VoIP with a computer or without

There's a number of popular computer messenger applets like the MSN or Yahoo ones that also come with free voice chat between computers over the internet - though I find the quality of the voice on Skype to be much better. Skype also comes with the ability to connect with the regular, old fashioned phones. To receive calls that way it costs around US $35 a year and to make outgoing long distance calls, the rate to most countries is around US 2 cents per minute.

There are also regular looking, corded or cordless, phone sets that plug into computer's USB port for making Skype calls. If that weren't enough one can also have a regular phone plugged into computer for use with VoIP throgh USB adapters, which you can get for around US $30. And there are even cellphones coming onto the market, allowing making free VoIP phone calls while being in a public wireless router area.

Another nice feature of Skype is that it allows making VoIP calls even through the slow dial-up internet connections. For those though, who don't want to use computer for their VoIP calls there is a number of companies that allow using regular phones for VoIP calls through an interface box plugged directly to a high speed internet connection and that means without a computer. The annual fee for those starts at around $200 and these often come with bonuses like free telephone sets and a free limited area/time long distance to other traditional phones.
I am gonna say more about that later.