Internet technology has brought many conveniences and Skype has benefited most, from its application of Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP). Along with the other major players in this field such as Yahoo! Messenger, MSN Messenger, and Vonage, Skype is also trying to utilize the full range of applications of VoIP. It has added quality, innovation, and marketability to the VoIP applications, in order to improve its own performance and to add many new features.

SkypeOut
With this facility, you can call any traditional phone number, anywhere in the world, from your computer. You would have to pay 2 US cents (1.7 Euro Cents or 1.1 pence) per minute, for using global SkypeOut, to more than 20 countries.

SkypeIn
You can get a virtual phone number of any country, and your friends or business associates of that country can call that number at local rates. The yearly subscription is 30, and for 3 months, it is 10.

Skype Voicemail
You can redirect calls to your voicemail and just pay 5 for 3 months or 15 for a year.

PC To PC Calls
Perhaps, the best application of Skype is the ease of making calls from one computer with Skype, to another and that too, free of cost. All that you need is a computer, an Internet connection, a PC microphone, and speakers, or you could go in for a basic USB headset. With this arrangement, you can talk to anyone, anywhere in the world, with excellent voice quality.

Impressive Features of Skype
Apart from easy setup facilities, Skype has a database that is easy to search and to make a list of contacts. There are hardly any interruptions in the calls, even when they are being made between US and India, and that too, for a long period. The quality of the communication, especially clarity is comparable to that of a normal telephone. Moreover, Skype can work in any environment, even if there is Nat or firewall.

Negative Features of Skype
An analysis has shown that Vonage offers many more calling features than Skype. Moreover, the technical/customer support offered by Skype leaves much to be desired. The quality of SkypeOut package is also inconsistent. Skype does not have video chat facilities that are available with other VoIP providers like, MSN messenger and Yahoo! Messenger.

Final Assessment
With Vonage, you can get more feature-rich services and a better customer service, but it is also more expensive. Skype is computer-based, but Vonage gives better service as far as traditional telephony is concerned. In the field of free PC-to-PC calls, however, Skype is a better option than any of its competitors. It needs to improve its SkypeOut, SkypeIn, and its customer support services, in order to become the best voice-application provider.

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