Monday, Aug. 24, 2009
Skype
With cell-phone minutes being so cheap, Luddites wonder what the big deal is about making phone calls over the Internet — or as geeks call it, VoIP, short for "voice over Internet protocol." The answer is that VoIP has the power to turn an Internet connection into a videophone. For the average user, Skype is the best VoIP, even though it is a "walled garden," meaning that in order to use the videophone feature, you have to convince your friend on the other end to join Skype too. Gmail users already have a videophone built into their e-mail app. Power users may want to check out Dim Dim.