CHESSNOID

I was having lunch with my mother and sister today and we started talking about phones. All three of us no longer have landline phones. I told them about my Skype phone and was surprised they weren’t aware of what it was. I purchased a USB phone for my voice over internet protocol (VOIP) service. Basically, it’s exactly like a regular phone except it’s routed through your internet connection. It’s best to have a broadband connection to have better quality calls.

Previously, I had Vonage and the service was pretty good. It worked most of the time and was a good price. Recently, I switched over to Skype VOIP service. It’s so economical that I prepaid a year of unlimited domestic calls for only $30. The quality has been very good so far. You don’t need a telephone device and can actually just use one of those USB headsets that plug into your computer. They have a good deal right now for a headset, webcam and 6 months of service for $20. For that price, it’s really not a big risk to try it and has tremendous upside of saving money. You can try skype for free, but its function is limited. All you will need is to have a microphone and speakers.

I have a prepaid cell phone for emergencies, so this just complements my phone needs. The little control panel looks similar to ICQ or AOL instant messenger and actually has similar functions. This is just another gadget that I love having that also saves me alot of money. If you have unlimited minutes on your cell plan, then you really don’t need this. My needs are strictly to make outbound calls. I am on the phone for my job all the time – the last thing I want to be is on the phone at home. I prefer emails.