DD and SIL use it to chat with family in England. We thought the old real-time keyboard links were cool, god knows they were better than Email, but this is just like you said. Like Dick Tracy come true.

With me and one son here and mom, sisters and two sons there, we love it!!! Actually, I don't have a camera, as it's one of the things that I always mean to get around to buying but never do, but the setup is grand, and DG uses it all the time with her son who is now in Hawaii. She's the computer tech person in the family. I remember being here for a year when there was only snail mail, and all letters were two weeks out of date, and some got lost, although the ones I have saved are dear and precious. But cyberspace has allowed me to stay in touch with my sons and family in a way I never imagined, and without it I would be fairly bereft. As one who reads endless amounts of science fiction, I am only too aware that today's sf is tomorrow's science, and for me, the communication universe is a miracle. Phone rates are way down, too, so calling and chatting is nowhere near the money it once was, and I talk to the States 2-3 times a month. Easy, cheap and wonderful! Batya

I surely can relate to that one, having lived out of the country as a child and teen. Two weeks minimum for an answer, usually longer, even if you sent a post by airmail.

Phone calls were so expensive, that a seven minute call my mother made to my father in Asia came to fifty dollars. I remember her nearly fainting when she got the phone bill. That was back in the 50s and that money would pay the rent, probably. She had asked the operator to cut her off at seven minutes, instead of one minute.........because in her mind she knew one minute was seven dollars.

When my DD and SIL were living in England, and still for those dear ones who live there, I often send larger parcels month early by surface mail because of the postage.

Information superhighway is a good name for it, and there is little reason for a person to remain uninformed anymore if they have enough gumption to go looking for facts and are preferential enough to sort the wheat from the chaff.

My friend in Boston and I have used it for months.
We LOVE it!!

We chat, show each other our newest grands, work together on art/scrapbook projects, and even our monkeys communicate via Skype!

My camera is made into my laptop screen (which isn't real convenient) and I have a portable.
She has a portable.
We have found (for us) the portable web cam is more practical in doing things other than just talking back and forth.

A Word of Caution: As with any internet communication, DO NOT ANSWER ANY SKYPE call if you are not aware of who is calling. You may see more than you bargained for. LOL!!
A word from the 'wiser.'

I have had Skype for quite a while as it is available in the bundled software that Google offers. Just click on more at the top of the Google page and a whole new world will be opened up to you. My sister in New Zealand and her daughter also recently set it up and and her new laptop came with the camera and the microphone built in. We talked for an hour and a half last night and she showed us her knick knacks and it was great to see her face. She is coming over in June to go to the high school reunion with my other sister in Iowa and to spend some time with us and my brother. Last time she was here was about 8 or 9 years ago. I haven't been over there yet but someday. Now we have to get my other sister and brother to get set up. I need to get a camera but that means I need to clean up my office.

don,

LOL!!
My friend in Boston has seen 'selected images' of my Sun/Craft/Crap-room.
When we started Skype'ing she asked to see the whole thing.
I said, 'Maybe next year.'
Well, it's been over a year and she ain't seen it yet!