Pamela: personal assistant for Skype

by Marc Orchant on July 18, 2005 at 04:44 AM

This looks like a great addition for Skype users. Pamela is a "personal assistant" for Skype that offers a bevy of features to handle Skype calls and IM's. Three versions are available. The Basic version is free. The Standard edition is 6 Euros (approximately $7.25 USD). The Professional Edition which records Skype calls, creates XML, and FTP files for podcasts (I'll be testing this for sure) is 17,50 Euros (approx. $21 USD).
Here's the Professional Edition feature list:
  • 2-way call recording (automatically or manually) and full support for recording of conference calls (legally sound as Pamela informs about the call recording automatically!)
  • Create PodCasts (of course we call them PamCasts!) with XML file creation for RSS feeds and optional automatic FTP upload of audio and XML files
  • Recording time can be set from 1 minute to unlimited
  • Time scheduling function for activation and deactivation of Pamela
  • Personalisation of your Skype contact list: set greeting and chat responses per contact!
  • Email forwarding of voice messages (manual or automatic, with full proxy support)
  • Enter SkypeAPI commands directly via the Pamela console
  • Option to create log files of the SkypeAPI
  • Option to send an informative (customisable) chat message that the caller will be forwarded to voicemail
  • Optional (customisable) confirmation chat message sent to caller after message recording with duration of left message
  • COOL: Option to have Pamela send a (customisable) chat message to a new caller when you already are in an active call and don't want to be disturbed (ringing stops!)
  • COOL: Option to have Pamela change your Skype status automatically during a call
  • Option to only play a greeting message but not record messages
  • Visual notification which voice messages have been played and which ones are new
  • Optionally install the LAME codec and Pamela will automatically generate native MP3 files for you! (sampling rate and bit rate can be set)
  • Optional visual balloon notification when the status of your Skype contacts changes (with details about the new status, e.g. contact X is now “Online”)
  • Take a call answered by Pamela back to Skype to speak to the caller
  • 32 languages included
30-day evaluations of the Standard and Professional Editions are available. A feature comparison chart is here. If, after the trial, you decide to use the free Basic Edition, you can install the it and retain your settings and password (nice).