30 Tools and Tips to Make your Skype Better (All Free!)

One-by-one we are publishing jumbo tips and tools lists for popular services. Today it’s Skype. What follows is, 30 carefully-selected and tested (when possible) Tools and Tips for Skype users, including popular Skype extras, desktop widgets, addons (for browser, email and Office programs), cool tips and more. As always, all free!

(1) SKYPE EXTRAS (Windows, Skype 3.0 or higher)

SAM – Answering Machine – cool voice answering machine for your Skype client. Takes voice message, records conversations, includes inbuilt lie-detector and lets you setup video greetings . [requirements: Win. Media Player]

Media Controller – nice extra that lets you auto-pause/stop/decrease volume of your media player (Winamp, WMP, iTunes) at the time of an incoming call. It’ll change the state back to normal as soon as the call ends. (Note: little heavy on memory usage)

TalkAndWrite – collaborate with your contacts on any document (doc, rtf, pdf, xls, ppt, png, webpage, etc.) side by side. Demo

uSeeToo – lets you share images, maps, play multi-player games and collaborate with your contacts.

KishKish Lie Detector – fun, real-time lie detector that monitors stress level of the person you talk with.

Tumara VC for Skype – search your Skype contacts using voice commands.

Fadeout Fun – free Skype soundeffects, i.e. phone rings, toilet flushes, etc. [Works on any platform]

Last.fm – integrates customized (based on your favorite artists), ad-free radio to your Skype client. Automatically fades out on incoming calls. [requirements: Flash 7 or higher]

(2) DESKTOP WIDGETS (both for Mac and Windows users)

Yahoo Widgets (?): SkypeContacts [Win] / Skyper TM4 [Win , Mac] – displays your Skype contacts and lets you contact them by using provided action buttons.

Google Gadgets (?): Skype Plugin [Google Desktop 4 or above] – displays your skype credit and contacts.

Mac Dashboard: Skype Widget [Mac OS X 10.4 or later] – dashboard widget that lets you make calls, look up country codes and check calling rates.

(3) ADDONS (For Browsers, Email Clients and Microsoft Office)

SkypeWebToolbar [Firefox / IE] – recognizes phone numbers and Skype names on webpages, and lets you initiate a Skype call with a single click.

SkypeEmailToolbar [Outlook, Oulook Exp. 6, Thunderbird(win)] – access Skype contacts from your email client, call Skype names and phone numbers listed in the emails, view status of your contacts, add a Skype Button to your email signature and more.

SkypeOfficeToolbar [Win] – lets you send the file you are currently working on via Skype. Also recognizes phone numbers within your documents (Word, Excel, Powerpoint) and lets you call or SMS them.

Skype Sidebar [Firefox (1.5 – 2.0b1), Win] – handy addon that lets you call, add, find, check status, chat, voice mail and send files to your contacts right from your browser.

Callto: Linkify [Greasemonkey(?) script] – turns text phone numbers in webpages into ‘Skype Dial’ hyperlinks. When clicked it’ll initiate a Skype call to that number.

CustomizeSkypeAccount [Greasemonkey script] – integrates extra info to your ‘Skype Call list’ on your account page (skype.com), i.e total cost per month, total call time per month, etc.

(4) COOL TIPS

How To make a portable Skype phone from an old cordless phone.

Skype hack enables higher resolution video calls. For PC For Mac.

Router secrets that improve the quality of Skype phone calls. ‘HowTo’ video

Adding a ‘Skype Me’ button to your email as a signature

How To get Skype to work from your USB Drive. (aka portable(?) Skype)

(5) MORE STUFF

Anothr – simple and extremely easy to setup service that lets you use your Skype client as a notification tool for getting updates on your favorite blogs and feeds

SMS to Skype – allows GSM mobile phone users to send instant messages to any Skype user. (Note: Regular SMS rates apply)

JiWire Hotspot – helps you locate wireless hotspots anywhere in the world

Plusfax – fax paper documents from your fax Machine directly to any Skype user

KanTalk – free foreign language practice community for Skype users

SkypeMobile – install skype on your mobile for cheaper calling rates

Skype for Mac 2.6 (Beta) – newly released Skype version for Mac users with bunch of cool features, i.e. chat type indicator (i.e John is typing), call transfer (transfer your active call to anyone on your contact list) [requirements: Mac OS X v10.3.9 Panther or later]

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