Interesting that they did a survey of users and then downgraded the free version to be just a bit better than skype. If everybody ( Or enough ) people move over to ooVoo that skype goes bust, you can guarantee that ooVoo will charge and free version will be no more.

You say:
"You are being very silly indeed. It would never be allowed for the public if they couldn't listen in PERIOD."

That is far from correct. There are many easy to use IM encrytions which are pracitically unbreakable and many others, which require considerable effort to break. Those methods are not illegale.

With ooVoo, there is nothing. All text is easily scanned in the US and voice recognision is getting better as the days pass.

Skype is P2P and encrypted and if all calls were tapped, it would be traceable and thereby known to the public.

Well, marginally better than Skype, perhaps, but there aren't any significantly compelling new features. And you're not going to swap clients (and persuade all your friends to move networks) just for 'marginally better'.

[They claim to have a 'talk to people on other networks' feature, but in reality it appears to be 'make them install the client, only as an ActiveX control in IE so hopefully they won't notice' - hopeless.]

Shouldn't we all be using SIP or some other standard these days? Having a proprietary network only usable through one closed-source client is so 1990s.

C'mon do you honestly believe NSA cannot tap skype calls ? You are being very silly indeed. It would never be allowed for the public if they couldn't listen in PERIOD. You people probably also believe Haifa's Technion eggheads (aka Mossad) didn't design in back doors into every Core number numeral chip. HA, You people live in a fantasy world...
Privacy is a myth. Wake the hell up !
As for skype, it works well, even my mom uses it (with both hands) :)

But no Linux version forth coming... Shame as Skype managed it!

According to Wikipedia Oovoo does not use P2P network so it all presumably goes unencrypted over servers in the US, where all non-americans are subject to surveilance without warrant by the authorities.

Skype offers some privacy and cannot, according to Ebay, even be tapped if they want to.

As long as there is no reliable encryption on Oovoo we should stay away. That is the only way we can teach them to secure our privacy.

ooVoo is much more than an "up and coming Skype contender", it is superior to Skype in many significant ways. First, they have something that Skype is totally lacking - Customer Support. Second, their interface is more visually intuitive and appealing. Third, they do not have problems with their software crashing, or hanging, or causing audio problems, or BSOD crashing the entire computer, all of which are well known situations with Skype.

Finally, and most importantly, with this new release their video quality is the equal of Skype, and the improved video will work with any webcam that is capable of 640x480 resolution, rather than being limited to only THREE "anointed" Logitech webcams - even the newest webcams from Logitech will not do HQ VIdeo on Skype!