Skyp Internet Phone. Call Anyone, Anywhere FREE!

Your VoIP Provider

2006-06-27T15:20:00.000-07:00

Features and pricing are the two prime considerations in selecting your VoIP provider and deriving the maximum benefit from the product. With most VoIP users, all the features available in a particular product will rarely if ever be used. All leading service providers promise a range of features that look impressive as a marketing strategy, but often do not deliver as practical options. “Features” do not always translate as “benefits.” Pricing is also a relative factor and is linked to “quality” in the long run. Let us look closely at the packages offered by three market leaders of today: Skype, Lingo, and Vonage.

Skype has three basic usages: a PC-to-PC call, which is free voice communication between two computer users across the world with an Internet broadband connection; a paid SkypeOut voice call from a Skype user to a landline/mobile phone; and a paid SkypeIn call from a landline/mobile phone to a Skype user. For a home requirement of chatting with family and friends, the Skype PC-to-PC free call delivers on most promises made on the official Skype website, including voice quality. If you are not against being “wired” to your computer with your multimedia speakers and headphone, this free offer is the best option in this category.

However, if your requirement is for a full-scale voice service that caters to PC-to-telephone and telephone-to-PC services, you need to step up to the paid categories. SkypeOut offers a flat global rate of € 0.017 per minute for some of the most popular destinations worldwide, and has specific rates for other destinations. SkypeIn, which is still in Beta, makes it possible for your family, friends, and business acquaintances to reach you from a landline by dialing a number assigned to you. SkypeIn charges are independent of your location; if you are assigned a Chicago number but are currently in Japan, the party making the call only pays for a call to Chicago. If you buy a Skype number—an annual subscription will cost you € 30 and a quarterly subscription comes at € 10—you also get Free Skype Voicemail bundled in the package.

Skype’s cost plans are uncomplicated, and making a choice is relatively simple. Compare this with Lingo’s Home, Office, and International plans, and the corresponding plans from Vonage:

From this analysis, Lingo emerges as the service that will save you more on your telephone bill. However, to get more out of your VoIP, you need to look at the international pricing because that’s where VoIP scores over a traditional connection. If you make frequent international calls to Asia, you can take advantage of Lingo’s Asia package. Lingo’s international rates to individual countries are also lower than those of Vonage, but higher than Skype. Here is a comparison of the rates for three destinations:

Skype has the lowest call rates, but is limited in features. At the other end of the spectrum is Vonage, which offers the most consistent call quality and delivers on features, but is heavier on your pocket. Although it loses out on voice quality, Lingo has the features to match Vonage.

There are a few other features mentioned by both Lingo and Vonage—such as Anonymous Call Rejection and Do Not Disturb in Lingo, and Click-2-Call and Call Hunt in Vonage—but these are more in the way of cosmetic embellishments than utility tools.

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Skype Approach to VoIP - A Review of Skype

2006-05-29T10:58:00.000-07:00

With internet usage reaching almost every country, and economic class, and with its permeation throughout the western world, applications designed to harness its potential in ever more practical ways are constantly arising. One such application is Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP), which continues to challenge its own limitations. There are a few leading players who are jostling for supremacy, including Yahoo! Messenger, MSN Messenger, Skype, and Vonage.

Recently, there have been many converts to Skype, including this reviewer. There are several factors that have influenced my own personal move, but my primary motivations were innovation, quality, and marketability. VoIP has always been an application that is easily marketable, and Skype has added innovative features that are quality-rich:

• SkypeOut, where you can use your computer to call ordinary phone numbers all over the world. The global SkypeOut rate is currently 1.7 Euro Cent (about 2 US cents or 1.1 pence) per minute to more than 20 countries.

• SkypeIn, which is a virtual phone number your friends can call. This is in beta testing at the time of writing this review, but the 12-month subscription is available for € 30 and 3 months for € 10.

• Skype Voicemail, which lets you redirect calls to your voicemail, is available at € 5 for 3 months or € 15 for the year.

However, the most widespread application of Skype is PC-to-PC calls. Any user can make free calls over the Internet to anyone else who also has Skype. It is a simple wizard-based process to download and use the application, and works via your broadband connection with operating systems based on Microsoft Windows, Mac, Linux, and Pocket PCs. All you need is a PC microphone and speakers or a basic USB headset, and what you get is a real-time, telephone-quality voice conversation with any PC end-user in the world. I found the downloading to be extremely simple and straightforward and imagine that anyone, no matter your computer fluency will find it easy as well.

