Skype Play

Free wireless access to keep in touch this Mother's Day

Last Mother's Day, we found out that up to 1 in 6 of the nation's mums could have been left without a card.

The research, which was carried out by TNS Omnibus on behalf of Skype, showed that almost 20% of 25-34 year olds admitted to forgetting to send their Mum a card on Mother's Day.

This year we wanted to make sure that disappointed mum's were a thing of the past, and so for this weekend Skype is enabling access to free Wi-Fi through Skype Wi-Fi throughout the UK so users can quickly connect to the Internet for voice and video calls to wish their mum a Happy Mother's Day.

Skype Wi-Fi can help users cut down on costs by providing the means to use Skype Credit to pay low per-minute rates for online access at over 1 million third party Wi-Fi hotspots worldwide directly from their PC or smartphone.**

From 0001 GMT on the 17th March 2012 to 2359 GMT on the 18th March 2012 we're giving everyone in the UK up to one hour of Skype Wi-Fi for free!

For those looking to earn even more brownie points, skip the traditional cards and tell her how awesome she is with a 'Mom, you rock' group video greeting. Take your pick from glam rock to heavy metal, and send her a video message like nothing she's seen before.

This is your chance to show her that you've gone the extra mile this year, and we're even giving you the opportunity to show off your vocal talents. Yes, you can sing along with the band (or not, completely up to you) and your mom's heart will swell with pride.

What are you waiting for? Say it with Skype. http://apps.facebook.com/sayitwithskype/

Visit www.skype.com more details.

Give the Gift of Video Calling

Can't be with your loved ones this month? One of the best ways to spend time with close friends and family this holiday season from afar is by using Skype video calling. Rather than send your loved ones a card in the mail, give the gift of a video chat, so you can wish them "Happy Holidays" face-to-face.

To ensure that you and your loved ones can keep in touch via online video call, Skype has launched its Holiday Gadget Guide, showcasing the newest affordable Skype-friendly gadgets to help ensure a great conversation! With a free Skype account and any of these Skype-friendly gadgets, which include webcams, TVs and more, you will be well on your way to creating meaningful connections with others through Skype.

Even more, every time you use your new Skype-friendly gadget, you'll be creating another great Skype story about how people connect with their friends and family around the globe during this special time of year. We ask that you share your favorite Skype stories with us on Twitter using the hashtag #SkypeStories.

To see which Skype gadgets are best for grandma, grandpa, your parents, your children and others, visit http://gadgets.skype.com. Happy Holidays!

Students get back to Skype when back to school

Striking out on your own for a university experience can be trying at first, but with Skype, you can keep your parents on the line while chatting up new friends from lecture.

Setting off for university - especially when you'll be far from your home town, your parents and childhood friends - is one of life's great adventures. You'll meet new friends, learn new things and share ideas - but you'll still want to keep in touch with those back home.

For video calling mom and dad, sharing your experiences with friends back home or at universities of their own - or maybe even collaborating online with the cutie next to you in lecture - you can choose Skype for quick and easy communication.

Your parents will probably be worried sending off their baby for the first time into the great wide world. And while you might think it's a bit silly, all it takes is a quick - and free - video call to let them know you're doing well... and maybe to ask to borrow a little money if you've run out.

This could especially come in handy if you're out of your home country, as Skype offers some of the cheapest international calls around.

Both internet calls and instant messaging are a great way to keep in touch with friends still in your home town or those who've chosen a different university. You can even use Skype to track down your daring friend as he treks through India on a gap year adventure.

But of course, university is all about stretching your legs, striking out on your own - and maybe you might even learn a thing or two. You can use Skype to collaborate with your new classmates or just chat with interesting people you've met at there.

If you've used Skype to make some new friends or keep in touch with old ones, share your story in our comments section!

UNHCR dad sees his twin daughters and wife on Skype video everyday

Our partnership with UNHCR announced in November 2010 is having a positive effect on the relationships and well-being of many UNHCR employees. Here's one story.

"As far as I am concerned, Skype is the main mode of communication to keep in touch with my family. Everyday I call them using Skype" says Haridass Sriram.

