If someone is calling you, you will hear the sound of a telephone ringing and the Skype icon in your system tray will flash. Go to the Skype application (if not already visible) and select whether you would like to answer or reject the call in the incoming call tab. As soon as you decide to answer a call, a two-way voice conversation will begin and the duration of the call will be visible.

You need to have SkypeOut credits to call to the telephone network.

There are several ways to call a Contact:
 Right-click the Skype Name in your Contact List or the search result and select ”Call”
 Double-click the Skype Name in your Contact List or the search result
 Select a Skype Name and then click the ”Call button” at the bottom of the window.

If you use a USB/Bluetooth headset or USB phone or use multiple sound cards, you can configure which device to use for AUDIO-IN (microphone), AUDIO-OUT (headphones or speakers) and Ringing (sound alerts) by going to the I/O devices Tab under Options. For USB phones, it’s probably best to configure AUDIO-OUT and AUDIO-IN so that it uses the USB device. If you want Skype to ring using your speakers, set the “Ringing” device so that it uses your default windows device.

Practically all home computers purchased within the last 2-3 years can run Skype and if you pick up a headset, you’re ready to go!.

To get started using Skype, Skype software is free to download and you can always get the latest version at www.skype.com.

A Personal Area Network is another name for a Bluetooth Piconet.

No, both Bluetooth and WLAN can co-exist. Since Bluetooth devices use Frequency Hopping and most WLANs use Direct Sequence Spreading techniques they each appear as background noise to the other and should not cause any perceivable performance issues.

No. Bluetooth radios operate on the unlicensed 2.4 GHz (Industrial, Scientific and Medical) frequency band that is shared among other devices (microwave ovens, cordless phones, garage door openers, etc. ). Bluetooth radios switch frequencies at such a rapid pace (1,600 times per second) and the data packets are so small that interference from other RF sources is highly unlikely. Bluetooth is a robust communication system.

Frequency-Hopping Spread-Spectrum (FHSS) is a spread spectrum modulation scheme that uses a narrowband carrier that changes frequency in a pattern known to both transmitter and receiver. Properly synchronized, they maintain a single logical channel. To an unintended receiver, FHSS appears as short-duration impulse noise. More simply, the data is broken down into packets and transmitted to the receiver of other devices over numerous "hop frequencies" (79 total) in a pseudo random pattern. Only transmitters and receivers that are synchronized on the same hop frequency pattern will have access to the transmitted data. The transmitter switches hop frequencies 1,600 times per second to assure a high degree of data security.

Yes. They have to. The Bluetooth Logo Certification Program requires Bluetooth products to interoperate with products manufactured by other vendors; those products that don't interoperate will not be allowed to use the Bluetooth logo.

While the possibilities are nearly endless for the applications of the technology, some of the current capabilities include:
l Eliminating the need for wired connections between electronic products and accessories
l Exchanging files, business cards, calendar appointments, etc. with groups of Bluetooth users
l Transfering and synchronizing files between devices
l Connecting to localized content services in public areas
Functioning as remote controls, keys, tickets and e-cash wallets

Bluetooth is a telecommunications industry specification that describes how mobile phones, computers, and personal digital assistants (PDA) can be easily interconnected using a short-range wireless connection. Using this technology, users of cellular phones, pagers, and personal digital assistants can buy a three-in-one phone that can double as a portable phone at home or in the office, get quickly synchronized with information in a desktop or notebook computer, initiate the sending or receiving of a fax, initiate a print-out, and, in general, have all mobile and fixed computer devices be totally coordinated