Thread: Skype Help?

I am going to have to finally bite the bullet and get skype because I wont be able to type for a while, and will still need to communicate with people outside of the country. I have a few questions about headsets, mircrophones, and webcams:

1. Do most people use webcams or just voice chat?
2. Do you find that a stand alone microphone, or a headset/microphone combo is better?

I will be hooking these up to a laptop computer so I need some sort of microphone as it doesnt have one built in, and the speakers on it are not great either, but I can get cheap external speakers instead of the headset/microphone combo, if the stand alone microphone seems like a better option.

Thanks!

I don't use Skype but I do use the Call feature for Yahoo Messenger and I use the combination headphones/mic on a swing arm. It's a Logitech:
http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/pr...ONTENTID=10013
It plugs into the USB port, has it's own volume control and mute button on the cord. And I use them as my music headphones, great sound quality.

FWIW I only use the chat and phone facilities in skype.

I have an inexpensive stereo headset that includes a small boom mic... similar to what many of us used for handsfree cell phone use in the car before there was bluetooth wireless. Anyway, it plugs into the speaker & Mic ports of the computer (desktop or laptop... both should have the necessary ports). There's an inline volume control and mic on/off switch in the cord. It's a no-name brand... think I picked it out of the sea of $50-150 headsets at compUSA... paid less than $15. For skype it works fine. ... $.02

1. Do most people use webcams or just voice chat?
2. Do you find that a stand alone microphone, or a headset/microphone combo is better?

I use voice and text with skype. There are plenty of those who use the webcam as well.

I've used both headset and stand alone, and at this point I prefer stand alone due to the fact that when people call me I fumble around with my headset trying to plug it in, otherwise I have to sit there with the headset on to hear the ringing, which get's old pretty quick.

I have a cheap Verbatim headset, and for cam (which I don't use much) I use my cell, Nokia 6630, with some hardware and software voodoo

Nenad

JL, I use skype with chat, mic and sometimes video. Video is great for showing razors, honing techniques etc. You don't need a camera to receive footage.

When you get setup you can skype me.

Work - garyholder1

Home - gacarasa (Gary, Catherine, Rachel, Samuel) just in case you wondered where the name came from.

Gary

JL,
I find a headset/microphone combo is better so there is no feedback. I don't have a camera but I would be interested in watching a web cam seminar on honing or other tips such as pinning handles by watching different techniques. if there was a schedule set up on the forums site date and time etc....

Damon

I have a headset that I use for talking to my clan mates for gaming, etc. It was recommended to me by an one of a freinds who's an engineer and says it's a good brand in his experience. Anyway, mine is a Pantronics Audio 90. They've come out with some newer and nicer ones since I got mine. Don't know which models those are, but the brand in general is pretty good.

I have a US Robotics USB phone handset for Skype, which is easy to use as it works like a regular phone. But for longer conversations a headset you can wear will be much more comfortable.

You can use a mic and your PC speakers but I find this gives a lot of feedback, and the results aren't great.

I only use webcam when I'm talking to friends in Australia who also have webcam, most of the time I just do voice calls.

This one looks like a winner. I do recall that I used to have a microphone for voice chat on yahoo years ago, and the feedback was awful.


http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/pr...ONTENTID=10013