In addition to its ease of setup, the features of Skype are really impressive. There is a facility to search the Skype database, so that you are able to build a list of contacts. We have used Skype for Windows 1.4 for a PC-to-PC conversation between Los Angeles and Mumbai (India), and there was no recorded break in the half-hour call. The clarity was definitely on par with a normal telephone, perhaps even better, with no noticeable time lag. On subsequent calls between these destinations and other US cities including Chicago, the quality continues to amaze us, and the fact that Skype works in most environments, irrespective of firewalls or NAT, widens its reach.

So, what’s the downside? A comparative analysis will help clarify the situation. For a start, Skype does not offer as many calling features as other service providers like Vonage. Then, there have been question marks about the technical/customer support offered by Skype. Another point where Skype loses out is the quality of the SkypeOut package, where the calls made to landlines are of inconsistent quality. One hopes that Skype can add video chat to its repertoire in the near future, which will place Skype on an equal standing with other free VoIP providers like Yahoo! Messenger and MSN Messenger, which already have video capabilities. Skype is undoubtedly ahead of both MSN and Yahoo in terms of voice quality and the real-time conversation experience. On the other side of the spectrum, Vonage offers feature-rich services and better customer service, although all this comes at a price.

VoIP - A Basic Introduction

2006-05-23T09:32:00.000-07:00

Voice over IP (VoIP) technology, or IP telephony, is simply a system for transmitting telephone calls over data networks, such as the ones that make up the Internet.

The efficiency, flexibility and cost savings of VoIP will be taken advantage of by a growing number of personal and corporate users.

In this report we will look at the history, growth, flexibility and advantages of VoIP based systems over traditional public switched networks, (PSDN)

Let's look at why VoIP will change the way we communicate forever.

The Disadvantages Of Traditional PSDN Networks

With PSDN calls are made using circuit switching techniques.

PSDN simply means that an individual call uses a dedicated path for the total duration of the call.

During a telephone conversation of this nature only about 50% of the bandwidth is used at any given time.

The reason for this is a call consists normally of two people, one person listens and one person talks, which reduces the bandwidth.

This is further reduced as there are natural pauses in conversation such as pauses between words, people thinking, pauses for breath etc. The connection is of course reliable for voice transmission, but its drawback is that, it is very inefficient in its use of bandwidth.

This has kept telephone costs relatively high until now, but VoIP provides the solution:

A more efficient use of bandwidth.

The Advantages Of VoIP

Voice over IP, (VoIP), is a way of converting the analogue signals when using a phone, to a digital format (across a network) and then back into analogue when it reaches the receiver.

In a VoIP network, digitized voice data is highly compressed and carried in packets over the IP network.

Using the same bandwidth, a VoIP network can carry many times the number of voice calls as a switched circuit PSDN network.

The net result of this obvious.

VoIP can result in huge savings on the amount of physical resources required to communicate by voice over long distances. It does so by providing a far more efficient use of bandwidth, one of the fundamental drawbacks of traditional telephone networks.

There is of course, much more to VoIP than just sending the packets over the Internet.

There is an agreed protocol for how computers find each other and how information is exchanged in order to allow packets to flow between users, there is also an agreed format, (called payload format), which covers the content of media packets.

VoIP A Total Global Telephony Solution

VoIP allows us to use a single high-speed Internet connection not just for voice but, video, and data communications.

This is known as convergence and is one of the primary drivers for corporate interest in the technology.

The benefits of convergence are obvious:

By using a single data network for all communications, it is possible to reduce overall costs of communication for users.

A VoIP service provider can be located anywhere in the world; a person with Internet access is not geographically restricted in their selection of VoiP service providers.

Lower costs for you and everyone

This competition enables low communication costs for anyone no matter where they are in the world.

Skyp - What Is Internet Telephonys

2006-05-18T09:52:00.000-07:00

When the Internet is used for communications by voice, facsimile, or video conferencing the process is called Internet telephony. Known as voice over the Internet VoI or voice over IP, VoIP, in this system, sound is converted into digital packets that are then transmitted over the internet to the receiver where it is once again converted into sound or text.

All one needs is a multimedia computer, a high speed Internet connection, a sound card, speakers, and a microphone. Since it reduces telecommunication costs significantly, many individuals and businesses are adopting this system. The charges of internet telephony are not dependant on the distance but just a flat fixed rate for use of bandwidth. The only thing is that both you and the person you are calling will need to have the same or compatible software.

