| There are many forms of communication on the
web, from chat rooms, to e-mail, to instant messenger. The newest however, |
| is the telephone. Recently a group of new IP's
have appeared offering free long distance phone calls. This has got the |
| attention of people nationwide but it has most
especially impacted the college community. No longer is there a reason
to |
| run up huge long distance bills. All that you
need is a computer with sound capability and a microphone. The majority
of |
| people at the university seem to use Dialpad.com,
but there are others out there, each with there own unique qualities. |
Dialpad-
This company seems to be the leader around campus. It has actually worked
it's way into mainstream conversation. On numerous occasions, I have heard
people refer to talking over the computer as "dialpadding" or parents will
say to their children, "When you get home, dialpad us." This shows the
extent of penetration into the campus community.
When asked about
the pros and cons of dialpad and how it has influenced her life at college,
University of Delaware freshman Katey Prosser replied "It's better than
IMing [referring to AOL instant messenger], worse than a phone call. The
best thing to do is to use headphones because if you do not, the person
on the other end of the conversation hears the reverb coming out of the
speaker... The most enjoyable thing about it is that it's free." |
 This
web site offers general PC-PC or PC to phone connections, similar to Dialpad.
The unique features of this web site are the ability to earn points to
call oversees and the on-line store. At the store, they have a variety
of listening and talking devices. |
 Offering
video conferencing, video mail, voice mail, as well as the standard free
PC-phone calls in the US and the free PC-PC calls worldwide. The most diverse
free phone program out there. I downloaded it and used it. It was easy
to operate and setup. |
 This
site offers the same general perks as the others, but you have to buy the
software. This company needs to catch up with the rest of the internet
and stop charging. The only thing going for them is Iggy. |
 While
offering a free phone program, the site is best known as the most integrated
multimedia site for communication. It integrates networking, e-mail, v-mail,
fax, pager, and a host of other applications for a comprehensive package
unmatched by other sites. Only problem is it costs money, around $.05 a
minute. I-link features V-link, Network Magazine Editor's Product of the
Year or 1999. |
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