Sriram joined UNHCR in 2003, working as a national staff member for almost 6 years in his home country, Sri Lanka. He then spent a further two years in Afghanistan before starting his current post as field protection officer in Aweil, South Sudan, last April. "Thanks to Skype, I can see my two twins who are now 4 and a half months old and talk to my wife everyday." Sriram's wife, Dhuwarakha, who used to work for UNHCR in Afghanistan, is now back home in Sri Lanka with their daughters.

Sriram's twin girls in Sri Lanka get to check-in with their daddy in Sudan over Skype video everyday.

Aweil, Sriram's new duty station, is a so-called hardship location, which means that staff members who volunteer to work there have to take the difficult decision to live apart from their families. "When I arrived in Aweil we had no accommodation," recalls Sriram. Now we use containers both as an office and a place to live. Medical facilities are very limited, as well as the supplies available from the market."

Sriram at work with refugees in Sudan.

However, the biggest challenge in living in Aweil is the limited access to means of communication. "There is very limited mobile coverage and phone calls are very expensive," acknowledges Sriram. Since the installation of Skype, however, this difficulty has been largely removed. "Skype is free of charge and the line is much clearer. It allows me to communicate with my wife. She brings the babies in front of the camera more or less every single day. It also allows them to see how I am doing."

Sriram sums up the situation in a laugh: "If not for Skype, my wife would have left me by now!" She herself confirms that "now that my husband has moved to Sudan, means of communication are less available and calls are so expensive, Skype is the best way of communicating for us. We chat together and I show him the babies through the webcam, so he does not miss out on them growing up. It is really important for our relationship."

Virtual Passover and Easter Meals

Are you celebrating Passover or Easter next week? With loved ones spread around the world, many families are now using Skype video calling to celebrate these special times together, despite the distance.

With the family gathered around the table for the Passover Seder or Easter dinner, it's easy to grab the family laptop and include long-distance relatives in the celebration via Skype video call. Or, with Skype Group Video Calling on your Mac or PC, families can invite additional relatives to the ritual feast to enjoy the conversation and quality family time. Want to lounge on the living room couch post-meal? Gather everyone around your Skype-enabled HDTV and see your distant family member face-to-face and continue the festivities.

This past holiday season, we saw several families utilizing Skype to see relatives from afar. Take for example a San Diego family of four that connected with grandma and grandpa in Washington, DC, as they said the blessings, lit their respective menorahs, and watched the children open gifts via Skype video call. You can watch their virtual celebration:

Next week, we hope technology like Skype can help connect long-distance families, so the whole bunch can celebrate together.

How do you plan to spend your Easter and Passover? Leave us a comment and let us know.

Celebrate UK Mother's Day with free Wi-Fi this weekend

New research shows that 1 in 6 mums could be left without a card this Mother's Day as almost 20% of 25-34 year olds admit to forgetting to send their Mum a card on Mother's Day!

In a bid to help the forgetful bunch and make sure there's a smile on your mum's face this Sunday, we are offering free Wi-Fi in the UK this weekend courtesy of Skype Access and BT Openzone. So, if you've forgotten to send a card you can still call to show how much you care.

If you can't be with your Mum in person this Sunday, you can do the next best thing and make free Skype-to-Skype voice and video calls, send her an email or Facebook message at BT Openzone Wi-Fi hotspots throughout the UK.

From 0001 GMT on the 2nd April 2011 to 2359 GMT on the 3rd April 2011 we're giving everyone Skype Access, the single-click Internet access feature, for free!

With Skype Access you can pay for Wi-Fi access per minute using Skype Credit. All you need is a connection to a Skype Access compatible hotspot and the latest version of Skype for Mac or Windows.

Find your closest Skype Access hot spot on your iPhone through Worksnug

Skype invites the world to party in Dublin this St Patrick's Day

To celebrate St Patrick's Day we've set up a St Patrick's Day Skype Video Pod at the finishing post of the legendary St Patrick's Day Parade in Dublin, so that those who can't travel to the Emerald Isle don't have to miss out on the fun.

If you want to join in the with the craic and soak up the Irish atmosphere then why not contact our St Patrick's Day team on Skype at skype.stpatricks.dublin and join the fun via video call. You can also arrange a group video call to include your friends and family from around the world so you can all party together in the heart of Dublin - all you'll have to supply is your own Guinness!