First introduced in 1995 the PC-to-PC telephony is set to grow from US$ 1.96 billion in 2003 to US$9.08 billion in 2007. Industry experts predict that over half the phone traffic in the world will be based on IP protocol.

To use the VoIP system, all you need is a regular phone, an adapter, broadband Internet service, and a subscription to a VoIP service. All your offices on a LAN or WAN can benefit from a common phone system with extension dialing, seamless call transfers, voice mail, caller ID, conference calls, music-on-hold, free phone calls, as well as ability to transfer data.

Even while making or receiving calls, you can surf the web or use other web based applications. You will also be able to retain your existing PSTN phone number if the provider you use has this facility. A VoIP provider is a telecommunications company that will handle the technical aspects of the calls and provide the interconnection between VoIP and PSTN networks. Internal calls are transmitted as data on your company network while external calls are transmitted through the network to a gateway which in turn connects to a public telephone network.

The advantages of Internet telephony are numerous the first being cost effectiveness. With a high speed internet connection phone calls can be made all over the world for almost free. By signing up with a VoIP provider you can get unlimited calls within the country at very low costs. The system is portable and you can take the headset or internet phone along with you when traveling. When plugged in to an internet connection anywhere in the world you can both make and receive calls at no extra costs. Wonderful features like call waiting, call forwarding, voice mail, caller ID, and three –way calling are all included with the Internet telephone connection at no extra cost.

The system is flexible and you will be able to send documents as well as pictures over the system while you are talking on the phone. The problems you are likely to encounter are: inability to call emergency services, loss of service during power outages, problems with clarity of sound, and scrambling of data. These are however being addressed on a war footing and problems small or big should be ironed out quickly.

VoIP is all set to be the industry standard for telephone communication in the future and is all set to change communications forever.

Skyp Internet Phones

2006-05-16T10:32:00.000-07:00

A broadband phone is a phone that uses the Internet to make calls over Internet Protocol (IP). You can use your old telephone for calling, but your calls are routed through IP using broadband Internet access. This is done by using a device called a digital adapter, which connects the broadband modem with your telephone. This connection gives access to the broadband phone line. The primary function of the digital adapter is to unravel and rearrange the digital voice data that it obtains through the Internet and convert it into intelligible messages like the ones you receive through your ordinary non-digital telephone. The international call costs are much cheaper than those made over the conventional telephones or cell phones. The process of transmission of messages is quite efficient.

The transmission of voice over IP, or “VoIP” for short, has a bright future in making long distance calls. The main plus point is that the transmission of voice messages does not require any new platform or infrastructure. It uses the already existing Internet communication system, which is being used with great success. Great advances are being made in the improvement of the Internet communication systems as new technologies are being introduced. In view of this it can be safely assumed that the new broadband telephone technology, which rides piggyback on the Internet, will advance accordingly and provide improved and cheaper services to individual and corporate business users. Quite possibly the interconnecting digital adapter would altogether be eliminated. You may get digital telephones that can be plugged directly into the USB ports on PCs and can send and receive calls digitally.

It appears that as broadband grows in popularity, VoIP will revolutionize the telecommunication system as never before, even more than cell phones have done. As a result, most call charges should eventually become dirt-cheap.

Skyp - Making PC to Phone VoIP Calls over Dial-Up Internet Connections

2006-05-15T11:17:00.000-07:00

There’s a lot of hype these days surrounding Internet-based voice communications (VoIP) replacing traditional telephone service. Most of this revolves around companies such as Vonage who coin themselves as the ‘Broadband Phone Company’. So what about those of us who don’t have a broadband connection? Just because you don’t have high speed Internet, doesn’t mean that you can’t save a fortune by using VoIP for your long-distance calls. Whilst a broadband connection will usually result in more consistent VoIP call quality, comparable results can be achieved using a dial-up connection provided some simple guidelines are followed.

Shop Around

Not all VoIP service providers support dial-up users. Companies such as Vonage bill themselves as alternatives to traditional telephone service and shy away from the dial-up community (who are tied to those ‘traditional’ networks to access the Internet). Furthermore, some service providers only support dial-up above a certain speed (e.g., 56Kbp). Two companies whose VoIP softphone applications work well over low speed connections include Callserve and Go2Call.

