VoIP Services

What you need to understand is that by using the term “free”, we are not being completely correct. Even in the case of 100% free service, you will still need to pay for your internet connection (no, dialup won’t work). The point, though, is that if you are already paying for internet (which includes so much more than just talking to people), then why pay for a home phone too? Cut your land line now and save hundreds every year on your phone bill.

Skype
What Skype offers is a way to not only talk to one person at a time via your computer, but they also provide you with the unique capability of hosting large conference calls over the Internet. That means that not only can big groups of friends talk for free but also business men can have meetings as if they were in the same room, even though they may be in separate states or even separate countries. Skype also allows for video conferences, which means that if they all have video cameras, all those business men can see each other: An important asset when it comes to business (the ability to see each other’s faces). Other than PC-to-PC talk, however, it only costs $30 a year to make unlimited calls within the US and only a bit more to make international calls.

Microsoft Live Messenger
Another VoIP service is the Microsoft Live Messenger. Primarily used as an instant messaging service, it’s also used to make phone calls, have video conversations, text phones, and share documents, all at the ease of various buttons and control menus. The only limiting feature of Microsoft Live it that it seems to lack its controllability under great speed and adaptability in the worst case scenario. What users are most likely to experience is the fact that Windows Live Messenger allows only a certain amount of video and voice conversation at one time.

Vonage
The main thing for Vonage is simply that they’re presented as a telephone, but over the Internet. Generally you’d pay a certain negotiable amount, connect your standard phone jack through a special module. I would say that this a good idea, as it’s pretty much the same as Internet, just cheaper. Instead of doing this, however, I recommend setting up several microphones to the same main microphone on your desktop and simply getting your friend to do the same at their house. That would mean unlimited free calling for both of you back and forth.

Conclusion
In essence, that is VoIP, Voice Over Internet Protocol, and we’ve presented numerous ways for you to take advantage of this exciting service.