Skype Should Give Me A Free Phone Number

Image via CrunchBase

Skype should give me a free phone number like Google Voice does. And then they should get into a race to give me limitless voice calls over those numbers over data and WiFi. To kick the carriers out. They charge too much.

Skype already has great sound quality over long (read international) distances. A number would be nice to have unpaid for.

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VoiceGem

Image via CrunchBase

I could not get it to work on first attempt, but the promise of the service is amazing. You'd think someone would have done something like this a long time ago. I want to be podcasting with equal ease. The Twitter folks had it, but then they moved on to Twitter. They should not have shuttered down Odeo.

YC-Backed VoiceGem Brings Communication Back To The Future With Asynchronous Voice Messages

It doesn’t cost any money. It doesn’t require special software. It doesn’t have you send or open any kind of attachment. It doesn’t require a special international calling plan or card — or even a phone number at all. It doesn’t need a high-quality microphone system

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Voice Is Not Dead, Dumb Voice Should Be

Image via Wikipedia

TechCrunch: The Phone Call Is Dead: Text is just easier.

I have a few different phone numbers. I think I have three. Does that mean I am a huge fan of the telephone? Hardly. The opposite is true.

I tried to cancel my Yahoo Messenger number. I think I did. And they billed me anyway. My bank filed a complaint on my behalf. They gave me a new debit card. But that transaction went through. Felt like Carol Bartz was balancing the Yahoo budget on my back.