‘Free-up’ your System Resources

In order to ensure the highest call quality, close programs that are running in the ‘background’. For Windows users, these applications can be seen in the taskbar at the bottom right of your screen. ‘Right-click’ the icons and close those programs that aren’t critical to system security (e.g., don’t close anti-virus software, firewall applications and the like).

If you’re using Windows XP with user switching enabled, log off all users except the one that will be used to make the call. This will prevent the other user identities from running software and/or using your bandwidth while you’re making calls.

‘Free Up’ your Internet Connection

Given the limited data capacity of dial-up connections, it’s important that you devote as much of your bandwidth as possible to the VoIP softphone application. To achieve maximum call quality, don’t do anything that uses your bandwidth whilst making calls. This includes instant messaging, checking email, using a webcam, browsing the internet, downloading, etc. In Windows, you can look at the two little computers in the bottom right of your taskbar to see whether your connection is being used prior to calling (the little computers illuminate when data is being uploaded and/or downloaded).

Scan your System for Viruses, Spyware, Adware and Malware

Some of these malicious programs can hijack your browser, tie up your internet connection and slow down your system (not to mention seriously invade your privacy!). I recommend AdAware for free scanning and removal of Spyware/Adware. Once you’ve checked and cleansed your system of these nasty programs, your virus definition files should be updated to minimize the chances of re-infection.

Use a Headset with an Integrated Boom Microphone

Last but not least, using a headset with a boom microphone should eliminate those annoying voice echoes often associated with PC to Phone calls. Echoes are caused by your microphone detecting the voice coming from your computer speakers and re-transmitting that voice signal back to the person you’re talking to. By using a headset, the voice signals are limited in volume (due to the headset being directly adjacent to your ears) and thus the chances of your microphone ‘re-transmitting’ those voice signals is greatly reduced.

Skyp - The Internet Phone Revolution.

2006-05-14T16:03:00.000-07:00

The world is on the brink of a phone revolution, with a growing number of people cutting their telecom bills by making free calls via the World Wide Web.

A recent sign of this is that EBay, the online auction website, is so sure the idea will catch on, that it has paid $4.1 billion for the Internet Phone firm Skype Technologies.

Shortly all the millions of people who buy and sell goods on eBay will be able to use Skype's software, to talk to each other free and also make cut price calls to other landlines and cell phones.

Internet Phone services such as Skype are specially valuable for people who make a great deal of international telephone calls, as even these are free as long as both caller and receiver use the Skype software. The service works best over a broadband World Wide Web link but it can be used over dial up. Also a microphone headset is required to improve sound quality, nonetheless you can also use the external speakers and microphone that are supplied with most personal computers these days.

Its terribly convenient to make an Internet Phone call, just determine which Skype user or phone number you want to call, press dial and a few seconds later you will hear the phone ring at the other end. Skype claims that the sound quality for an Internet Phone call is at least as good as a normal phone call, particularly if you use a headset. Nevertheless, some users complain about echoes and some delays between speaking and hearing the feedback.

There are also more drawbacks, most Internet phone services don't permit calls to emergency services, also you may not hear incoming telephone calls whilst you are away from your computer, and if you go offline or switch off your computer you will not be able to receive calls at all. On the plus side you can use the Internet Phone services to make conference calls and if you have a Web Cam you could also set up a videoconference.

Skype is not the only provider of free Internet Phone calls; they are also available with Vontage, BT Google Talk and several others.

Vontage is one of the most popular. The service uses a router and your normal telephone so you just make calls in the usual way, but they are carried over the Internet rather than you telephone company's landline. Telephone calls to other Vontage users are free, and you get extra services such as voice mail and call waiting included in the monthly charge cost.

With the on going take up of Broad Band services around the world one has to wonder what is the longer term future for traditional land line based telephone services?

Skype/Skyp VoIP Internet Phone Providers

2006-05-09T12:37:00.000-07:00

One of the first steps when analyzing your current service is to decide what features your business needs. Does it need multiple lines to accommodate the sales force? What about a toll free number for customer service? Make a list of all the features your office uses and think about others you might want to try.

The next step is to make an estimate of all intrastate (in- state), interstate (state-to-state) and international calls. An easy way to estimate these numbers is to view a recent phone bill. You might be surprised at how large or small your call volume actually is. If you rely heavily on fax machines, consider the number of incoming and outgoing faxes. As you review these numbers, remember to consult growth projections for the rest of the year.

Once you've done all this...you're ready to go comparison shopping.

