Skype Adds SkypeIn for Mac -- I've written a bit about Skype, a voice-over-IP program for Mac, Windows, and Linux that offers great quality service, five-user conference calling, and outbound calls at low rates to the regular phone network (see "Road Warrior Scramble" in TidBITS-771). But wait! There's more. Skype is now testing SkypeIn, an inbound telephone number attached to your Skype account. Other companies offer a similar service, but typically only in a bundle. For instance, Vonage has what they call a soft phone service, but it's an add-on to an existing Vonage full-service account.

<http://www.skype.com/products/skype/macosx/>
<http://db.tidbits.com/article/08028>

SkypeIn costs a ridiculously low 10 euros for three months of service in this phase (including unlimited inbound calls and voicemail), or about US$4 per month. The Vonage service is Internet telephony only, while Skype includes Skype-to-Skype and inbound and outbound telephone network calling. And Skype includes instant messaging and file exchange, too. [GF]

<http://www.skype.com/products/skype/macosx/ changelog.html>