“Phone” calls aren’t just for phones anymore.  There are several ways to call people via the internet these days, and this week’s blog will look at a couple of them.

Probably the most famous is Skype.  As an American citizen that has lived in Latin America, Europe and Asia, Skype has become one of my favorite programs.  It’s so common, in fact, that “to skype” someone (to call from a computer) has become a verb in many circles, much like “to google” something.  Here are some of my favorite uses for Skype:

1. Video chat.  It’s great to talk to my family on the other side of the world, but it’s better to see them.  I’ll never forget how amazed my 80-year-old great uncle was when he visited my parents and talked to me in China.  As a man who grew up during World War II, he was completely amazed that he could see and talk to me from half a world away.   Also, on those days when you really miss home, it’s nice to be able to see your house, see the dogs playing and hear the birds outside singing their songs.  Perhaps the greatest part of video chat is that all Skype-to-Skype computer calls are free!  You just can’t beat it!

2. iPod Touch App.  There are three things I don’t leave the house without: my wallet, my phone and my iPod Touch.  For numerous reasons that I won’t detail here, it’s practically a necessity for life overseas.  Most of my friends don’t have iPhones because of the hassles of signing a contract and paying large amounts of money to AT&T when you don’t even live in the USA.  Fortunately, Skype has an app that can turn your iPod Touch (2nd generation) into a telephone!  All you need is the headphones that come with it and wi-fi!  It’s so great to be able to call home from wherever I am.  Since there is a huge time difference, it’s hardly ever convenient to call home when I’m at my apartment.  Thankfully, I can just find an internet connection, and I’m good to go!

3. Skype “Online number”.  This is really great for those of us who travel a lot.  Basically, you get a phone number in the country you choose, then people from that country can make local calls to you for standard phone rates.  You can answer the call for free  from any place that you are logged into Skype!  You can also have all of your call forwarded to your cell phone, no matter where you are; this option isn’t free, but the rates are reasonable.

4.  International calling rates.  Skype is the most economical way I’ve found to call internationally.  It’s roughly 2.1 cents per minute, but you can see the prices for yourself here.

There are plenty of other reasons to love Skype; these are just my personal favorites.

The big news this week is Skype’s most recent competition.  Google Voice was released to the U.S. public, after a previous invite-only release.  Here are the key benefits I see for Google Voice:

1.  Free calls and texts within the US.  You can call to mobile phones and landlines in the US for free.  Since Skype still charges for these calls, Google Voice has a clear advantage here.

2. Automated transcripts.  If you have trouble typing for any reason, Google has voice-to-text and text-to-voice conversions.  I’m not sure how accurate it is, but it’s certainly cheaper than buying speech recognition software. Also (and this may be the coolest part), Google Voice automatically transcribes your voicemails so that you can read them without listening to them.  You can see them faster, and at a glance, as well as have them sent to your email Inbox!  Nice!

3. Call Forwarding. Like Skype, Google Voice can forward all your calls to one place.  You can pick a Google number and add numbers to be forwarded to it.  This will be really convenient if you move a lot or need to change landline or mobile phone numbers.  Your Google number can stay the same; you only need to add the new numbers to your Google Voice account.

The biggest drawback is that Google Voice doesn’t have an app for the iPhone.  However, it isn’t for lack of trying.  The Google Voice app was removed from the App Store because it was “duplicating features that the iPhone comes with.”  I’m a huge Apple supporter, but I definitely question this decision.  I’m a bit confused on why the Skype app is okay, but the GV app is not.  Perhaps time will tell.


If you have any thoughts on this week’s post, or if you use a similar product, post a comment and tell us about it!