Free phone calls via Gmail - Could this dethrone Skype?

[Win2Win]

When we talk about internet calls, Skype immediately comes to mind. Not Yahoo! Messenger for it’s mainly used for video chatting, nor Windows Live Messenger because very few are using it. There’s Google Voice but…oh you get the picture. Skype is still the king when it comes to making free calls over the Internet. Google [...]




When we talk about internet calls, Skype immediately comes to mind. Not Yahoo! Messenger for it’s mainly used for video chatting, nor Windows Live Messenger because very few are using it. There’s Google Voice but…oh you get the picture. Skype is still the king when it comes to making free calls over the Internet.

Google is looking to change that by offering free phone calls right inside Gmail. Here’s a video they put out to explain in their signature cartoon fashion:



Phone calls to the U.S. and Canada are free until the end of 2010 and for now it’s only available for Gmail users in the U.S.

Calls to other countries like U.K., France, Germany, China, Japan are as low as $0.02 per minute. That’s Php0.90 which is comparable to what Globe, Smart and PLDT are offering nowadays of IDD calls.


The service will be rolled out to non-US Gmail users in the coming years but I can’t wait for it already. To think that my Skype account is barely a month old, I would have ditched it right away had Google made their phone call offering available worldwide right away.
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[triple5]

Most people I know use msn or YM for voice calls. Havent used Skype for awhile myself.

[burdock]

I use skype find it better than ym I've found

Used to get wrong numbers sometimes when using ym and a couple of times got a couple which was not nice when you think it your mahal

[aposhark]

I enjoyed using the skypephone in the UK because it meant my wife could phone me from an internet cafe wherever I was.
Being able to receive calls from the Philippines whilst on the move was a boon before.
I hope this Gmail will do the same