothevalueofongoing,real-timechatconversations.
IhadtendedtofollowdevelopmentsinVoIP-basedcalling;infact,oneofmyclientsincludeditwithascreensharingprogramtheyoffered.
ButwithinayearafterthelaunchofSkypeinsummer2003IfoundmyselfincreasinglyusingSkypefrombothmyhomeofficeandduringtravels.
WhenIoncehadtocallaclientvisitingNorwayfromacustomer'sofficeinSantaBarbara,CAwithoutneedingtoinvolvethecustomer'sstaffandphonesystem,akeyvalueofSkypehitme.
Nocost,noworryingaboutrunningupabill,nodisruptionofthecustomer'sofficeactivitiesorhavingtouseacallingcard,andquiteclearvoicequality—justneededanEthernetconnectiontomylaptop.
Infact,thestaffdidnotevenknowIhadmadeanoverseascallfromtheiroffice.
In2006IstartedpublishingpostsonSkypeJournal;wefollowedtheevolutionofimprovedaudioqualityaswellasvideocallingfromapostagestampsize320*240imagetohighquality640*480videoat30framespersecond.
WewitnessedtheexpansionofSkype'splatformsupporttoMacPCsandlatertomobilesmartphones,initiallyontheearlyiPhones.
Andnewfeaturesevolved;theyarediscussedinthisbook.
DuringthistimeIalsowasinvolvedinconsultingengagementsthatinvolvednotonly,say,callcenters,butalsoSkypeaudioandvideohardwareperipheralsanditsevolution.
IalsodidtestingofHDvideocamerasusingSkypebeforetheywerelaunchedandwasinvolvedinthetestingofSkypeforBlackBerry10.
(Yes,IamstillaBlackBerryfanbuthavehadlotsofexposuretonotonlytheirdevices,pastandpresent,butalsoiOSandAndroidsmartphonesandtablets.
)IntroductionxxvSowecometotodaywherewehavehand-heldsmartphonesthathavesignificantlymorepowerthanthoseearlyIBMmainframes-andwecancarrytheminourpocketswithouttheneedforairconditioning(butprobablylongerbatterylife).
Ifconnectedtoacaraudio,itusedahands-freewirelessBluetoothconnection.
Oneofthebiggestchallengesofusingsmartphonesistogetuserstorealizetheycandoalotmorethanmakevoicecallsandexchangetextmessages.
Toalargedegree,smartphonesandtabletsreplacetheneedtocarryabriefcase.
We'vegonefromtextcommandlineentryontypewriter-sizekeyboardstographicaltouchscreensandkeyboards.
64GBSDmemorycardsthesizeofafingernail,costing$30,haveevolvedfromthose$20015-inch,4MBdiscplatters.
Internalmemoryhasgonefrom16KBofclunkycorememoryonthemini-computerbasedinstrumentsto16GBormoreontoday'sPCsandmobiledevices.
WithSkypewehaveseentheendofexpensiveconferencecalling,theneedtobillclientsforlongdistancecharges,andmoreimportantlytheabilitytobuildbusinesseswithworldwidehumanresourceandcustomerbasesatnominalcost.
Hotelscannolongermakemoneyforlongdistancecallsoverlandlines;atbesttheycanchargefeesforanInternetconnection.
Telephoneboothshavebecomemuseumpieces.
Phonenumbersaremaskedbehindnamesincallingdirectories.
WeareseeingthedeclineoflandlinecallingbutcannowhavefreeGroupvideocallsaroundtheworld.
One-to-oneHDvideocallsonalargedesktopscreenmaketheotherpartylookasifs/heisacrossthetable;it'scalledtelepresence.
Fiberoptictransmissionlinesallowustowatchtelevisionandvideosfromaroundtheworld—atnocostyetwithexcellentHDresolution.
AndalmosteverydayImakeoverseasSkypecallsbutneverseeabill.
Somuchforthehistoryandmybio(youcanfindamoreformaloneonLinkedIn),it'stimetogetintothebookandlearnthecompletestoryaboutusingSkypeandallitsenrichedcommunicationsfeatures.