Technology & Love

[Fandango 1,439]

What do you and your homey use to keep in touch? Is it just a phone, or webcam, software, etc?

We used to use webcams til his computer took a #######...now it's just phone...he has a service for unlimited calls to the US for 20 quid a month....he used ot have one for 10, but that didn't last long & was unreliable.

If you use software, what kind? What does it do & how much does it cost, lol

[LenJayUS 0]

our main way to keep connected is via AOL Instant messenger... we have yahoo and msn messengers as back up as well... and we normally just type back and forth... very rarely do we do voice on the computer at all.

There's the occassional phone call as well.

And we used to chat alot on an IRC network as well.. but lately we both been "hiding out" on aim :-)

[Ladylethal 12]

We mostly use MSN. We also have webcams and mikes, and we speak on Skype when we can.

[PsychoKat 0]

Phone and IRC but we run our own private server with restricted access so it's just him, me and our families on either side. I leave it running all the time that way we can always talk on the fly

[Amy and Brian 1]

Brian's phone service lets him make unlimited calls to anywhere in the US or Canada for no extra charge, so we used to talk on the phone a lot. I've recently moved into an apartment with no land line though and talking for hours on my cell phone isn't exactly an option

Now we use GoogleTalk (http://www.google.com/talk/) for voice chatting (pretty much every single night) as well as any IM conversations. There's no real reason for us using this instead of MSN, AIM, or Skype, other than we are both huge geeks who like to fiddle with different sorts of technology Of course, I have found that GoogleTalk's voice chat is far more stable than the likes of MSN/AIM.

[MrMrsKnight 0]

Well, we met in a HUB chat room, then we started using ICQ because that way we could save the talks, then he came here and no technology was needed (good times)... then the first month after he went back to the US we used Skype but it just started causing our computer to colapse from time to time. So we finally started using MSN voice/video chat(which allows us to be free and not be stuck in front of the computer typing), which I love and can't live without So we pretty much spend the nights together talking on msn...

[Cassie 8]

let's see, we used:

--chatroom chats

--webcam

--yahoo messenger

--and a scary amount of phone cards

and then Jerry found internet phones. We both had cable internet, so we just plugged in the phones and away we went -- direct phone calls between the two phones cost nothing, and you can put money in an account and call other regular phone numbers for pennies a minute. When I moved here, we left my phone with my parents so they could keep in touch easily. this was invaluable last year when my mom was seriously ill -- we could call anytime without worrying about the cost.

[luvaLimey 0]

Mostly phone recently..

Time differences and the fact we've both got lives (well, work) outside of the computer have put a bit of a damper on the MSN we used to live and breathe by.

It's still nice for little bit webcam time though.

Mostly, we text each other through the day, becuase it's something he'll get even if he's at work, and vice-versa.

We also send e-mails back and forth. I like that gmail keeps e-mails sent as "conversations". makes it easy to go back through them.

[Fischkoepfin 1]

Phone. We got VOIP a few years ago, so it's basically free after paying the monthly fee, unless I'm on the road and can only be reached on my cell. We talk every night for about an hour.

Other than that we email a lot. I don't mind chatting (audio or text) via AIM, but my husband hates it, so we stopped using that.

[CarolineM 0]

What do you and your homey use to keep in touch? Is it just a phone, or webcam, software, etc?

Hehe couldn't resist.

Well Stewart and I didn't meet online so we were never big IM people. I had to show him how to download AIM to chat. We mostly used phone. (Yes it was expensive...) but with Pennytalk it was not so bad. He had some AWESOME card in Oz that was cheaper and better than mine.

We were only really apart for about 140 days so really we didn't need much!

[lizaanne 0]

I don't know what I would do without Skype. We do use email and IM every day, but when I get home from work, before I even take my coat off, I'm booting up the pc so we can talk before he goes to bed. Last night it was two and a half hours! And it's freeeeeeee!!!

I also will use Penny Card for calling him from my cell phone (49cents to connect and 2cents a minute) - for days when I have to work late and it would be too late to talk by the time I actually get home, I will call him from the road to at least say good night.

If we only had written communication I would go crazy!!

~Liza

[Jenn! 918]

My mind's in the gutter again.

I thought this thread was about something else!

[lizaanne 0]

LisaD -

Just saw your other note about Skype.

Skype is free VoIP on your computer. You just download the software, buy a really good headset with microphone, and call away for free!! The sound quality is far superior to the actual phone for us, and we have had hardly any downtime issues at all. You both must have high speed connections - he's on a T1 and I'm on broadband, so it's fantastic. If one of you has a slow connection it will be painfully static and jumpy.

They currently have a beta version that allows webcam also, but for webcam we will use MSN along with Skype - just easier for us. He can't get the beta version of Skype to work on his pc for some reason.

www.skype.com

Love it!!!

~Liza

[TracyTN 237]

For anyone who does not have Skype, let me just say - what are you waiting for?? I still can't believe its totally FREE. Mind boggling.

Though as expected, it doesn't work so well with dial up. My fiance's mom just got it to see what its all about and she's still on dial up. She said his voice came through VERY slow. (We're planning to get her on broadband before he moves here.)

[Ladylethal 12]

We use the phone as well, not so much now 'cus I moved to a place where would be just impossible to cope with the bills. Or the ammount of phone cards.