We have had Skype for a long time and are very happy with it. Make up your mind before January 31st because they are offering 50%off on for unlimited calling. In other words for US$14.95 - just over $16 Canadian as I see you are up here in the Great White North - you can call any land line telephone or cell phone in America or Canada for free for a whole year. Calling Skype to Skype is totally free all the time. While you are chatting computer to computer you also get the opportunity to send text messages, photos or other files. If you have need to call other parts of the world you need to buy time and it comes in 10Euro amounts which is about $16 Canadian and gives you about 10 hours of talking time to most countries. I suggest you invest in a headset for the best performance. Using a stand alone mic and speakers can be a distraction because as you speak to the other party your voice leaves their speakers, passing the mic which you pick up a half second later. It is not disastrous but the headset removes all that. The sound quality is excellent. Grab it and play around for a few days if you have another party who has it or will install it on their computer. Then you can decide about paying for the other service. Finally, no I am not a salesman for them but I do enjoy the benefits of using it quite a lot.

She, or they, can tell skype to save the history LOCALLY for as long as they want https://support.skype.com/en/faq/FA392/where-can-i-find-my-conversation-history-in-skype-for-windows-desktop-and-what-can-i-do-with-it To change your history settings: Sign in to Skype. From the menu bar, select Skype > Privacy.... Below Keep history for, click the drop-down list and select the amount of time you’d like your history to be saved for. You can select forever, three months, one month, two weeks or no history. Click Save.

Schoolhouse, it's mostly laptops that come with webcams. Some monitors used to have them built in but I haven't followed monitors closely over the past years so whether that fad passed or not, I'm not sure. My experience with Skype is so-so at best. Sometimes it works great, other times it cuts out, freezes and loses connection. Much depends on the internet logjam, the users connections and even what's running on the computers. I have far better results with Yahoo Instant Messenger. Less resources required and more flexibility. Skype is a backup for me. I definitely see the draw of things like Skype or the like. I certainly wouldn't pay for it but there's times it gets used. Below is a link to an article on alternatives. Here is a link that might be useful: Skype alternatives

Yes, someone mentioned it recently at the Money Saving Tips Forum. I read through the FAQ there, and see one will have a new area code and number. Q:Can I use my existing phone number as my Magicjack number? A:Yes, but not yet. You will be able to transfer or port your existing local phone number to magicJack, for a nominal fee, in the coming months. I'm left wondering then if all calls 'into' this new magic jack number will be a toll call from my close local friends and neighbors. A speed of 80 kbps is required. Sue...considering it maybe Here is a link that might be useful: Magicjack FAQ