In today’s day and age, anyone who uses the internet and is not aware of Skype can be officially branded as a dud; for all it is worth, he will be laughed out of the room.

Skype is ‘the’ most popular video chat and voice calling service available online and has pretty much revolutionized the way in which people connect with each other.

Pros:

- The biggest advantage of Skype is that you can video chat with anyone in the world, provided that he/she has an internet connection and a web cam available.
- You can also voice call for free.
- In case, you want to call the required person on mobile or landlines, you can do so by paying minimal charges.
- The Skype console can also be used for conversation through messages.
- The latest version is compatible with Windows 8 and has an improved integration with Facebook and Microsoft. There are now more Facebook features available and the registration process has become simpler. This effectively means that you can log in through Facebook or Hotmail.
- The console outlook has improved in the latest version.
- Skype provides input about the internet connectivity and a user can plan conversations accordingly.

Cons:

- The voice and video call quality is still dependant on the speed of the internet connection. If the connectivity is poor at one of the two ends, the users have to shift to audio chat to maintain the conversation.

System Requirements:

This software, which uses P2P technology, can be downloaded on any Windows operated system - Windows XP/Vista/7/8. It does not accompany any spyware and malware and the installation process is very simple. There are no pre-requisite software required for IDM to operate. The file size is 31.26 MB.

Upgrades:

Skype is totally free. This latest version was released on August 01, 2013.