by Charles Wu, NCMUG

Voice over IP, VOIP, Internet telephony. These are a few of the words describing the latest and greatest application of the Internet, talking on the phone. Phone companies such as AT&T, Vonage and Packet 8 have products that let you use your regular phone over the Internet with hardware that connects to your broadband. There are many ways Macintosh users can make phone calls over the Internet with software alone. Before we get to how to make Internet phone calls, we'll answer the question why would I want to use my Mac to make phone calls? The first answer is that it can save you money, especially if you make a lot of international long distance calls. But a more interesting answer is that there are a lot of new features that come with Internet phone calling.

The first Internet phone application is iChat, included on every new Mac, it allows you to text, voice or video chat with other Macintosh users. It is an excellent way to see how the Internet can improve how people communicate with each other. The problem is that it only works with other Mac users, and we have to get better at playing well with others. There is a free program called Skype that does just that.

Skype is an Internet telephony program from the creators of the peer to peer program Kazaa that is available for Windows, Linux and Mac. It does everything that iChat does but it also allows you to make computer to computer voice calls whether they use a Mac or not. It also does something else, it can make calls to almost any phone in the world through a pay service they offer called SkypeOut.

To get started, download Skype from their website at http://www.skype.com. Installation is very simple, simply dragging it to your applications program and you're done. Skype is continually improving so it is a good idea to return every so often to download the latest version. Launch Skype and create an account, this is the same process as any other IM service, and you can use Skype for IM if you want.

Install a microphone and speakers and you are ready to chat with others. If you want to make calls from your computer to a regular phone, visit the Skype web site and purchase SkypeOut credits in 10 Euro increments using your credit card. Skype doesn't support US Dollars, and while the Euro is very strong their rate is still very good. Once you have done this, you can call almost anywhere by typing in the phone number using the country code + city code + number to make a phone call. You'll be talking into your computer. The cost is usually 0.02 - 0.03 Euros per minute depending on where in the world you are calling.

Now in addition to making "phone" calls, Skype has very good conference call capabilities. Allowing you to be able to have up to four lines to talk simultaneously. Even with multiple SkypeOut calls it is much cheaper and easier than using commercial conference bridge services for small groups. If you want to take advantage of your home's phone extensions, you can create a conference call between your house phone and the number you want to dial. Another neat application with Skype is for people who work collaboratively on extended projects, it's possible to keep a computer to computer "phone" line up for multiple hours without charge and be able to ask, informal questions without the necessity to make a phone call. A virtual officemate.

Skype is not without its limitations. Much of the quality of the call is a function of your microphone, my tests reveal that my Powerbook's internal microphone is sufficient for computer calls, but when using SkypeOut an external microphone improves clarity considerably. Lastly, Skype calls seem to be inconsistent using WiFi, for best results it's best to be wired directly into your broadband connection.

Despite these limitations, Skype's quality of calls and its flexibility means it's easier than ever to "reach out and touch someone" with your Mac.