Here's some resources to help you do that:

* VoIP Comparison Reviews

VoIPReview does a good job comparing feature sets from each of the providers. Its user reviews seem a bit skewed, but otherwise the site looks good.

* ZDNet Reviews

ZDNet usually has objective reviews. Read through its commentary on any of the providers you are considering.

* Broadband Reports

Broadband reports has a specific area for review by users...with a regularly updated scoring system. It's often skewed with a tad bit of emotion....and reviews are mostly residential. But it does give you an idea for business use.

* Google

I'm sure most of you already do this, but once you've figured out what you're looking for, perform a search on companies on Google to see what others have said about it.

If you're willing to do a bit more work, contact various providers and create your own comparison chart. You can begin your research by visiting voipreview.org. The site offers VoIP facts and reviews of various broadband phone service providers. Compare the business plans for different providers and research the various features offered with each plan. Also, make sure your current Internet connection can handle VoIP calls. The Web site testyourvoip.com will evaluate and score your Internet connection. You'll know if it makes sense to run your phone traffic over your broadband connection.

Here is a list and description of the top ten (supposedly) VoIP providers (includes home plans for telecommuter staff).

- Axvoice

Axvoice has many plans for you to sign up. Unlimited call to USA/Canada plan costs $ 18.99 per month. Unlimited international & USA/Canada plan costs $29.99. Axvoice also has business plan starting from $ 39.99 per month.

- INVIVNI

INVIVNI has three plans, Residentials, Small Office, and Business. The Residential plan costs $24.95 per month. The Small Office plan costs $32.95 per month, and the Business plan costs is negotiable.

- VCInetwork

VCInetwork has three plans, Unlimited Long Distance :Home, Unlimited Long Distance: Business and 500 minutes to USA/Canada and Europe. Unlimited Long Distance : Home plan costs $28.95 per month. Unlimited Long Distance : Business plan costs $49.95 per month and 500 minutes to USA/Canada and Europe plan costs $14.50 per month.

- Skype

Skype is famous for their slogan, “The Whole World can Talk for Free”. Skype is a free download and users can make free calls via, Skype to Skype. For a fee, you can advance your Skype to Skype Out and make calls to landline phones. Skype In will let your choose your area code and phone number. This way, friends and relatives can call you locally, if you select the same area code. Skype is compatible with Windows, Mac, Linux, and Pocket Pc operating systems. Not really a good business solution.

- Vonage

Probably the most well known VoIP providers, you may be surprised to discover that Vonage is also one of the more expensive providers. Vonage offers two plans, residential and small business. Residential users may choose between the Basic 500 plan and Unlimited. The Basic 500 plan offers 500 minutes of talk time for $14.99 a month. The Premium Unlimited residential plan costs $24.99 per month.

The Small Business Basic plan costs $39.99 per month and allows 1500 minutes. The Small Business Unlimited plan costs $49.99 a month and provides unlimited calls throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, and Canada.

- Dialpad

Dialpad and Yahoo have merged services. Currently, Dialpad offers three plans- Dialpad Monthly 300, Dialpad Monthly 500, and Dialpad USA. The cost for Dialpad Monthly 300 is $7.50 per month, Dialpad Monthly 500 costs $9.99 per month, and Dialpad USA costs $11.99 per month.

- Broadvox Direct

Broadvox Direct offers residential and small business services. Their residential services include the Residential Choice Plus plan for $9.95 per month. The Residential Choice Plus plan includes 100 outbound minutes and unlimited incoming minutes. Their Residential Unlimited Plan costs $29.95 a month and includes unlimited calling anywhere in the US and Canada. The SoHo Small Business Regional Plan costs $34.95 per month and includes 1500 monthly minutes in the US and in Canada. The SoHo Small Business Unlimited Plan costs $44.95 per month and includes unlimited calls in the US and Canada and also includes a free fax line and Yellow Page listing.

- Galaxy Voice

Galaxy Voice offers two plans, Residential and Business. Their residential plan costs $19.95 a month and includes unlimited calling, Voicemail, Caller Id, Call Waiting, Call Return, Three Way Calling, and Call Forwarding. Their business plan costs $39.95 per month and includes unlimited calling, Free Voice Mail, Free Call Transfer, Free Call Forwarding, Free Repeat Dialing, and Free Caller ID block.

- Voice Pulse

Voice Pulse has three plans, America Unlimited, Local Unlimited +200, and Business Unlimited. The America Unlimited plan costs $24.99 per month. The Local Unlimited +200 costs $14.99 per month, and the Business Unlimited costs $45.99 per month.

