 
I remember reading an Arthur C Clarke novel in which he predicts IDD
calls at local rates. Well, IDD calls over the conventional wired
telephone network are pretty cheap now (how does Rs.7 a minute to the US
sound to you?), if not `local’ rates, but a bigger revolution happened
during Clarke’s lifetime.Now you can actually call someone on the other
side of the planet for hours on end, for free, Zero, zilch. Thanks to
the Internet.
The technology is called Voice Over Internet Protocol, which offers
PC-to-PC calls to anywhere in the world for free. While both Google and
Yahoo offer such a service, the Internet’s most popular program for free
calls is Skype, owned by eBay. You can download the latest version
(Version 4.0) of Skype at www.skype.com for free and this time if offers
better video capability, so you can see your grandmother laughing her
head off in New Zealand while you are in Namibia.Skype broke free of the
Web sometime back, so it is now available on mobile platforms, PDAs and
of course, some housebound handsets. But the biggest news these days is
Skype becoming available for the Apple iPhone (right now) and Blackberry
(probably June). In fact, the Skype client for iPhone is the top
download at the Apple App Store in most countries.
So, if you have an iPhone or a Blackberry, just download the free
client and talk freely. And the best thing is that if you have a
late-model iPod Touch with a microphone and speaker, this App turns it
into a virtual phone - Skype can also place calls to conventional
telephone numbers at very low rates, in addition to the VOIP calls.
 For the moment, there are a few compromises to please the phone
carriers who risk losing the lucrative IDD business. The App only works
over Wi-Fi, not 3G, so you cannot take advantage of cellular coverage
for free overseas calls. There is no provision for SMS, in another nod
to the carriers.
You cannot accept a call while being on another and you cannot
initiate a conference call.
However, there is no problem with group chats. There is no video
calling either. And don’t expect to run other applications while Skype
is running, the iPhone isn’t built for such a level of multi-tasking.
But the things it can do are well worth it. It promises better sound
quality than third party Skype Apps and more features.
It will integrate with the iPhone address book, so you can launch
Skype directly from your contacts. You can add a new photo to your Skype
profile from your iPhone camera, though this won’t be possible on the
Touch, which has no camera.There is full Instant Messaging and Voicemail
capability too...
- Pramod |
