Skype isn’t known for playing well with others. It is a wonderful service that I use every day, but it is one hell of a walled garden. It has shunned the open SIP protocol that Gizmo and others have embraced. It’s instant messaging platform doesn’t work with Meebo and other aggregators. It is an island, other than for the (very important) caveat that it works quite nicely with the POTS network, meaning you can use skype to call, and receive calls from, the cell and regular phone networks.
We’re still waiting for a proper Skype hack to come along that gives us access beyond the Skype client software. But today, Charlie Paglee is announcing that they have hacked the Skype interface, and are putting their own “Skype In” and “Skype Out” functionality. The hack adds a button into Skype that adds TalQer VOIP functionality. Highlight a Skype contact, then click the button to call him or her via the TalkQer Voip service.
TalQer has a couple of nice features that Skype doesn’t offer, particularly a free inbound phone number and voicemail. But it’s unclear if that’s going to be enough to convince large numbers of Skype users to add this additional bit of software. My guess is it won’t, but this may irk Skype enough to block them and perhaps file a lawsuit or two.
Mike – help me understand the benefit here – I don’t see any. You still have to pay for Talquer just like Skype – and since Skype is so cheap, will many want this especially since Charlie is calling it a hack.
Maybe I am missing something….
nope.
Wow. Lots of people have been trying to crack skype for a long time. Its amazing that everything Microsoft or Apple comes out with (protocol, DRM, IM, activation, etc) gets cracked almost asap. But Skype, nope. Teams in China, Russia, the US, all over have been working on this. I expect all sorts of interesting things will happen now.
Human motivation is a mysterious thing. Many are the ways in which men and women find fulfillment. Some people seek to raise families. Some people seek to create art. Some people seek to climb mountains. And apparently some people seek to get sued by Skype. Who are we to say what’s best?
Why do we need to crack Skype? I just don’t get it sometimes I guess.
I don’t see people trying to crack an oreo or a toaster oven. We use it as-is. If you like Skype, use it. If not, move along to something else.
uhh… 1 reason cracking Skype is nice is that the Meebo folks will be able to add Skype to there web based IM. Right now they have Yahoo, Google Talk, Microsoft, and AOL. Skype is pecularly missing ? All because you cannot connect to the Skype network without the Skype client. Until now
The advantage that we offer over standard Skype is that we cost less and we provide industry standard SIP communications. Download our software, dial an 800 number and judge the voice quality for yourself. We provide TalqIn numbers from 38 countries to bring the true value of VoIP to millions of Skype users who cannot get incoming phone numbers today. We spent a lot of time engineering TalQer so that it would work well in situations where Skype does not, like interaction with voicemail systems where touch tones are required. A single TalQer account can be used by multiple users for multiple applications where Skype is only able to be used by a single user in a single location.
Now if skype and talqer could drive the price of cell pones down!
You could almost call it a necessary evil.
Other than not using sip and xmpp, skype’s api sucks much more than its product. Charlie, since you’re at it, can you provide a better api for skype?
Ahh – I like the free voicemail and inbound phone number. Those are big bonuses. Though, I am considering just paying Skype for both. I already got the unlimited calling plan for $14.95, how can I complain?
So, let me get this straight. Skype blows the doors off the market, and TechCrunch thinks it’s okay for people, in direct violation Skype’s license, to hack and redirect revenue to a third party. In many situations this would be called STEALING.
Last time I checked Skype is not an open source project… What’s wrong with you?
Well, the question is can Talqer be as reliable as Skype has been. Or can Talqer provide a seamless and friendly overall user experience. Unfortunately, the answer is no. I am currently a Talqer user and whenever I tried to place a call to India, the call would not go through. An email to customer service did not even elicit a response despite providing all relevant details of the problem.
Recently, as of January 2, my Talqer account vanished altogether even though I had credit in it. I was not able to log in through the Talqer software or the website. Talqer did not respond to my support request via their website contact form nor by email. Talqer does not even send out acknowledgment emails that they have received your support request.
So, I believe Talqer can’t just meet up the customer service standards for a small segment of users it currently has….not at least at this point. And I don’t think Skype will go after such a small entity.
Reliability and quality of service is not the issue. TalQer violates Skype’s EULA and deprives them of the economic benefit of what they created.
http://www.crunchback.com
@CrunchBack:
You are right. Reliability and quality of service comes after it passes all the legality issues.
If I were Skype I would shut this down before too many users adopt it, thus avoiding a Myspace/YouTube type of situation. On the other hand, maybe Skype buys Talqer just to take it off the market, gain the technology, and keep charging people for voicemail and the free inbound number.
It’ll be one or the other, just watch.
I dont use skype every day. Why would I?
I think skype will be over with in the long run
That does add nice functionality, this will just make the Skype team step up to the plate, bet we’ll see a buy out or nasty law suit.
I suspect that Skype will either break this in the next update or they will be shutdown by a lawsuit. Either way, this hack will go no where.
In a P2P world, as there’s almost no server, client is the core of the technology and service. So nobody would like to open the client software. If skype really gets hacked, then everybody would be easy to launch a skype alike service, just as BT.
Tech Tutorials: http://www.hotcoding.com
Wow, worldnews! Really? Come on, putting a button on the Skype interface is not too difficult! A few have already done that in the past and you break the EULA with it.
