I've got two words that are going to make all the pain go away. Miniature Golf.

Mayor ,'Lies My Parents Told Me'


Buffistechnology 3: "Press Some Buttons, See What Happens."

Got a question about technology? Ask it here. Discussion of hardware, software, TiVos, multi-region DVDs, Windows, Macs, LINUX, hand-helds, iPods, anything tech related. Better than any helpdesk!


Typo Boy - Mar 19, 2008 10:41:11 am PDT #5271 of 25501
Calli: My people have a saying. A man who trusts can never be betrayed, only mistaken.Avon: Life expectancy among your people must be extremely short.

Question: most laptops don't have great sound cards compared to desktops. I had to buy a USB sound card to get "Naturally Speaking" to do decent speech recognition on my computer.

But I'd imagine Skype would not be that fussy. Anyone do Skype (voice only) over a lap top and have no problem? I think the person already has a headphone/mic compo. Or does he need a USB soundcard as well?


Jessica - Mar 19, 2008 10:45:07 am PDT #5272 of 25501
And then Ortus came and said "It's Ortin' time" and they all Orted off into the sunset

Uh oh, does this mean I have to crack open my laptop?

Probably, if you want to install the Airport card. But I bet apple.com has pictures.


flea - Mar 19, 2008 10:46:21 am PDT #5273 of 25501
information libertarian

mr. flea Skypes France on his Mac laptop with no trouble. He doesn't even use a mic, just the built-in. He uses earbuds to listen.


amych - Mar 19, 2008 10:48:31 am PDT #5274 of 25501
Now let us crush something soft and watch it fountain blood. That is a girlish thing to want to do, yes?

Skype doesn't have to process sound to anywhere near the same degree as voice recognition software -- just capture it and transmit it on. The built-in sound card should be just fine.


§ ita § - Mar 19, 2008 10:48:48 am PDT #5275 of 25501
Well not canonically, no, but this is transformative fiction.

I Skype with just my Powerbook's built-in mic sometimes too, TB. Haven't had any complaints, other than a nagging echo issue which I wouldn't lay at the feet of the hardware.


Typo Boy - Mar 19, 2008 10:51:32 am PDT #5276 of 25501
Calli: My people have a saying. A man who trusts can never be betrayed, only mistaken.Avon: Life expectancy among your people must be extremely short.

Thanks. And ita, are using combined earphone mike set (with the mike built in to the earphones)? Somewhere in really freakin tough to navigate Skype documentation, they say if you don't useearphones with a built in mike there is a good chance of echoing.


§ ita § - Mar 19, 2008 10:54:59 am PDT #5277 of 25501
Well not canonically, no, but this is transformative fiction.

TB, either I use the built-in mic or the iSight's mic. It's irritating that my sister's built-in stuff results in better audio quality than the iSight, but not enough to keep me up nights.


Allyson - Mar 19, 2008 12:52:54 pm PDT #5278 of 25501
Wait, is this real-world child support, where the money goes to buy food for the kids, or MRA fantasyland child support where the women just buy Ferraris and cocaine? -Jessica

I was just talking about how dumb I've been. I don't actually need the card. Because, you know, I'VE USED WIRELESS ON THIS LAPTOP A MILLION TIMES.

OMG, so dumb.


dcp - Mar 19, 2008 1:11:54 pm PDT #5279 of 25501
The more I learn, the more I realize how little I know.

Anyone do Skype (voice only) over a lap top and have no problem?

I use my mp3 player headphones and my laptop's built-in mic (which is above the screen, next to the camera), and it works very well. Without the headphones, the mic picks up the output from from the laptop speakers (which are at the top of the keyboard), and the guy I'm talking to hears his voice echoed back to him.


omnis_audis - Mar 19, 2008 1:13:33 pm PDT #5280 of 25501
omnis, pursue. That's an order from a shy woman who can use M-16. - Shir

Well Allyson, that's easy, then YES Yes you can return the card. Glad to be of help! ;)

I am not sure how I am destroying these DVD players! I have to buy a new one every four months or so, and last night my most recent DVD player has now decided that everything I put in it is a bad disc!
I wonder if your getting enough air flow for it. Is it sitting on top of of the cable box? The amp? Something pouring out a lot of heat? Is it enclosed in a bookcase with no room on the sides? A glass door blocking the front? Just an idea.

As for Skype. I've got my bluetooth headset from the phone working on the computer, so I can walk around the house and talk on Skype and not be tethered to the computer at all! Just an idea if you have BT on your computer.