We have also twinned two of the biggest party capitals to allow Londoners the chance to join in on the action at a Skype Pod at the London Irish Centre, Camden open from 11am. Whether you want to share a virtual pint of Guinness and chat to friends and family back home in Dublin, or simply want to enjoy the craic with the Dublin revelers come down and experience Skype Patrick's Day.

There are three ways to join in:

• Visit the Skype Pods in person in either London or Dublin to link up with the other city to view all the action


• Pre-arrange a group video call with family and friends at the pod and everyone can celebrate together. Simply send skype.stpatricks.dublin a request via Skype and we'll help to arrange


• Send skype.stpatricks.dublin a contact request via Skype ahead of the big day and we could be video calling you back so you can join in the party from the comfort of your sofa or office desk

Happy St Patrick's Day and if you aren't already video calling, follow this link.

Image courtesy of FredMikeRudy on Flickr

Southern California Couple Gets Married Via Skype

While we'd never wish any couple to be apart for their own wedding, we are sure glad that Skype could play such a big role in the wedding of Samiel Kim and Helen Oh from Southern California, who couldn't be together on their wedding day. Unfortunately, Samiel was in the hospital, but that did not deter Helen from her big wedding day plans with 500 guests. The show must go on, and it did! -- thanks to a Skype video call connecting Helen and her soon to be husband, Samiel, while he was at the hospital. According to media reports on MSBC, the Skype wedding happened smoothly, and the church even had jumbo screens to project the call. We wish Samiel and Helen all the best!

Panasonic's Blu-Ray Line Up brings Skype to your Living Room

It seems like just yesterday that we brought Skype to your sofa with Skype-enabled HDTVs from Panasonic and Samsung. Just over a year later, we already have more ways for you to make video calls with the click of your remote control and at a great price point.

Today, Panasonic announced its expanded VIERA Cast Blu-ray disc player lineup, including the ability to make Skype video and voice calls supported by the FREETALK Conference Camera.

Here's how it works: To access Skype through the Blu-ray Disc player, you simply click the devoted Skype button on your remote control. You can also take advantage of other Skype features including:

• Standby Mode, which allows users to personalize ring tones;
• Answering Message, which allows users to create a personalized message when away; and
• SD Voice Mail, which automatically records messages left onto an SD card.

The FREETALK camera - with wide-angle lens and beam-forming microphones - will be available in March at major retailers and online for $99.

If you have any questions on how to use Skype from your living room La-Z-Boy, feel free to comment below, or ping us on Twitter.

How is Skype making your life easier?

Life is full of little challenges. Those everyday problems that you just can't deal with on your own. Sometimes you need a bit of help, and sometimes you just need to see for yourself.

Here at Skype we've been thinking about how video calling with Skype can make your life easier, and here are a few suggestions:

• Got a job interview and need to know how to tie a tie?
• Want to impress a special someone with your skills in the kitchen?
• Got a big night out and can't decide what to wear?

We've got more than 100 million people using Skype, so make sure that the people you turn to for help are amongst them. To enjoy video calls with your friends and family, give them this link.

Fontainebleau Miami Beach guests get a Skype treat

When we heard that the newly renovated Fontainebleau Miami Beach, a revered landmark for more than half a century, wanted to set up computers in their lobby and poolside to enable Skype calls for their guests, we thought "Wow! What a great idea."

Check out this video which showcases the wonderful way that Fontainebleau is connecting their vacationing guests with family and friends at home.

Thank you Fontainebleau!

Skype in baby wards

Skype has been introduced around the world to a number of hospital maternity wards. New mothers can use Skype to share the joy of their new baby, and stay in touch with friends and family during one of the most important times of their lives.

Skype Certified ASUS videophones were placed in the maternity wards of several hospitals around Europe in Poland, Estonia, Spain, Italy, and Germany. This gives new mothers the opportunity to share these precious moments with their loved ones elsewhere.

“We decided that our patients should have instant access to new technologies, especially as they are very useful, said Aleksandra Kozok, Director of the hospital in Opole, Poland. “Sometimes families live far away – Skype will help young mothers to stay in touch with them and to share their first moments spent with their baby,”

In some hospitals, such as the Macedonio Melloni hospital in Milan, Italy, Skype is being used, not only by mothers, but also by midwives. Midwives are video calling new mothers to provide additional support once the newborns have returned home.

