Skype Hacks: Save and Have Fun with Phone Service--O'Reilly's Latest Release

For Immediate Release
For more information, review copies, cover art, an interview with the
author, or excerpts from the books,
Contact:
Theresa Pulido (707) 827-7118 or theresa@oreilly.com


O'Reilly Introduces "Skype Hacks"
Save and Have Fun with Your Phone Service

Sebastopol, CA--Tired of dealing with your old phone system?  Turn to
Skype and begin to save money, have fun, and customize with innovative
ideas. Author Andrew Sheppard, calls Skype "a technology that is limited
only by your imagination." Though the savings of switching to Skype from
your traditional phone system--like saving from free calls all over the
world--can be considerable, saving money is just the beginning.  For
example, you can have your phone calls follow you wherever you go, and you
can send free text messages from a web browser on a computer that doesn't
even have Skype installed.

However, the Skype program offers very little documentation, which can
make it difficult for the beginner. "Skype Hacks" (Sheppard, O'Reilly,
$24.95 US) functions as a how-to guide and like a road map to Skype's
features and benefits. This practical, hands-on book shows the novice how
to get started and expands the technical repertoire of the hardcore
Skyper. Skype is a technology that encourages experimentation. The 100
hacks in this book equip the reader with the mindset and the tool set.
Each hack stands alone and all are rated for level of difficulty.

Beginners will learn how to:
- Use Skype on Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, and Pocket PC
- Maximize savings
- Set up a Skype server
- Put Skype shortcuts on the desktop
- Manage security
- Avoid Skype spammers
- Find alternatives to 911 and 411 service

More experienced Skypers can learn to:
- Configure, tweak, and customize Skype
- Integrate Skype into web pages
- Write scripts to automate Skype
- Use chat, voicemail, instant messaging, file transfer, conferencing, and
  video
- Solve performance and quality problems
- Replace your home phone system with Skype

For Andrew Sheppard, this book was born from his rebellion against the
traditional phone system with its ever-increasing fixed charges and taxes.
By changing his home phone system to Skype, he cut his phone bill by 82%,
and discovered how Skype can do things no regular phone system can do.
Educated in astrophysics and astronomical technology and equipped with an
MBA, he has worked as a scientific researcher, software developer, and
"rocket scientist" for financial companies in London, New York, and Tokyo.
He currently publishes two online electronic magazines: Elpis's Skype
Power User Magazine and Elpis's Skype API Developer Magazine. Intellectual
and practical, his motto is "Knowledge + Tools = Empowerment."

If you want to eliminate your land line, make free calls to friends all
over the world, pick up calls when you're not home, or many other fun and
useful things, Skype is for you, and "Skype Hacks" will give you all the
tips and tools you need for setting up a far more advanced and rewarding
phone service.

Additional Resources:

For more information about the book series, including table of contents,
sample hacks, index and author bios, see:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/skypehks/

For a cover graphic in JPEG format, go to:
ftp://ftp.ora.com/pub/graphics/book_covers/hi-res/0596101...

Skype Hacks: Tips & Tools for Cheap, Fun, Innovative Phone Service
Andrew Sheppard
ISBN: 0-596-10189-9, 321 pages, $24.95 US, $34.95 CAN
order@oreilly.com
1-800-998-9938
1-707-827-7000
http://www.oreilly.com
1005 Gravenstein Highway North
Sebastopol, CA 95472

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