Skype on Asus Eee
Mar 20th, 2008 by Don Ray
I had a good friend of mine contact me from Virginia and ask me if I used Skype. I haven’t loaded it on my main Linux PC because It is running 64 bit Linux. However, I remembered that it is on the Asus Eee laptop, so I booted it up.
In seconds, I was looking at and talking to my by friend with telephone clarity. The built in camera on the Eee works like a charm. It just doesn’t get any better than this.
Don Ray,
I have Skype running on my 64-bit (k)Ubuntu laptop. You need to install the 32-bit lib of one package (which escapes me now) using apt-get and use “dpkg –force-architecture –install skypexxxx.deb”. You can install Skype first and run it from a command line to see which lib you need.
Nice to see a confirmation that it works on the Eee too.
I will take a look. I installed it on my other PC which is running Linux Mint (KDE). I am thinking of putting ity on my main PC. I am not convinced that running 64 bit is really giving me much extra performance.
I love skype! I have conference calls with my friends all over the world. Recently, on a trip to Mexico, my flight was delayed and my luggage lost. First, from the Houston airport and my laptop, I skyped my friends, who were waiting for me at the airport in Morelia, to tell them my flight had been delayed. When I arrived in the little village of my friends, I was able to call Continental airlines using Skype from a remote place in Mexico and a helpful employee tracked my luggage. A competent taxi driver delivered my luggage right to my friend’s house in a little Mexican village.
By the way, I was investigating Mexico as a retirement spot, as well as visiting friends who retired there two years ago. Although a trip to the Monarch butterfly sanctuary was incredible, Mexico does not compare to Panama in the area of retirement incentives. Panama is still at the top of my list! Only one more year to go..Panama here we come.
Hi Debbie. Thanks for adding a comment. I was very impressed last night. The built in camera, speakers and mic on the Eee wooked very well. I need to test my small earphone and mic because that will provide more private conversations. A speaker phone would not be as good in an airport.
I too considered Mexico in the past and am glad I passed on the thought.
Don Ray - is the EEE avaliable in Panama? What are prices like? Down here in Colombia they cost as much as US$800 new.
I haven’t looked in Panama to be honest. I had it picked up in the US and it was brought to me by a friend on one of his trips. Normally, technology is at least 30% more expensive. Not true in all cases. This one was $399 in the US.
Yeah that’s about the markup here too. Oh well, thanks anyway.
No problem.
just after reading Debbie’s post re conference calls on skype.
I have never done such a conference call (tho I have used skype every day for years). But wouldn’t it be cool, if we all (in here i.e. the regular posters) agreed a time and did a conference all?