In today's home and business life, we need to communicate with many people who are far away. Using a regular telephone will get you a huge bill with the long distance charges. Even a cell phone can be inadequate for all your long distance needs. The cell phone can cut you off or go to roaming. This can make phone calls expensive and frustrating for both parties on the line.

There are different ways to make phone calls or have live conversations with someone on the Internet. There are web sites that are set up like a regular phone service with all the same amenities. These phones services can come with a charge depending on the features and usage. They can have things like call waiting, three way calling, and voice mail.

This is a good option for people who need to do a large part of their business on the phone and want a reliable and inexpensive way to do it.

There are programs and hardware you can add to your computer to turn it into a phone. There is telephony software that will give you access to the phone system. You also need to have a microphone and speakers or a headset before making calls. There are wireless headsets available so you are not tied to your computer.

You can have live conversations through the use of web based messenger services. There are many web servers like MSN and Yahoo that have a messenger service that you can download onto your computer. They allow you to send instant messages, picture, and files. They can also allow you to turn your PC into a video phone with the use of a web camera. All you have to do is contact the person you want to speak with, and then invite them to view your camera. After that is set, there is a button that allows you to speak to them directly. Then viola, you have a videophone.

There is also voice over Internet protocol (VoIP). With this technology you can make a call from anywhere there is a broadband connection. So business travelers can take their phones with them on trips and always have access to their home phones. Another alternative is the soft phone. A soft phone is software that loads the VoIP service onto your desktop or laptop. It has an interface that looks like a traditional phone. As long as you have a headset or microphone, you can make call from anywhere you can get a broadband connection.

These advancements in phone calling technology may one day make the landline phones a thing of the past. 30 years ago it would have been amazing to make a phone call from anywhere but your home or public pay phone. Now you can go anywhere and do anything and still have the ability to communicate with anyone you choose.