Announcement: SKYPE

Skype has just made it [even] easier to save money on International calls. Users can now directly call any phone in the world from a cellphone or landline, and that phone will ring immediately, with no pesky voice-prompts or hoops to jump through.

The Skype to Go service, which allows users to call other users via any phone, has been around since ~2007, but this new capability makes it easier to use.

Now, you can assign Skype’s local phone numbers for up to nine of your far-flung friends, thereby making foreign phone numbers local for you. Then, according to Skype, you simply call that number as you would any other; no Internet connection required. As Skype puts it, “No more waiting around with voice prompts — the call just goes straight through.”

The result? Low-priced, extreme long-distance calling that feels like a conventional phone call. And Skype prices are indeed low, with a subscription getting you per-minute rates for less than a penny. Now if Skype could only just reduce that HORRIBLY distracting voice delay in its calls, occasional outages w/ sound & quality issues; perhaps there is a painless way to save lots of money on your overseas gabbajabbas!