| Ever made an expensive international call from your | | | | you just leave it plugged in like any phone and make |
| hotel room to check-in with your family and friends | | | | and receive calls like you normally would from home. |
| back home? I'll bet you watched your watch like a | | | | It is that easy! |
| hawk with those outrageous per-minute charges, | | | | While you can expect a monthly service charge as |
| unless of course you were Donald Trump. But most | | | | with any phone service, it is probably about the same |
| people nowadays travel with a laptop and hook-up to | | | | you are paying for your local phone service, with no |
| the hotel's high-speed internet and communicate via | | | | additional charges for domestic long distance calls. As |
| email. But the more internet savvy computer users | | | | for international calling, an internet video phone is |
| have graduated to Skype and other free instant | | | | needed in the foreign location, meaning you will have |
| messaging services to chat live with text, voice and | | | | to bring your internet video phone with you, or send |
| even video. But, is there a better middleman to | | | | one to someone abroad. Imagine being in Europe, |
| internet phone calls than an expensive laptop? | | | | Asia or wherever with a U.S., Canada, or Puerto Rico |
| Are Laptops a Weak Link? | | | | area code! The only caveat is that it needs to be |
| Services such as Skype are fairly easy to use, but | | | | connected to a high-speed internet service and a |
| do require you to leave your computer on and stay | | | | compatible power source. It would be a good idea to |
| signed-in to Skype. Sounds simple, but after repairing | | | | carry an international power converter kit when using |
| computers for many years, I saw customers with | | | | it abroad. As for home or office use, you should also |
| internet problems everyday, especially from malware, | | | | have a router so you can share your internet |
| not to mention show-stopping hardware problems. | | | | connection with your computer and internet video |
| Some were even stepped on, dropped, or damaged | | | | phone simultaneously. |
| in the overhead storage compartments while flying | | | | Putting it Another Way |
| abroad. | | | | I know many people understand that we are talking |
| Even if your laptop does survive a flight (most do), a | | | | about VOIP Video phones, but just to make it more |
| laptop is not a phone, it does not have a phone | | | | clear, it is like a "portable" digital phone service with |
| number that anybody can call you on, and with | | | | video; complete with an assigned phone number, a |
| services like Skype, you cannot call real phone | | | | webcam, LCD screen and speakerphone. The calls |
| numbers without a paid subscription. Sure there is the | | | | are routed through the internet, and with today's |
| MagicJack, but again, it relies on the health of your | | | | high-speed internet, video and voice come through |
| computer, and it is voice only (no video). | | | | with amazing clarity. |
| Free Long Distance and International Phone Calling? | | | | Creative Uses |
| So what is the best solution to make unlimited phone | | | | It seems like everyone has a cell phone these days, |
| calls while travelling abroad? An Internet Video Phone! | | | | and it won't be much longer before every household |
| Internet video phones are not new, but they are | | | | has a "video phone". It is available now, and I can't |
| more affordable than ever. One phone I know of is | | | | even conceive of the creative ways people will find |
| quite easy to use. You actually get assigned a real | | | | to use them. I know one way would be for deaf and |
| phone number. After the initial one-time setup, you | | | | or mute people to use sign-language over the phone, |
| just plug in 2 cords, one for the power, and one for | | | | instead of TTY/TDD devices. And can you imagine |
| the internet. The internet (ethernet) cable looks very | | | | the money an international business could save? The |
| much like a phone cable with a slightly larger | | | | advantages are endless. |
| connector. After powering-on the phone, it will | | | | A spoken word is very powerful, and a picture is |
| automatically acquire an IP address from the internet | | | | worth a thousand words, but a video is priceless. |
| service, after which you should have a dial-tone. Now | | | | |