Skype and Windows Live Messenger

Today I installed the new Windows Live Messenger. It promises to have better voice calling. A few months ago, I tried using the old Windows Messenger to have a voice conversation with my father. I was unimpressed with the sound quality.

I decided to try Skype instead. Since my father didn’t have Skype and walked him through the installation as well. A few minutes later we both strapped on our USB headsets and gave it a try. The difference was night and day. The Skype quality was amazing. I was instantly hooked. And to top it off, Skype has given everyone free SkypeOut calls to anyone in the U.S. for the rest of the year.

Yesterday, I received an e-mail from Skype saying they are also giving me free Skype credit to make international calls. Couple of problems with this. First, I don’t know anybody outside of this country except for one person in Ireland I met many years ago and have no idea how to get a hold of. Second, I deleted the e-mail thinking the credit would just show up in my account. Now when I look in my Skype account I see no mention of any free international credit. Hmmm… first strike against Skype I guess. If I can’t find it, how are the noobies going to find it?

Back to Windows Live Messenger. Like I mentioned earlier, the voice calling is supposed to be much improved. I’ll be sure to give it a try along with the other new features and report back here in a few weeks with my analysis.