Skype Zones ??
I can't comprehend the idea behind Skype's new service "SkypeZones". It's still in beta testing phase, though. Basically it enables anyone with a Wifi enabled device to make and receive Skype calls when they are in range of a Skype-friendly wifi hotspot. For this they are charging €2.5 for two hours or €6.5 for a whole month.
Now wtf ?!
What was wrong with going online in a wifi area, logging on to Skype and making calls? That's how anyone who has wireless (or any kind of internet access anywhere) will do. Recently, while travelling back to India, I waited about an hour at the Vienna airport, in transit. I had checked their website already and knew that they had free wireless internet there, so I took out my laptop, logged on to Skype, plugged my headset and started making calls. Talked home for half hour at no extra cost (except Skype outgoing rate, of course).
Where exactly does this new type of service, "SkypeZones" come in then?
Even if one has to pay for WiFi access, logging on to Skype after that should be no problem at all. Is Skype trying to create its own WiFi network across the world? If yes, then at a cost of 6.5 euro/month for unlimited access, I think it is perhaps the cheapest service ever, if they also allow access to the general internet. If not, then only Skype honchos know what they are up to.
What is funnier is their choice of locations. There are 5 SkypeZones in India - all in relatively obscure places in Bangalore. In France there are 6-7 airport locations - but no Charles de Gaulle (Paris' main int'l airport). And many such oddities. Like only 2 hotel locations in Luxembourg, Skype's corporate headquarter.
Now wtf ?!
What was wrong with going online in a wifi area, logging on to Skype and making calls? That's how anyone who has wireless (or any kind of internet access anywhere) will do. Recently, while travelling back to India, I waited about an hour at the Vienna airport, in transit. I had checked their website already and knew that they had free wireless internet there, so I took out my laptop, logged on to Skype, plugged my headset and started making calls. Talked home for half hour at no extra cost (except Skype outgoing rate, of course).
Where exactly does this new type of service, "SkypeZones" come in then?
Even if one has to pay for WiFi access, logging on to Skype after that should be no problem at all. Is Skype trying to create its own WiFi network across the world? If yes, then at a cost of 6.5 euro/month for unlimited access, I think it is perhaps the cheapest service ever, if they also allow access to the general internet. If not, then only Skype honchos know what they are up to.
What is funnier is their choice of locations. There are 5 SkypeZones in India - all in relatively obscure places in Bangalore. In France there are 6-7 airport locations - but no Charles de Gaulle (Paris' main int'l airport). And many such oddities. Like only 2 hotel locations in Luxembourg, Skype's corporate headquarter.