They could have done it in line with the EULA by using the API and catching a SkypeOut call before it actually calls and then let TalQuer take over the call.
Skype can never break this because it is really easy to directly write something in someone others interface. Every Windows API programmer knows how to do this, right?
I wish they would hack skype so it could use other IM services, I hate having up to three programs running just so I can talk to my network of contacts who for various reasons do not like cerain services. If GAIM can do it why can skype not do it, whats the advantage, surely you want people to use your software more than your network?
I think the best issue for Skype is to consider the new features provided by Talqer (invoice mail and free inbound number). As an intensive VoIP services user, I would say the most valuable service I have the better it would be for me. Moreover, I’d like to deal with Wengo (http://www.wengo.com/) which is another VoIp solution but completely open source. Contrary to Punjabi experience, here I have a very good support.
Competitors can be stakeholders to the entire Industry in a mature setup.
http://www.tekn...ld.blogspot.com
seriously what the ****?!
what happened to the old web 2.0 startup blog, now techcrunch just seems to be about promoting hacks, bad news in companies and well general crap …
I agree with these sentiments:
a) it is to no one’s real advantage that this was hacked (is it really worth depriving skype of their earnings just so that you can access a skype account on meebo? who cares?)
b) it is illegal and it’s f**king distasteful of techcrunch to even remotely sound like it promotes/is ok with this sort of thing
c) adam is right – techcrunch has diversified into the sh**-tabloid of the software and startups. way to go – you went from being the new york times to being the new york post in the span of a couple of years. class act, that arrington.
I went to check out Talqer and was getting ready to signup when I noticed that their online signup form is not encrypted. Not cool.
I wonder how many people have entered their credit card info. on that page?
this is stupid; first…why should SKYP play with others, the others suck…and this is bidness, america, capitalism…
i thik you should share your revenue with other bloggers…or at least venturebeat.com cause it seems many times you rip them other by repasting a story over here.
What I don’t get is how a company can hinge its business model on a hack that violates the DMCA and the terms of use of another competitor. As l33t as that all may sound, it’s a pretty amateurish business move if you ask me.
Amen. I hope these idiots get screwed.
I think I only saw one commentor spot it.
How many other people know ?
SKYPE is p2p…..meaning your conversation reaches your friend on the other end of the line via hundreds of other SKYPE clients. That is to say, they spray your conversation data halfway around the internet, (yes through other folks computers who are online with SKYPE) to deliver the messages.
Reverse-engineering the skype protocol is not illegal. Changing the skype code is however an altogether different issue. Once the protocol is cracked we will see an open source app that can use the skype protocol (as well as SIP) and we will see lots of new functionality. This is good for the consumer. At the same time it won’t stop people using paid-for services like SkypeOut, SkypeIn. It will encourage competition in the provision of additional services.
Being locked-in is bad for the consumer.
http://en.wikip.../Skype_Protocol
They won’t just piss off Skype. They’re pissing ME off.
Incoming phone numbers are NOT free.
Those bastards say “Free TalqIn Phone Numbers for everyone!” on their front page, and TEchCrunch relays that.
BUt click on TalqIn, and you get
“Best of all, TalqIn is affordable. At prices starting at €2.40 ($3.00) per month TalqIn provides convenience and peace of mind without costing an arm and a leg.”
http://talqer.c...KLnDAv6EzbzluUr
Fuck em
Ref cctech and punjab
I am experiencing similar lack of service response & ‘unusual’ handling of Paypal.
I started the signup process, chose to go for Paypal $10, was informed an email would be sent for confirmation of the Paypal (I think there was a reference to fraud in the message). I received the email, clicked on the link, and got “Server error”. I tried different browsers on Mac and PC – they all failed.
I sent an email to talqer over 24 hours ago with no response! Thats it for me, not good vibrations…
Adam and Eve,
Yes it is free! 1st one you get directly when you sign up, the second one you have to pay for.
This service so far really sucks and I am getting bad vibes. First the free incoming calls number does not work, and even if it did the area code would mean that everyone calling from a land line would have to pay long distance. Remember most places already offer free pc to pc calls, so that is the only thing this inbound number would be good for, that is if it did work.
They processed my credit card 3 times, all of which failed, and now this company has my number and ccv, which who knows if they are even an honest company. I realised they are a skype hack after the fact.
I used the credit that I purchased to buy two phone numbers and the numbers don’t work. Well after emailing them I have had no response, so it looks like that money is gone, plus I am worried about my cc number now.
So really why would anyone use this service? I used it because Skype does not have inbound numbers in my area. I order this service to get the inbound numbers only to find that they don’t work and zero response from these people.
Talqer does not work. Stay away from it.
Most of you are talking about a sideline feature to SKYPE, for better or worse, that is insignificant to the way SKYPE itself sucks. All the people who paid like myself for a promotional plan pre Jan. 31st for $14.95 who still do not have free unlimited calling within the U.S. All the people who got their credit cards charged twice and haven’t had their problems resolved. A customer support center that doesn’t exist. What a wretched company.
Hello! hgh muscle
Hi
I have an old skype account that is linked to an email address where I used to work. I need to change the password as someone else has taken it over pretending to be me and my old email address is no longer in use.
I have contacted skype re this and they won’t help – does anyone have any ideas?
Thanks
Yvette
If you ask me I reckon they allready know how to crack skype but do not want it to be public knowledge.