- VoIP American

VoIP American has three different plans. These are the VoIP American PBX plan, the VoIP American Voice plan and the VoIP American bVoice plan. The VoIP American PBX plan cost $19.99 a month for a private line and $44.99 a month for unlimited calling. The VoIP Voice Residential Basic plan costs $14.99 per month and the VoIP Voice Residential Unlimited plan costs $29.99 per month. The bVoice Business plan costs $34.99 per month.

- Packet 8

Packet 8 not only offers phone plans, but they also offer videophone plans. Their residential plans are the Freedom International and Freedom Unlimited. Both of these plans cost $19.99 per month. [note: currently they're running a special for $9.95 per month for your 1st 3 months.] The Videophone plan is the Freedom Unlimited and that too is $19.99 per month. Their business plans consists of three different plans. These are the Virtual Office service plans, the Virtual Attendant Service plans, and the Business Phone Service plans. The Virtual office phone plan costs $39.95 per month, the Virtual Attendant service plan costs $14.95 per month, and the Business Attendant service plan costs $34.95 per month.

- Sun Rocket

Sun Rocket offers their signature service for either $24.95 per month or $199.00 per year.

- Speakeasy

Speakeasy offers many different plans ranging from Home Office, Small Office I, Small Office II, and Small Business. Their Home Office plan costs 79.90 per month, the Small Office I plan costs $560.00 per month, the Small Office II plan costs 1,039 per month and the Small Business plan costs $2,349 per month.

Analyzing phone service is often a real headache. However, unreliable line quality, which results in poor customer service and huge monthly bills are even worse. In the end, doing your research will pay dividends for your business. Personally, I have no reservations recommending Packet8 for your business VoIP solution right now. However, go through the above steps first for your own peace of mind.....you'll likely reach the same conclusion.

Skype-Get the Most Out of Your VoIP Provider

2006-05-06T11:14:00.000-07:00

Skype has three basic usages: a PC-to-PC call, which is free voice communication between two computer users across the world with an Internet broadband connection; a paid SkypeOut voice call from a Skype user to a landline/mobile phone; and a paid SkypeIn call from a landline/mobile phone to a Skype user. For a home requirement of chatting with family and friends, the Skype PC-to-PC free call delivers on most promises made on the official Skype website, including voice quality. If you are not against being “wired” to your computer with your multimedia speakers and headphone, this free offer is the best option in this category.

However, if your requirement is for a full-scale voice service that caters to PC-to-telephone and telephone-to-PC services, you need to step up to the paid categories. SkypeOut offers a flat global rate of € 0.017 per minute for some of the most popular destinations worldwide, and has specific rates for other destinations. SkypeIn, which is still in Beta, makes it possible for your family, friends, and business acquaintances to reach you from a landline by dialing a number assigned to you. SkypeIn charges are independent of your location; if you are assigned a Chicago number but are currently in Japan, the party making the call only pays for a call to Chicago. If you buy a Skype number—an annual subscription will cost you € 30 and a quarterly subscription comes at € 10—you also get Free Skype Voicemail bundled in the package.

Skype’s cost plans are uncomplicated, and making a choice is relatively simple. Compare this with Lingo’s Home, Office, and International plans, and the corresponding plans from Vonage:

From this analysis, Lingo emerges as the service that will save you more on your telephone bill. However, to get more out of your VoIP, you need to look at the international pricing because that’s where VoIP scores over a traditional connection. If you make frequent international calls to Asia, you can take advantage of Lingo’s Asia package. Lingo’s international rates to individual countries are also lower than those of Vonage, but higher than Skype. Here is a comparison of the rates for three destinations:

Skype has the lowest call rates, but is limited in features. At the other end of the spectrum is Vonage, which offers the most consistent call quality and delivers on features, but is heavier on your pocket. Although it loses out on voice quality, Lingo has the features to match Vonage.

There are a few other features mentioned by both Lingo and Vonage—such as Anonymous Call Rejection and Do Not Disturb in Lingo, and Click-2-Call and Call Hunt in Vonage—but these are more in the way of cosmetic embellishments than utility tools.

The features are many, the utility diverse. To get the most out of your VoIP provider, you need to place the key factors of pricing and features at both ends of a see-saw, and weigh them with the cornerstone of quality—that will position you enticingly in making the right choice and getting the maximum out of your service provider.

Using Skype In Canada and The U.S.A.!

