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As some of you know, I currently have a husband who is deployed overseas so, I’m often searching for the best way to keep in touch with him. From what I’m told, it costs at least $3/minute to make a call from overseas to the US if you have a cell phone that actually works over there. Calling cards are nice but often get used up fast. Instant messaging is also nice but in my opinion, nothing compares to hearing the sound of my husband’s voice!
Luckily, there are a lot of different ways to make calls & have voice chats online as well as regular text chats. So, I’ve done a little searching and have chosen 28 great tools that anyone can use to make calls using your computer. The majority require you to have an Internet connection as well but a few don’t. Since the list is very long I decided to divide in half so, I’m posting 14 today and will post the other 14 tomorrow.
Just plug any household phone into the MagicJack and then plug the MagicJack into any USB port on your computer. That’s it, you can now make & receive calls to anywhere in the world. Once you buy the actual MagicJack piece that goes into your computer, most calls are free. I know someone who has this & I have used it myself so I know just how great this little gadget is! Of course, there’s always going to be mixed reviews & different experiences so your best bet is to test it out yourself.
Most people have at least heard of Skype once in their life. Skype is an instant messenger kind of like Yahoo Messenger that lets you talk over the Internet to anyone in the world for free. New features are constantly being added plus there are lots of tools & tips to make your Skype even better.
Speak your mind: Have a high-quality voice conversation using PC-to-PC Calling. You and the person you call will need to have Messenger installed, and compatible microphones and speakers or a headset for it to be FREE.
I already talked about TringMe a few weeks back here, so I won’t go into it but it’s a great little tool for making calls & even better for receiving voice mail messages.
This is a very basic PC telephone that is packaged as a self-extracting setup file. To install PC-Telephone on your computer run PC-Telephone.exe setup file and follow the instructions.
BuddyTalk is the ultimate Internet voice communication tool for staying in touch with all of your friends/family, classmates or coworkers while you’re online. You can make PC to phone and PC to PC calls.
EvaPhone provides Internet telephone calls for free. Their site offers free VoIP call solutions: free VoIP service lets you make PC-to-phone free international calls. All you need is a computer to start making free VoIP calls using Internet to phone.
Net2Phone is one of the pioneers of Internet communication, serving hundreds of thousands of customers around the world. Unlimited calling to the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico for only $24 a month!
Make a JAJAH call anywhere – on your mobile or landline phone to save money and keep in touch with friends and family. It connects you using your existing phone. No contract, no software, no headset. Easy to use, so start saving right now.
Enjoy PC to PC calls for free and PC to phone calls at extremely low rates. With YouTring, you will never have to worry about bad reception or interrupted phone calls; they bring to you the best in free VoIP technology.
Call from your computer to any phone worldwide for the lowest rates.
If you have used or currently use any of these, please feel free to share your thoughts. Of course you’re always welcome to add your own picks in a comment as well!
This post is part 1 of a 2-part series; part 2 can be found here.
Technorati Tags: pc to phone, pc to pc, make calls, receive calls, international calls, magicjack, voice chat, video chat, p2p, voice call, video call, instant messenger, telephony, telephone, voip, free calls, cheap calls
Great List!
I mainly use Jajah, but when it’s time for videocallings then Skype is the king.
Cheers!
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This is an awesome list!!
I personally am on good ol’ skype with unlimited minutes in the U.S., Canada & Mexico. Costs me $5.95 every three months. Pretty good deal in my book.
That also entitles me to only pay $30 a year for a skype number!
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Thanks.
I’m set on getting the Magic Jack I think….. $19.95/year and free unlimited calling including long distance, can’t beat that.
This is an absolutely great post. I’m bookmarking it so I can find it easily when I need it. Thanks!
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Thanks Kelly
that’s an awesome posts and lots of services with great quality. i’m trying to gather some new service.
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I have been using Voxofon. Switched from Skype. It’s new and you can tell cause they have the most up to date ways to call. I use it on my laptop and my iPhone to call my little brother in Germany. You get 30 minutes free and those minutes go long way…trust me. Your list has much info though–thank you for posting!
Thanks Sakib
Thanks for sharing Tonya, I’ll definitely check that one out! I’m still shopping around for the best option!
[...] 28 Ways To Make Calls Using Your Computer – There are a lot of different ways to make calls & have voice chats online as well as regular text chats. So, I’ve done a little searching and have chosen 28 great tools that anyone can use to make calls using your computer. The majority require you to have an Internet connection as well but a few don’t. Since the list is very long I decided to divide in half so, I’m posting 14 today and will post the other 14 tomorrow. [...]
Hey,
I enjoy using Google Talk but when comes to voice skype is absolutely the best. I am hoping to see the rest.
Cheer
Magic Jack has always looked interesting just seemed too good to be true. Now with Skype and Google Voice and other VOIP software its giving these hardware dependant solutions a run for their money.
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