Something about Skype: Alternative Approaches

对于大多数的朋友而言,Skype绝对不是个陌生的东西。毕竟在当今鱼龙混杂的VOIP市场中,Skype应该是领军级别了。无容置疑,它所提供的相对稳定的网络和服务,以及不错的价格,让他在广大用户中树立了相对不错的口碑。对于留学在外的朋友们,或者平时电话非常多的童鞋们而言,Skype可谓是一个福音。

就笔者而言,使用Skype已有数年。而大规模的使用,则也有大半年的时间。其中经历了由国内到国外,由教育网到家庭宽带,进而进入高速网络和3G的过程。此中经历,可谓如打翻了的五味瓶,酸甜苦辣咸交错混杂。然而,在大量的折腾与被折腾的较量中,本人也学到了不少的知识,尤其是一些歪门邪道的知识。

  1. 教育网:等同于自虐

    最早使用Skype的目的在于节省打电话回家的费用。由于本人跟父母和家人的话向来较多,一个电话打上个把小时实在不是太困难的事情。对于这种经常性的长时间电话粥,中国移动的套餐显然是非常不给力的。笔者仍然记得当年的套餐是47元人民币,包450分钟国内非漫游呼叫。而这在湖北当时已经算是比较划算的套餐了。

    我第一反应就想到了网络。而想到网络电话,我想一般都会想到Skype。而当时由于中国网民的过分热情,无线套餐(Unlimited Plan)在中国已经不复存在。我们能买到的就是400/1000分钟的套餐,价格分别是33/69元/月。相比较我后来使用的套餐,这个价格并不便宜。但是淘宝上经常可以在25元左右买到400分钟套餐,而1000分钟中国套餐是55元左右

    而经过使用,笔者迅速发现了教育网的要命问题。那就是,直接使用skype呼叫的话,清晰度非常对不起观众。声音经常断断续续,对方根本无法听清我在说啥。而笔者当时采取的方法是,设一个美国的VPN服务器,然后把Skype的所有流量全部通过美国服务器中转。结果是啥呢?诸位可以想到的。世界上最长的距离,莫过于教育网和电信!

  2. 全球通套餐:让你吃到饱

    全球通,英文叫做Unlimited World,价格为99元/月。通过它,你可以在每月无限制拨打超过四十个国家的固定电话和部分国家的手机。这个价格相对于我前面所提到的中国套餐而言优惠的多。然而,如果不是经常拨打国际电话,或者电话不是超过1000分钟,这个价格并不太吸引人。毕竟我们的工资水平摆在那里。

    由于不可抗因素,笔者在家必须频繁拨打英国的电话,而Unlimited World显然是个明智选择。毕竟我不会傻到去用手机和家里的固定电话拨打国际长途。而与此同时,由于我的女友已经赴外地工作。于是电话传情也成了每天必做的一件事情。在每天打上两个小时的情况下,1000分钟一个月的配额显然并不是大问题。事实上,我们每月的通话时间,经我统计,基本都超过2000分钟。而令我们无语的是,为了省电话费,我们不得不“舍近求远”,把电话转到卢森堡,然后再转回来~。

    尽管有拨号数量和累积通话时间限制,于个人用户而言,全球通套餐应该足以满足正常需求。

  3. 掌上电脑:尝试移动

    因为手头一直缺乏一个可靠的GPS和电子词典,我入了一个X51v。然而在我收到这款机器的时候发现,该机居然自带麦克风和无线网卡。尽管Skype已经不再支持Windows Mobile系统,我还是从万能的网站上找到了Skype for WM 3.0。尽管界面简陋,但是实用性却很好,界面也很友好。只是该版本的系统并不支持联系人下的多标签。于是乎,当你同时具有A好友的Skype帐号和电话号码时,为了保证Skype 3.0的使用不出问题,您得把他们分开存放。

    但是好景不长,很快我就发现兰卡的Wifi居然是使用Web验证的。而且在验证通过后Skype死活上不去。尽管曦哥的Skype for IPhone可以登录自如。对于能否登录,我已经没有了太大的兴趣,毕竟我要做的事儿太多了。而找到一个更灵活的解决方案迫在眉睫。而另一个重要的原因是,我们的办公室即将搬入管理学院新楼的博士工作区。显然在一个工作区内用电脑的Skype打电话不是个太明智的选择。

