Robby --

I found that "Pamela" also has a forum (click on community at the top of their home page). In their support forum, they report this is a known problem and they briefly describe (not very well) a workaround at http://www.pamela-systems.de/forum/viewtopic.php?t=94. By the way, if you notice this when my icon shows "Do Not Disturb" on Skype, try to Skype me to see if "Pamela" answers. I have it installed, but it is as yet untested. Thanks.

I found a better description of the workaround at http://www.pamela-systems.de/forum/viewtopic.php?t=63. It says,

"1. Windows sound is gone after installation. Due to windows limitations, on some systems the Pamela drivers will change the default sound device settings in Windows. Should your sound disappear after installation of Pamela please go to your Windows Sound Device settings (you should see "Pamela Virtual Cable" listed as sound device. Change this back to your sound card drivers.

-> Workaround/solution: manually set the Windows Sound Drivers back to the sound card drivers."

I would clarify this by adding:
If you open your Control Panel and click on "Sounds, Speech, and Audio Devices" and then on the next screen, "Sounds and Audio Devices" you will get a properties window. Under the "Voice" tab is the Voice Playback Default Device that is being changed I think. If that is set to "Pamela Virtual Cable Out", click the selection tab and select the other one which should be your sound card. Be sure to hit Apply and then OK on your way out. Hope this solves it Robby.

Skype Launches Beta Two-Way SMS Service

By Jennifer LeClaire - TechNewsWorld - 02/25/05 11:01 AM PT

Research consultancy Atlantic-ACM predicts the retail VoIP market will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 64 percent through 2009. Analysts believe Skype may be poised to cash in on that market with the fee-based services it currently offers.

Skype Technologies has begun allowing users to beta test free two-way short text messaging, the company announced yesterday. In addition to already receiving SMS messages for free, Skype users can now also send them via the company's "Skype to SMS" service.

"We launched our 'SMS to Skype' service just three weeks ago and have been very pleased with the positive feedback from Skype users," said Marcus Williamson, managing director of Connectotel, which is providing Skype with the SMS capability. "Now we are adding the next logical progression: 'Skype to SMS.'"

Williamson said in a statement that private beta testers have shown "enormous enthusiasm" for the new service, which uses voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) technologies to send messages back and forth between users.

Up, Up and Away
By closing the message loop, Skype has outdone Yahoo! (Nasdaq: YHOO) , AOL (NYSE: AOL) and Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) , according to Williamson, because these providers allow only the sending of SMS.

Research consultancy Atlantic-ACM predicts the retail VoIP market will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 64 percent through 2009. Analysts believe Skype is poised to cash in on that market with the fee-based services it currently offers.

Indeed, Skype has made some influential friends recently. The company forged an agreement earlier this month to bundle Skype with Xandros' Desktop Operating System and promote low-cost Xandros Linux desktops and laptops with Skype Internet calling.

Skype also aligned with Motorola (NYSE: MOT) in a co-marketing collaboration aimed at providing greater connectivity options and access for Skype's more than 25 million registered users worldwide through Motorola "Skype Ready" companion products.

Competing with Juggernauts
Atlantic-ACM VoIP analyst Aaron Nutt told TechNewsWorld that VoIP is heating up on the consumer side, hence Skype's deals with Xandros and Motorola. However, the company is competing with some heavy hitters in the telecom arena.

"There are a lot of big companies getting into VoIP, like AT&T (NYSE: T) , SBC and Verizon," Nutt said. "Vantage and Cablevision are the clear leaders."

Nutt said that Skype is somewhat of a different animal, though, because it has less of a profit-driven business model. "It's interesting to watch them continue to innovate technologically without necessarily trying to maximize their profit," he said.

Ultimately, Nutt said VoIP is likely to replace the traditional telecommunications infrastructure , and companies like Skype that are building brand awareness today could carve out a solid niche in the market in the future as the big players duke it out for dollars.

New services as Skype hits 100 million users
Large telcos should be nervous Iain Thomson, vnunet.com 18 Apr 2005

IP telephony firm Skype today claimed that its software has been downloaded by over 100 million computer users. To mark the occasion the company has launched two premium services.

Skype said that 35 million registered users have now used its software to make over seven billion minutes of voice calls. Customers are able to make free phone calls among themselves using voice over IP technology and a standard internet connection.

Skype chief executive and co-founder Niklas Zennström attributed the success of the software to the "viral power of our user base".
"Skype is simple to use and easy to share, and the marketplace is responding by making it its first choice in internet telephony," he said.
The two new services are SkypeIn and Skype Voicemail. SkypeIn customers choose a country and area code and are assigned a standard telephone number. Anyone may call the SkypeIn user's SkypeIn number wherever the user travels, and no international roaming charges are incurred.

SkypeIn users may purchase up to three numbers from their home country in Denmark, Finland, France, Hong Kong, Sweden, the UK and the US during the beta period.

Skype Voicemail allows users to store messages up to 10 minutes long and record their own greetings.

SkypeIn and Skype Voicemail ($15 and $30 a year respectively) are currently in public beta, and software is available for Linux, Mac OS X, Pocket PC and Windows.

A free copy of Skype can be downloaded here: Free Skype

I'm using Gizmo (www.gizmoproject.com) for VOIP and am happy with it. I prefer to support products that use open standards when possible. I also was concerned about my system being used as a relay for other calls. Sorry, I'm giving my spare cycles to the Grid.