2006-05-05T10:29:00.000-07:00

Who are good candidates for Skype? Firstly, students are usually the first adapters to any new technology. Just like they are MSNing their friends right now, a lot of them are switching over to skype to have a more personal call or to call friends outside their local calling areas. The second group are college kids. These kids are generally budget conscious and far away from where they grew up. Family and friend connections are very important and Skype can reduce their expensive College expenditures. Thirdly, businesses can use Skype to call branch offices at no charge or use Skype to dial out to customers across the country or world at a fraction of their current long distance rates. Lastly, when was the last time you used your cell phone and got charged their roaming and long distance charges. With new Wi-Fi sites popping up every day and peoples use of lap tops skyrocketing, you simply plug your Skype phone by your USB and start talking free. Imagine being in an airport or restaurant, you pull out your mobile Skype phone and start talking for free. The phones today are as clear as regular phones and offer many of the same features.

With people and businesses budgets being squeezed it's a natural that Skype with over a billion downloads will continue to grow. To learn more about Skype you can google it or check out www.solutionsink4u.com. If you have any questions you may email me at steve@solutionsink4u.com, to learn how to save money on all your communication needs. You should never have to wait to call someone again.

A new twist on VoIP? A new Jajah Killer and Serious Skype Competition

2006-05-02T11:47:00.000-07:00

Since early 2006 movement has come into the VoIP industry. New VoIP providers are now launching all over the world with each one of them hoping and expecting a share of the ever growing popularity and income stream. At the last count the research company MyVoipProvider had almost 650 VoIP phone providers listed.

This has had one distinct advantage for the consumer - VoIP costs internationally are dropping at an alarming rate. A few VoIP providers in Europe have taken their marketing activities to the extreme by offering free calls to a wide range of up to 50 international destinations. VoipBuster was the pioneer early 2005 and has since then launched a barrage of sister companies offering exactly the same type of service. Time will tell if this "Free VoIP" campaign has any long term merit.

Even in this highly competitive enviroment some companies still manage to stand out of the masses. In mid March 2006 two companies launched, in one case, relaunced their services. Lycos decided that it is time to join the race with the likes of Yahoo and possibly in the very near future Google and MSN. Using Globe7's technology Lycos launced an interesting softphone with a free US phone number, 100 free minutes and an integrated mp3 player and video.
On the other hand Jajah, decided that it is time to quit the traditional VoIP provider race and reinvented themselves as a webactivated VoIP provider.

Nothing new in the market, but with the backing of one of the best known US Venture Capitalists, Sequoia Capital, and some clever marketing they have managed to make some serious inroads into the VoIP industry in a short space of time. Once registered with Jajah, and provided one has access to the internet, Jajah allow the user to enter 2 phone destinations and they will automatically connect the call at reasonably low VoIP rates.

Unbeknown to Jajah and other similar offerings their service, only a few weeks old, is already outdated. http://www.voxalot.com in Autralia have very quietly launched a new and free web callback service (still in the beta stage), which could spell the end of Jajah and pose some very serious Skype competition.

Offering a twist on webactivated telephony Voxalot allows the user to enter any number of SIP VoIP providers and the user then chooses which VoIP provider will make the connection to any landline, mobile or VoIP phone. They even offer the option for the user to setup his own dialplan.

What are the implications? No VoIP phone, no VoIP adapter and no high speed internet connection is reqiuired. Any internet access will do to connect any two destinations worldwide at dirt cheap prices - the user decides.

Learn 1st Hand About Vonnage, Packet8, And Skype

2006-05-02T11:45:00.000-07:00

Whether you're a current user of Vonnage, Packet8, or Skype VoIP phone services....or are just curious about them....a good place to learn whatever you want to know is their online discussion Forums. Keep in mind that each of these is company sponsored or influenced....so you'll have to filter through some obvious biases and emotional attachments to get at what you really want.
If your looking for advice or information on set-up, trouble shooting, special promotions, company news, plan pricing, etc.....from actual users and company types...these are good resources. If you don't mind wading through the frequent sappy gushings of infatuated fans...you can get some very useful pearls. Occassionally you'll even hit on some eye opening honest assessments and advice too. Just look hard until you find something that fits your need.

Vonnage Forum
It's no secret that I'm not fond of Vonnage. I feel they're way over priced, have built there reputation on a massive marketing machine vice a quality product, and their customer service sucks. But this is a pretty loyal and active Forum with a few very helpful regular posters. Better to get the scoop here than listen to that annoying "Whoohoo" jingle again.

