Handpicked Software

Add yak Communications’ YakForFree service to Skype and Gizmo. yakForFree is the only one that supports video conferencing (you can conference with as many as four other people, or audio conference with as many as ten). Member-to-member calling is free and calls within the U.S. and Canada are 2.0 cents, with similarly priced international rates.

I haven’t played enough with these to give a recommendation based on quality. I’ve had the most experience with Skype and have found the quality spotty. Gizmo offers the cheapest rates within the U.S. (only 1.0 cent per minute), but calls to Canada are 2.9 cents.

Skype and Gizmo also offer incoming service. For as little as $3.00 a month, Gizmo will give you a dedicated phone number so people can call you as if you had a landline.

I just got my phone bill yesterday. These Internet telephony services are getting very tempting…