Joining the Skype Revolution- and Roaming with Freetalk

When Stacey Smith joined our Mom Central team last year, she insisted on talking with our team via Skype from her NYC office, and marveled that we did not have Skype turned on all day long. We dutifully logged in and kept logged on, and as she showed us the ease of zipping documents over Skype, sharing key links in the messaging box, doing video calls (where I got to virtually meet her daughter Chloe as well as see the huge icicles hanging off their home- in addition to face to face conversations about pressing business issues), conferencing in others, zipping on to talk with our Toronto-based Canada team- I in turn marveled how we had lived without Skype! Today, as another foot of snow descends on Boston, our whole team at our respective homes have Skype serving as our connective lifeline to each other – as letters get edited, key phone calls take place, and documents get shared – all through dozens of Skype conversations throughout the day.

But Skype has it’s limitations- such as those times when I have to rummage around the office in search of documents, all the while yelling towards the computer speaker from across the room to assure the person I’m Skyping with that I have not rudely abandoned them. There has got to be a better way!

Thanks to the folks at Freetalk, I can now have the freedom to roam while on my Skype calls- whether to get up to refill my coffee mug, browse the kitchen in search of a snack and even step outside for a breath of fresh air, all without ending my Skype conversation! And no, this picture does not include me carrying my laptop from room to room- been there, done that awkward talk and carry!  The Freetalk Everyman Wireless headset has a 15-meter range, so you can feel free to move about and still actively converse with the person on the other end of the Skype call.

Listening to music is another additional use for this versatile headset as it allows you to stay connected to your music library without being plugged into the computer. The earpieces, only slightly larger than a silver dollar, come lined with padding to ensure comfort.

Another cool Freetalk product that sharpens Skype communications is the Everyman Webcam. This small webcam provides a consistently sharp and clear image, something that for me has been an issue as for me, for instance now that many of my CNN interviews take place live over Skype-or in having a sharp picture to share whiteboard sketches or even to see my daughter’s adorable face from her college dorm room (not sure that the Freetalk folks realized how much that means to me as a Mom!!). The camera requires no installation making it easy to use whether connecting to your office computer or personal laptop. Its small size also enables you to slip it into a bag for toting on the road, or between work and home.

Best yet- Skype has exciting innovations for your smart phone- including video conferencing on my new iphone4. Now if I could only pick up Skype calls on my family room TV, but surely that is coming next (or perhaps I’m missing out?)!

So if you have yet to take the Skype plunge for yourself, and short of me having Stacey Smith get on your case about what you’re missing out on- check out their free service for yourself and join what for our team has been the Skype (r)evolution.

Disclosure: to facilitate this review, I received review copies of the Freetalk headset and camera. The candid views expressed here are entirely my own.

Mom Central