Brief Banter By Ben

Skype
You have just got to check this out although it seems to good to be true!

Fred Langa says this:

9) Free Telephony Via Skype
You probably already know about peer-to-peer (p2p) file sharing programs like Kazaa. Now, the same folks who developed that have gone in another direction with a free tool that shares voices instead of files: It's free p2p internet telephony:

Hello again Fred, as a long time subscriber I am a little (or very :) ) surprised that you or one of the subscribers Never mentioned Skype: http://www.skype.com/

I am in no way related to the skype guys but i call myself an experienced user (more then 4 months intensive use) of this great freeware program- (at least for the time being i suppose ).

It works like advertised, quality of sound is really better then that old phone.

All you need is a cable or ADSL connection and a simple mic and headphone (for no more than 15 or less dollars ) and you are in business or better you are in calling mood ( and of course an audio card with speakers).

The setup works like a breeze. (in little then 15 minutes you are ready to call a friend.

I tried to talk family and friends into this killer application ( it almost costs nothing to use) but it looks like Nobody seems interested in lowering their phone bills :)

Anyway : it lowered my bills significantly and a friend of mine crippled her bill in such a way that here phone company called here to ask if she was dead :) She went from 100% to a low 3% of her monthly bill. (really !)

Have a great weekend. Belgium calling :) Theo Lockefeer

Thanks, Theo. The software itself is free, and you can call other Skype users for free. If you want to reach non-Skype users--- people with ordinary phones--- a low-cost add-on service called SkypeOut lets you connect for about $0.015 (a cent and a half) a minute. (You can get the exact current rates from the site.) That's a very low cost--- much lower than most phone plans.

Skype is ad-free, and--- unlike the early Kazaa--- is apparently free from spyware, adware, and the like. Also unlike Kazaa, Skype has no legal clouds hanging over it: It's totally legit.

Skype has several competitors, and will have more in the future as some huge Telcos move in to "VoIP, or "voice over IP;" but for now the tiny http://www.freeworlddialup.com/ appears to be the closest alternative.

If you'd like more third-party info, there's a seemingly well-balanced independent review posted here (free signup required to access article): http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/business/national/8357609.htm?1c