Skype goes free in the US and Canada
With a slogan like the whole world can talk for free, Skype is pretty hippy for an internet service. If you're on the Skype network you can use it to call anybody else on the network for free. Their long distance rates to call regular phones are also pretty reasonable. In fact, now you can call within Canada and the US for free - even calling regular phones that aren't on the network.
If you find using a microphone and headphones a little awkward, you may prefer to pick up a headset (starting at around $10 USD) or a USB phone. IPEVO has some very inexpensive phones (£30 at Maplin, which is near double what IPEVO charges in the States, tsk!) which are PC and Mac compatible and work very much like regular telephones.
Skype is increasingly popular among not-for-profit groups 'cause, well, it's free long distance! You can also conference up to 5 people at a time, and it supports video. You can even get a phone number via SkypeIn which provides you with phone service and voicemail for €30 a year (or €10 every quarter). Area codes are available in United States, United Kingdom, Brazil, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Poland, Sweden and Switzerland.
It took me a little to get my Skype service set up (we have several computers living on this network so there had to be some geeky configuration) but now that it is, the sound quality is vastly superior to the sound I get on my hateful, crackly land-line. (So next time I call you, John, it'll be crisp as a freshly ironed Oxford shirt.)
[Strike that- I called John and the static was so bad that I thought he thought I was 'breaking up' with him. So more tweaking of my settings shall ensue.]
[GT]
