Google has just launched a phone call application within Google Chat and Gmail, enabling Gmail users make free voice calls in the US and Canada. Calls to other countries start at $0.02 per minute.
This move puts Google in direct competition with Skype, another popular platform that allows free internet calls between users via the internet. Both platforms are great for people who don’t have land lines and/ or spend a lot of time on either personal or business-related international calls.
How it works:
- You will need Google’s Voice and Video plug-in. Within Gmail’s “Chat” window, a “Call phone” option will appear.
- A number pad will appear on which you can dial the phone number.
- If you have a Google Voice number it will appear as the outbound caller ID, and can be used to receive calls within Gmail.
According to a tweet from Google, users seem to love it, as more than one million calls were made in the first 24 hours after the feature went live. Let us know what you think, and whether you prefer it to skype.
Sources: mashable.com; pcworld.com; www.ft.com; Image Source: telegraph.co.uk
