It's not a coincidence you hear a lotof news from us about [PChome Online](http://www.pchome.com.tw/). Theyare our most active partner, being based in Taiwan. They also were thefirst partner to launch a [co-branded version with us lastsummer](http://www.skype.com/company/news/2004/pchome.html). PChome andSkype are a constant source of energy, innovation and fun to each other.
As part of the "people visiting Skype's Tallinn office" series,here's Sam and Peter from PChome. (Sam is on the left on the picturebelow.) We talk about how the cooperation got started, how it's going,and what they think of Skype now that they've visited us in person.Also interesting stuff about what they're doing with hardware.
Download this interview as[MP3](http://download.skype.com/share/audio/pchome_sam_peter.mp3) or[OGG](http://download.skype.com/share/audio/pchome_sam_peter.ogg)(length 15:39).
**Let's get started. Wehave visitors from PChome at Skype office today. PChome is our greatfriend in Taiwan. I would like to get started by you stating your nameand position, so who are you and what are you doing in PChome?**
**Sam:** Hi guys. This Sam from PChome. I'm the person who takescharge of PChome and Skype business, especially focused on the softwareand services in Taiwan. Here is one of my colleagues Peter. Peter, sayhello to everyone!
**Peter:** Hi, I'm Peter. I'm mainly doing the technical stuff, so I'm a technical guy.
**How long have you guys been with PChome and what were you doing before that?**
**Sam:** I've been in PChome for almost 2 years, and taken charge ofSkype business in PChome for one and a half years. Before that, Iworked for a content provider - a mobile value-added service businessin Taiwan. Peter?
**Peter:** I'm only with PChome for half a year. Before that, Iworked in a family business in food industry, a totally differentplace. Before the food industry, I was actually working in SiliconValley as a software engineer.
**Many of our readers and listeners have never been to Taiwan, soplease tell a bit about what's the culture like and what are the peoplelike there? And also, you have probably both been around in Asia andother places in Europe -- if not before, then at least you're here now.So please tell us a bit about what's different in Taiwan from otherplaces?**
**Sam:** Taiwan is a good place. If you got a chance, I suggest youall to visit Taiwan. The people in Taiwan are very friendly and allpeople there like to talk. So the reason why Skype's business in Taiwancan grow so much, because the people are using free words to talk. Andthese days when I visit Tallinn, I feel that people here are also veryfriendly to me, and the landscape here is very beautiful, and theliving standard is the same as in Taiwan. So this is a very good placeto me, because I live here, I got used to being here, and if I get achance, I will come back again. Peter?
**Peter:** People in Taiwan are a little bit busier than people here...
**What do you mean?**
**Peter:** I mean the reasoning is faster because it's a big citywith more than 3 million people. So it's like any other city in theworld -- the bigger, the busier. And most of the Asian people like tostay in big cities, as opposed to Tallinn which is kind of relaxed. Sothe first impression when I came to this office -- it was much morequieter than the office we are in Taiwan, Taipei. So to some extent, Ineed to get used to this quiet place 
**Are there any specific features or properties of Skype that peoplelike in Taiwan more than others? Do they use one particular servicemore?**
**Sam:** Why people like Skype in Taiwan is very easy to tellbecause it's free. It's software-based, easy to install and register.Also the penetration there can be so fast because people there reallylike to talk and invite friends to test something new. So as long aspeople test Skype and they feel, wow, it's amazing, the voice qualityis like face-to-face talking, they are excited and tell friends, comeon, let's use Skype! After free talk they still like to talk, even ifyou are not in front of your computer. So they are likely to useSkypeOut, especially when they know that SkypeOut is so cheap and soeasy to get. So talking, speaking functions in Skype are the mostpopular in Taiwan. Of course, there are several other functions inSkype, like IM-s, file transfers, they are also very popular, but Ithink the voice and being able to talk for free is the main thingpeople like.
**Peter:** I think there are a lot of small businesses that evenhave offices in mainland China and in the U.S. Even if they're small,they're international. So being able to cut down cost of communicationis very important. Skype is doing well in this category.
**Do you guys remember when you yourself first came in contact withSkype? Either as a product just as a user, or as the project insideyour company? Was there anything particular or interesting about yourfirst contact?**
**Sam:** First time my contact with Skype was one and a half yearsago in PChome office. What can I say... I said, this thing must be ahuge success, as the voice quality is amazing and it's free, so we needto get it. This was my feeling.
**Peter:** I wasn't there when they started this, but from what Iheard, people were excited. They were actually evaluating to do theirown instant messenger because a lot of competitors were on the market.But some guy saw this Skype and the free talking thing. So we startedevaluating it and talking to Skype and we got lucky to be one of theearly partners with Skype. That was a good timing.