  4. 3G网络:终极方案

    在英国的移动公司中,3一直是个传奇人物。倒不是说他们的市场占有率有多高(只有5%),也不是说多优秀的客服(说实话,只会忽悠,比O2差得多),事实上,他们提供免费的Skype和Live Messenger使用。何谓免费呢?你只要在他们的定制手机中插入他们公司的SIM卡,即使一分钱没有。您照样可以使用Skype!而且由于采用了特别的技术,他们的Skype音质甚至好于PC版本。

    之所以说要使用定制手机,是来源于我的一个经历。一开始,我从英国的一个著名手机零售商那里买了个Nokia C2-01.然而在插入SIM卡后我发现,Skype和Live Messenger根本不能从3公司的网站上直接下载。一旦下载,系统就会报错,提示没有相应的证书。而当我在镇上将其换成与3的定制手机时,一切便迎刃而解了。看来,英国公司的所谓大方也是有限度的。不过,跟天朝比,这个Offer已经好到天上去了。

  5. 结论:Skype是个很好的解决方案

    不得不说,Skype是一个好东西,尤其是对于有大量国际电话需要处理的个人用户而言。而Skype推出的Unlimited World Extras套餐对于需要的客户也是不错的。在你支付了10.99磅一个月以后,你将得到Unlimited World(价值7.99磅)的所有功能+8.6磅的Skype点数。这个点数你可以用来打一些电话(非套餐内),购买SkypeIn(本人买了个英国号码以备不时之需)以及发短信(Skype可以发中文短信)。而当这一切与移动通信技术结合的时候,他几乎可以秒掉80% 的通讯公司了。

Mobile Phone Service: When Monopoly Meets Economy

chinamobileWith the development on both economics and technology that the cell phones are becoming daily communicating tools for both college students and people nowadays in China. But for college students like us, with quite limited financial competence, and can afford not much payment on such service, special packages that can significantly reduce such cost are quite welcome. But due to its monopoly position, the service fee is still quite high in some regions, especially some undeveloped regions like Hubei that can even contradict with the local living cost level. Here what I mentioned in following text are of the service from China Mobile, the largest service provider on wireless connection in China.

Apparently, the pricing of the cell phone in China has been reduced significantly. Still remember the first time that I get my first cell phone from my daddy, when we preferred to send short messages with each other, without any call due to the high cost and dual-paying policy. That is, you are entitled to pay no matter whether you are making a call or just receiving one from others.

Then it comes to 2005 when I went to Nanjing for my continuing study in Ginlin College, NJNU, where the receiving fee were waived for a limitation on time for 500 minutes under a special package for college students. It is the most cost-effective package that I met even till now. We can make a local call with the rate of 0.2 yuan/min and 0.3 yuan/min for a long distance call in China. And as an important content within this 20-yuan package, we were entitled for 400 free messages no matter who the receiver is, and whether he is the customer of China Mobile or not.

Then in 2007, I came to Wuhan for my master’s degree in ZNUFE, where I suffered the expensive cell phone service. According to my previous experience, I firstly selected the “M-Zone”, a special package designed for college students. But soon I found great problem:

  • High Rate. Comparing to the similar service that I have used in Nanjing, the rate for local call here is 0.25 yuan/min, and there is no discount rate for long distance call. It is quite common to see students using IC cards to make a call at a public telephone, but such sight has been eliminated in Nanjing;
  • Limitation on Short Message. Comparing to the package in Nanjing, the price here is cheaper, with 15 yuan /month, including 200 short messages, but be careful! A MESSAGE TO THE CUSTOMERS THAT ARE NOT SIGHED WITH CHINA MOBILE IS NOT INCLUDED!
  • Forbidden on Roaming. This service is only available for 5 months a year, for two important vacations, summer and winter. If you are willing to travel to other places other from vacations, you are suggested to transfer your package. It is quite an incomprehensive decision.

Taking a sight on the economy development data such as CPI and GDP, you will find Hubei is owning quite limited economic conditions, which, reasonably interpreted, means a lower consuming level comparing to the regions of Shanghai and Jiangsu, where there are offering cheaper packages and the average cost on mobile communications. I don’t know why such thing can happen, but I suppose the only explanation as monopoly.

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