If your company has some IT experts lying around, consider WengoPhone, an open-source application being developed through. Con: Ceiling on free calls limits usefulness for high-volume callers. Pro: Mac-friendly, with a plug-in that connects Jajah calling with the OS X Address Book, plus an Outlook plug-in that is in beta. Go over that limit, and Jajah will ask that you purchase some premium services if you don't, you may be cut off (and remember, they have your phone number). Jajah operates on an honor system that allows you about 1,000 minutes per month of free calls because other Jajah users pay to use the company's premium services (such as business accounts, calls to non-Jajah users and some foreign calls). Your phone rings and you answer, after which your recipient's phone rings and Jajah completes the call. You visit Jajah's Web site, then enter your phone number and the number you want to call. Jajah offers the chance to make entirely free PC-to-PC VoIP calls and a limited number of free calls to and from landline phones. Pro: Extremely crisp audio and video built into every Mac. In October, a new version of iChat will accompany the release of OS X 10.5 and add more bells and whistles. The current version, iChat AV for Mac OS X 10.4, is the next best thing to being at a conference table with your co-workers, enabling razor-sharp videoconferencing with three others or audioconferencing with nine. It is also less of a bandwidth hog than Skype. IChat has many of the same features as Skype, excellent voice quality and ready integration with iSight video cameras. Con: Google Talk does not connect with landline phones or mobiles. Pro: Interfaces available in a dozen languages, including British English. Unfortunately, the Google Talk Client currently works only with Windows and BlackBerry devices, although Google promises Linux and Mac OS X versions in the future. It integrates directly with a user's Google Personalized Homepage, and the Google Talk application automatically loads your contacts from a Gmail account, speeding setup time. Google Talk comes in two flavors: a widget to use from a Google site (with Flash 8.0) and a 1.5MB download. Pro: Available for Windows, Linux and Mac platforms. typically for 1.9 cents per minute, instant messaging, and the ability to record conversations or map where caller and receiver are located. Gizmo features Call In and Call Out (similar to SkypeIn and SkypeOut). Its spinoff,, is a startup offering more complex, business-oriented tools that use Gizmo's protocols, including PSTN (public switched telephone network) gateways, voice mail and SIP (Session Initiation Protocol)/PSTN network peering. Gizmo Project is an open-source VoIP softphone that enables free or minimally expensive calls worldwide. Con: Apparently can't originate mobile calls. Pro: Rich-media chat messages including audio and video. That said, communication options from your mobile include photo and other file transfers, chat, text messaging, and emoticons. ComBOTS's Web site is unclear about whether you can originate calls using your mobile, but you can certainly call other mobile numbers from your PC or landline. Karlsruhe, Germany-based ComBOTS will connect your PC or landline phone with others around the world for free, or at least for no extra charge on top of whatever you already pay for broadband service. Remember, it pays to get the sign-up process out of the way now, determine whether your contacts must be on the same service as you and find out whether you'll pay extra to complete calls to a mobile or landline. So if you were caught flat-footed by Skype's day off or want to find a secondary service in case your primary service also goes down - hey, it could happen - take a quick look at some of the most prominent and/or innovative Skype competitors. Even with dozens of VoIP services to choose from, traffic for a handful - like Gizmo Project and GrandCentral - went through the roof. Those who thought ahead had a backup plan in place, while others had to find alternatives quickly. But the fix came too late for thousands if not millions of users, especially those who paid Skype for expanded services and relied on it for business. Skype fell victim to an unrecognized problem it faced from Microsoft's "Patch Tuesday," and Skype claims it has fixed this vulnerability. If you rely heavily on Skype, you probably remember where you were when it went down for 36 hours a few weeks back: up a creek. Top Video Conferencing Features in 2015.How to Set Up an In-House Contact Center.
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