Skype: Must Have Extra for the Cheap Like Me!

I finally decided to jump back into Skype this afternoon and see what the most recent version looked like. While messing around in Skype I thought I'd have a little fun. For those who may not know about it, Skype is one of the best known VOIP programs available.

Skype has many uses; one of the best being free calls between Skype users.  Skype is free to download and use; unless you want to call landlines and mobile phones as well.  If you choose to do this then you will need to purchase 'Skype Out' credits.  See this chart for a detailed breakdown of rates: http://www.skype.com/prices/callrates/#allRatesTab.  Toll free numbers are usually free as well.  You can also purchase a 'Online Number' number which will allow your friends and family to call you from any phone in the world.  Pretty cool.  There are several different plans, you can pay as you go or pay monthly for really cheap. 

The aim for Skype to be a cheap, user friendly calling service is dead on.  They do a fantastic job.  Other features include sending/receiving SMS text messages, call forwarding, voicemail and caller id.  When added together, to get all of the features you may want can add up.  So today, I am going to show you how to save a little money (not much, because Skype is pretty cheap to begin with); but every little bit helps.

My Skype cost saving tip is how to get voicemails via a really handy 'Skype Extras'.  Skype Extras are extensions for Skype.  They allow the user to add functionality.  There are all kinds of free and paid-for extensions out there; but this afternoon, I'm focusing on one: Richi MP3 Ringback Tones.  It's awesome.

Have you ever called someone's cell phone, and been treated to listening to a song while you are being connected with that person instead of just hearing the ringing sound?  Well that's the goal of 'Richi MP3 Ringback Tones'; but this isn't it's only feature.

'Richi' allows you to pick a MP3 file from your music collection and set it to play when a user calls you.  You can either setup a 'ringback tone' for every person in your Skype contact list, or you can set one song to play as default no matter who calls your Skype.  And it works really well.  It also has a built in answering machine. 

The settings are pretty slim (but hey, it's free and it works, so can't complain here).  See below:

The 'General' Menu:

• Start Richi when Windows Starts
• Enable Ringback Tone Info Button

The 'Standard Ringback Tone' Menu:

• Allows you to pick a default ringtone (see pic).

The 'Ringtone Settings'  Menu:

• Allows you to pick a ringtone for you to hear when receiving a call.

The Voicemail Settings allow you to enable the Voicemail feature and then pick whether to use the default 'canned' voicemail greeting or use your own.  *Note: If you choose to use your own, you'll need to record it yourself using your own sound recorder of choice, there isn't one built into this program.

When you miss a call you can simply click the blue telephone in the main 'Richi' window and a list will popup showing a missed call log.  From there you can click the green 'play' arrow to play the voicemail back or you can simply choose to delete it as well.

Overall 'Richi' is extremely easy to use and setup.  The disadvantages of this program are few; but they are noticable.  The first, unlike Skype's built in voicemail (which costs $6 USD for 3 months or $20 USD for a year) 'Richi' is only active as long as it is running in your computer's system tray (near the clock on you task bar).  For those who leave your computer on all the time, no big deal.  'Richi' doesn't appear to suck up the computer's resources so it should be fine.  But if the program is closed or the computer is turned off, you'll not get the custom ringback tones or the voicemail features.  Skype's built in voicemail will answer regardless.

Secondly, some other apps I've used in the past will send an email notification if you receive a voicemail.  This app doesn't offer this feature; which is a nice compliment to the service it offers, but not a deal breaker either.  My last complaint, is the lack of a built-in sound recorder to use when recording your own Voicemail greeting.

Overall, 'Richi' is a nice tool to use with your Skype client.  It's fun to use, and will offer a few neat surprises to people when they call me.  For free, this little app is a gem in my opinion.  So, if you use Skype and are looking for a free voicemail app, check this one out.  Even though it's main draw is the ringback tone features.

Download Skype: http://www.skype.com
Download 'Rich MP3 Ringback Tones': http://rbt.richi.cc/?lang=eng
See the 'Richi' Extra Page at Skype: https://extras.skype.com/1990/view