Most recently, Skype has found a home at the Vall d’Hebron University Hospital in Barcelona, Spain, to support maternity and pediatric patients. Last week, new parents Oscar Yañez and Montse Esteban, introduced their 2 day old baby to their family via Skype video on Panasonic’s Viera HD TV.

Today, the Red Cross hospital in Munich, Germany, has formally introduced Skype video to new mothers on its maternity ward.

We are excited to see that hospitals are beginning to use Skype not only on maternity wards, but also on children’s wards to support the health and well-being of patients.

Video calling at the UCSF Children's Hospital

Nashota, a 9 year old in intensive care, uses Skype to connect with her twin sister Nahimana who's unable to visit her in her room.

At Skype we’re all about bringing our people closer to the ones that matter most, regardless of geographic barriers. And while every story of a Skype connection touches us, the stories of the families at UCSF Children’s Hospital are our current favorites.

Last December, Skype began working with the UCSF Children’s Hospital and UCSF Medical center, in an effort to connect hospital patients with loved ones who are unable to make in-person visits. This partnership, which marks the first time Skype has partnered with a hospital in the US, has made Skype video calling available to all patients in the hospital.

Video calling in the hospital has removed both geographical, and in this case, physical barriers by allowing patients who can’t leave the hospital to have face-to-face conversations. Lila Param, director of pediatric services at UCSF Children’s Hospital, noted how Skype video calling has helped the healing process among many patients by eliminating a sense of isolation that patients sometimes feel. By having access to Skype enabled laptops, patients are able to reach out and talk to family and friends, whenever they are feeling lonely.

A couple of weeks ago I had a chance to catch up with Lila and she shared a story about how two twin sisters who had never been separated since they were born were able to use Skype video to be with one another after one of the twins was admitted into intensive care. Another family who traveled from overseas has been using Skype every evening to see their family back home and to give them virtual tours of the hospital, providing them a sense of comfort and closeness despite the thousands of miles in between.

We are thrilled that Skype has been able to reduce the distance between patients and their loved ones, especially during a time when they need it most.

Cycling 8,000 miles on an unfamiliar continent

Lindsey sent us this update from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Lindsey Cole is heading from the UK to South Africa to watch the World Cup this summer. Nothing unusual about that, points out the BBC, apart from the fact that she’s going by bike.

She finished a masters’ degree last year, and promised her friends that if she didn’t get a job by Christmas, she’d make the trip. Out of luck on the employment front, but determined to keep the promise, she left Egypt in February on the 8,000 mile (12,900 km) trip through Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia and Botswana. She’s raising money for the Schistosomiasis Control Initiative at Imperial College London, which funds research into neglected tropical diseases.

Lindsey uses Skype to keep in touch with her mum back home in the UK, and you can follow her progress on her YouTube channel.

Sneak preview of Panasonic's TV commercial featuring Skype

Hot from the studio is this sneak preview of Panasonic's latest TV ad, featuring the built-in Skype app and webcam. How many of you have grandparents like these?

A new arrival on the Plastiki

The Plastiki is a boat like no other – made almost entirely out of plastic bottles, it’s plying its way across the Pacific, inspired by the famous Kon-Tiki voyage, and aiming to raise awareness of sustainability issues.

We’ve been following the Plastiki team as they go, and talking to them over Skype. Last week, Vern Moen, one of the crew, was able to see his baby son born on a Skype video call, despite being in the middle of the ocean. Thankfully, one of the other crewmembers just happened to have a camera ready, and you can watch the results above

Getting married over Skype

What do you do when you’re stranded in Dubai and need to get married? Use Skype, of course

That’s exactly what Sean Murtagh and Natalie Mead did – travel disruption meant that they couldn’t make it to London, so they were married over a Skype video call from their hotel in Dubai.

Skype at Orphans International

At Mobile World Congress this year, I bumped into Jim Luce of Orphans International. He set up the charity in 1999 to help orphaned or abandoned children, with a very simple guiding principle: that all children in the care of Orphans International must be given the same love and security that each of our team members would give to their own children.

We caught up a couple of weeks ago in New York, where I captured this short video. He talks about the work of Orphans International, and how they use Skype to run the company, as well as connect orphans with their sponsors using Skype video calls. It’s a great example of the way that Skype makes personal conversations possible – for the greater good.