**Sam:** I still remember... as PChome is a big web portal site inTaiwan, so we have many members and subscribers. We were also lookingfor a VoIP solution for a long time, like for a few years. So we keptlooking but we couldn't find a solution that was really suitable forPChome. So the first time we found Skype... in Taiwan we have manyusers and subscribers, we can promote to them, but we don't have thiskind of technology. And you got that kind of technology and thebusiness model, and we thought, what we want. So we started to proposeand were lucky.
**What are some current interesting projects regarding Skype thatyou have worked on recently or what you are currently working on?**
**Sam:** Currently we're working for SkypeIn services. We haveSkype, Skype Out, Skype Voicemail in Taiwan already, and we are justlaunching SkypeIn in Taiwan. We are going to launch Skype Groups andwe're waiting for the new version with video and that, what we're goingto do. Also hardware business in Taiwan and the world.
**We saw news recently that you guys launched a separate IPEVO brandfor the hardware and USB phones and stuff like that. So are you guysalso related with that?**
**Sam:** [IPEVO](http://www.ipevo.com) is a hardware brand fromPChome. Before IPEVO, PChome had our first USB phone named Touch-1. ButTouch-1 was with PChome brand. And we kept thinking internally to seeif we wanted to do Skype devices business, what kind of model are wegoing to do? So we decided to have a standalone brand. We have a wholenew brand story called IPEVO. The name is for "IP evolutions". So wehave IPEVO and it is marketed not just in Taiwan, but also US and otherforeign markets. So with IPEVO brand, PChome will make other fantasticdevices purely for Skype. Not only Free-1 USB phone which is sellingvery well. We're going to launch a cordless USB phone, a WiFi phone andspeakerphone and so on. So we have a lot of plans for the future.
**Did you have any expectations about Skype as a company before thisvisit? And now that you've been around our office, has it changed yourview? You said already before how it's more quiet than your place, butis there anything else that you didn't expect that you have seen here?**
**Peter:** I have a lot of feelings about this place because it somuch resembles the startup company I used to work for in SiliconValley. You got the same high ceilings and the painting on the walls issingle colour but different for each room. We used to have that too.The place that I used to work for, we called it "the big garage". SoI'm going to tell my boss that there's a company in Estonia calledSkype, and they made a good success and we didn't really make it So that's what I feel.
**Sam:** Actually to visit Skype's office in Tallinn these days,I've been prepared. I know that in Estonia there are not so manypeople, and also in Tallinn not so many, so I thought maybe there's notsuch a beautiful office in this place. But most exciting is, when Iwalk in rooms for separate functions, the people there are working veryhard, and they're working in an exciting and casual way. They can evendiscuss every topic in the kitchen and at every table. Just using yourlaptop and WiFi, you sit down and even over lunch, you can talk, andtalk freely and in a very casual way. So I think this is the mostimportant difference to compare what I do in Taiwan, and it's a niceway. So I'm going back to ask my team to do the same thing.
**You yourself as a Skype user. What do you do with it mostly? Whodo you talk to - your colleagues, your friends or family? What kind offeatures do you use and like?**
**Sam:** Personally, I can call myself a heavy Skype user. When Ifirst used Skype, I wasn't used to using voice function over an IMinterface. So at that time, that was a job, so you needed to talk anduse this, the most people I connected and talked to via Skype were mycolleagues and co-workers. But since the voice quality is good, Istarted to talk with my friends. I told all my previous colleagues toinstall this application. After friends to family, after family tosomeone else I don't even know, so I start to talk with them via Skype.Also SkypeOut the same history, first not talking, but testing with mycolleagues, and then my friends, my family and someone I don't know,even just call to a hotel, I use my SkypeOut. So that's my currentexperience.
**Peter:** I just have a feeling about Skype. Once you get used toit, it's hard to go back to your mobile phone because you know it'sgoing to cost you that much. The thing is, I didn't use Skype,especially SkypeOut that much before I came to Tallinn. When I'm here,I started using Skype calling back to my wife and parents, and I canspeak like five or ten minutes with them and it costs like less than0.1 Euro or something. So it would be impossible for me to go back tousing a fixed line or mobile phone to call them from such a longdistance. I have to find a network and connect with my laptop and startusing Skype.
**Thanks, guys! I don't actually have any more specific questions,so is there anything I forgot to ask that you'd like to add here? Andwhat would your message be about Skype be to someone who is justlearning about Skype and reading this and has never used it?**
**Peter:** We just have a good time and the people here are really nice and we enjoy being friends with you.
**Sam:** My last comment is, congratulations to Skype! Because youhave been a big success. But since you have married with eBay, youdefinitely will have another huge success, so congratulations!