For those who are smart and started using Skype (I’ve been using it for a long time), you have enjoyed a wonderful year of free long distance within the US and Canada. Well, the year end is approaching and the free calling promotion is going to end. But fear not, a new offer has been made available today.

If you order Skype Unlimited before January 31, 2007, you will get a year of unlimited calling to the US and Canada for only $14.95 (50% off the regular price). If you stack that with the annual charge of $36 for an entire year of SkypeIn, you’ve got a hell of a package price. Unlimited inbound and outbound calling with the US for a year for only $51. That’s an amazing price considering what most VoIP providers charge ($25/month and up). Plus, it works everywhere since nobody seems to know how to block it with their firewall and the packets slip by undetected.

You can also download the newly released version 3.0 from the Skype web site. The new version includes a bunch of new features including multiplayer gaming (why didn’t I ever finish that Sudoku support for Skype).