VoIP Communication Just Got Cheaper and Easier

I thought I would tell you about a couple new discoveries I’ve made within the past few days that could literally change how you communicate and do research. I am always on the lookout for new ways to communicate easier and more clearly. And, with being a research hound, finding out information faster and easier is always a plus.

There are a few emerging internet technologies that you may be unfamiliar with. One of those new technologies is VoIP. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), is a technology that allows you to make telephone calls using a broadband Internet connection instead of a regular (or analog) phone line. This technology has been maturing over the past few years and has really picked up a lot of credibility thanks in part to Vonage, one of the first commercially successful companies to marry the Internet and the telephone. I know quite a few people who are switching to Vonage for their telephone service. I’ve seriously considered it myself. It’s really hard to beat their deal of $29.95 per month for unlimited long distance calling. Most people, me included, pay that much in monthly fees just for basic phone service, not including long distance charges. I have heard great things about this service from those I know who use it and would highly recommend it.

A recent announcement made recently about another up-and-coming VoIP service caught my attention as well. Skype (www.skype.com), an Ebay company who also offers VoIP communication services, upped the ante for Internet telephone by offering their long distance service for FREE. Here’s how it works. Skype has always been free to setup as long as you are talking to someone else who is using Skype. That’s cool enough, but doesn’t really help you if you need to call a land line (it calls computer to computer, kind of like an audio Instant Messenger service). In the past, Skype has offered competitive rates to call land lines through a program they offer called Skype Out. Skype Out allows you to make calls to any land line phone at a cost of $.015 per minute…still not a bad rate by any means.

Last week however, Skype announced that would be offering their Skype Out plan for free through the end of the year. What that means for you and me is free long distance for 6 months…awesome. And here is the cool part…when you install Skype on your laptop, wherever you travel to with your laptop, you will still have free long distance to use (provided you have a broadband Internet connection).

All you need to take advantage of this amazing offer is a Skype account (they’re free at http://www.skype.com/). You can use Skype with just your computer speakers and a cheap computer microphone, but I would recommend purchasing a USB telephone that is Skype friendly. Walmart has a few choices for phones ranging from $25 to $45.

I purchased a USRobotics phone for $45 and set up my Skype account this past Sunday. Setup was pretty straightforward and relatively easy. I’ve talked on the phone a few times now and it works great. I’ve also thought about (and experimented with) a few great benefits to having this type of setup. First, because the phone connects through your computer, it is considered an audio device. That means you can record any conversation for free. This can be very valuable for doing interviews with someone for a new product. All I did was launch my audio program (I use Sound Forge but any audio program will work), make my phone call, and then click record. That’s it. It’s pretty easy.

Another great benefit to free calling (and being able to easily record) is calling into free (or paid) teleseminars. All the top marketers offer them on a regular basis and you can really pick up some great information on them. I listen to several teleseminars a month. With this phone system, you can call into them for free and not tie up your land line…AND you can record them as well (although most teleseminars are recorded for later download).

So I would encourage you to consider this option for phone service in addition to what you already have. You can find out more at http://www.skype.com/. The system will not work on dial-up, but then most of the world is switching to broadband anyway because of the benefits of a high-speed connection. As I make new discoveries with this technology, I’ll let you know.