Packet8 Forum
It's also no secret that Packet8 is my favorite broadband phone service. Particularly for any business applications. Their frequent industry awards for business packages...such as the recent top nod for their Virtual Office IP PBX offering....sold me a long time ago. Their Forum takes an extra step to get into for registration but is worth it. The Forum contents are probably more informative overall about services, applications, and the parent company [8X8 Inc.] than the other 2 forums are.

Skype Forum
I've never been an advocate of Sofphone services but it does have it's place. Skype is the hands down king here...but is far from perfect. Their "free" isn't really free for example....unless those you're calling also have Skype. Plus their business applications leave much to be desired. But their following are rabid supporters. Plus they have probably the largest share of the VoIP "phone" market worldwide.....especially in Europe and Asia....for now. Their Forum can be more Rah Rah than informational at times but is well worth looking over.
Now if you prefer a more open and unbiased community dialogue and Forum experience....I suggest you trek over to the VoIP Forum at DSLReports.com. It can be somewhat of a free-for-all at times. But there's a ton of useful information shared on all kinds of VoIP providers beyond just the 3 mentioned above....as well as some links to useful tools to enhance your VoIP experience.

DSLReports.com VoIP Forum
There ya go. Between these open discussion resources you should be able to find whatever you need about VoIP phones ... and the specific providers cited. Just keep in mind that it's all other people's opinions. The bottom line is that it's YOUR opinion that counts most.

The Skype Approach to VoIP - A Review of Skype

2006-05-01T12:27:00.000-07:00

With internet usage reaching almost every country, and economic class, and with its permeation throughout the western world, applications designed to harness its potential in ever more practical ways are constantly arising. One such application is Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP), which continues to challenge its own limitations. There are a few leading players who are jostling for supremacy, including Yahoo! Messenger, MSN Messenger, Skype, and Vonage.
Recently, there have been many converts to Skype, including this reviewer. There are several factors that have influenced my own personal move, but my primary motivations were innovation, quality, and marketability. VoIP has always been an application that is easily marketable, and Skype has added innovative features that are quality-rich:

• SkypeOut, where you can use your computer to call ordinary phone numbers all over the world. The global SkypeOut rate is currently 1.7 Euro Cent (about 2 US cents or 1.1 pence) per minute to more than 20 countries.

• SkypeIn, which is a virtual phone number your friends can call. This is in beta testing at the time of writing this review, but the 12-month subscription is available for € 30 and 3 months for € 10.

• Skype Voicemail, which lets you redirect calls to your voicemail, is available at € 5 for 3 months or € 15 for the year.

However, the most widespread application of Skype is PC-to-PC calls. Any user can make free calls over the Internet to anyone else who also has Skype. It is a simple wizard-based process to download and use the application, and works via your broadband connection with operating systems based on Microsoft Windows, Mac, Linux, and Pocket PCs. All you need is a PC microphone and speakers or a basic USB headset, and what you get is a real-time, telephone-quality voice conversation with any PC end-user in the world. I found the downloading to be extremely simple and straightforward and imagine that anyone, no matter your computer fluency will find it easy as well.

In addition to its ease of setup, the features of Skype are really impressive. There is a facility to search the Skype database, so that you are able to build a list of contacts. We have used Skype for Windows 1.4 for a PC-to-PC conversation between Los Angeles and Mumbai (India), and there was no recorded break in the half-hour call. The clarity was definitely on par with a normal telephone, perhaps even better, with no noticeable time lag. On subsequent calls between these destinations and other US cities including Chicago, the quality continues to amaze us, and the fact that Skype works in most environments, irrespective of firewalls or NAT, widens its reach.

So, what’s the downside? A comparative analysis will help clarify the situation. For a start, Skype does not offer as many calling features as other service providers like Vonage. Then, there have been question marks about the technical/customer support offered by Skype. Another point where Skype loses out is the quality of the SkypeOut package, where the calls made to landlines are of inconsistent quality. One hopes that Skype can add video chat to its repertoire in the near future, which will place Skype on an equal standing with other free VoIP providers like Yahoo! Messenger and MSN Messenger, which already have video capabilities. Skype is undoubtedly ahead of both MSN and Yahoo in terms of voice quality and the real-time conversation experience. On the other side of the spectrum, Vonage offers feature-rich services and better customer service, although all this comes at a price.