SAM Official Public Release

SAM — Skype Answering Machine — has been released to public on March 17, 2005.
From the official site:

Included features are:

√ Free for all to enjoy
√ Supports Window 2000 & XP
√ Uses dedicate software audio device (included) for compatibility with all sound cards and USB phone devices
√ Simple installation
√ Straight forward configuration
√ User Interface Localization – currently supported 24 languages
√ User configurable text & voice greeting messages
√ User configurable global answering mode: Enable or Disable
√ User configurable answering On or Off for Skypeâ„¢’s online mode
√ User configurable delay before answering incoming calls
√ User configurable voice message recording duration anywhere between 0 and 10 hours!!
√ Option for a separate set of configurations for non-buddy callers
√ Notification of operational status using changing icons in the system tray
√ Recorded voice message information:
- Caller Name, ID and Skypeâ„¢ Online Status
- Time of Call
- Duration
- Icon indicating if the message is new or has been heard
√ Mute control of speakers while incoming call is answered
√ NEW: User can “Force Answering of Call” by SAM while incoming call is ringing
√ NEW: User can “Take Control over Call” from SAM while voice greeting is played or during recording the callers voice message
Note: This feature is inconceivable in Skype’s VM architecture !!!
√ ‘Play all New Message’ with the hit of one button when you return to computer
√ Run multiple instance of SAM under different Windows users

I’ve been using SAM for quite a while now, and couldn’t live without it
It’s a really good and free alternative to the official Skype Voicemail, which costs €15,- for 1 year.

You can download Sam here.
Or buy Skype Voicemail (BETA) here.