Within just a few years of the advent of Voice-Over-Internet-Protocol, Skype emerged as a leader in the industry. The reason Skype became the leader was because, at least in the U.S., you could install Skype on your Internet-connected home PC and make completely free phone calls to any phone number in the U.S.

Today, the structure of the VoIP industry has evolved to meet the demands of increased infrastructure costs to support such a large VoIP user base, as well as to compete with the frightened but savvy telecommunications industry. In addition to becoming public enemy number one in the eyes of the big telecom companies, Skype also finds itself faced with a plethora of VoIP competitors. Today, we’re going to focus on one particular competitor – the emergence of an application called Gizmo. The following head-to-head VoIP review compares the features and costs of Skype Vs. Gizmo so that you can decide if Gizmo might be worth a try.

A Skype Vs. Gizmo Comparison Reveals Features and Flaws of Both

If you’ve used Skype, then understanding Gizmo is easy because it’s practically a perfect clone. In a few areas, the application is a bit too much like Skype, to be quite honest. With that said, there are some benefits to Gizmo that deserve mentioning, so this Skype vs. Gizmo feature will lay out those features side-by-side with Skype. At the end, we’ll review whether or not Gizmo has a chance of outpacing Skype in capturing VoIP customers.

This particular review is focused on the PC-based application, but it should be noted that each service, both Skype and Gizmo, offers a very useful application for your mobile phone that can save a great deal of money in both calling minutes and text messaging.

The first, basic part of any application to consider is the main page. In this respect, Gizmo has figured out how to make the navigation and control of the communication software much more clean and straightforward compared to Skype. In Skype, I’ve often spent a fair amount of time trying to remember how to get to the dialing pad or how to view message history.

In Gizmo, every major feature is clearly outlined in a tabular format at the top, and the most common actions, such as sending a text message to mobile users, adding a contact, or sending a message to other IM users, are clearly identified as large icons at the bottom.

Basic Features – Dialing Landlines and Adding Contacts

For the most part, if you do a Skype vs. Gizmo comparison on the dialing feature alone, they almost come neck and neck. Skype’s dialpad is a bit more aesthetically pleasing with blue stylized buttons with large white numbers on the keypad. Gizmo, on the other hand, features a somewhat boring, standard gray keypad with black letters.

But what it lacks in style, it makes up for with functionality by adding the ability to send various sound effects during your phone call. If you can picture how your friend would react when you click on the “BOO” button after they say something you disagree with, I’m sure you can imagine how funny some of these would be.

When it comes to adding a contact, Gizmo scores a point over Skype. As you can see below, Skype allows you to add other Skype users to your contact list. The one other IM app that Skype is integrated with is MySpaceIM. On the other hand, Gizmo offers users the ability to add contacts from GoogleTalk, Jabber, MSN, AIM and other major IM networks.

The one thing any communications company should understand is that not all users are every going to be using the same applications, and expecting everyone to adopt your application isn’t realistic. Interoperability is a key element to success.

Advanced Features – Sending/Receiving SMS and Voice Conferencing

Once you start getting into the more advanced features, you’re more likely to discover fees or you may need to purchase the “pro” version of the application for it to work. Comparing Skype versus Gizmo on these terms reveals that in both cases the applications offer some very cool and useful features – but if you want it to work you’re going to need to be willing to pay some small fees of one form or another.

One of the most valuable features that I’ve found all of these VoIP applications have been adding over the past few years is the ability to send text messages to mobile users. While this is a feature that’s just sort of “neat” when you’re using it as a desktop application, when you consider that these applications have a mobile version, the value becomes much more clear. You can even disable text messaging on your mobile plan, and just use your Internet connection to send and receive SMS. Both services, Gizmo and Skype, offer this feature.

Another valuable feature is the ability to set up conference calls. In both cases, Skype and Gizmo allow this feature for free among their own users, but if you want to have a landline conference call, expect to pay for it in some way – either through the landline pricing or a fixed fee.

Conferences are easier to set up in Skype, where you simply add users or phone numbers (who you call out to first). In Gizmo you need to go through setting up a conference call number that everyone can connection to. This is an extra step in Gizmo, but it does create the convenience of everyone having a central number to call in to.

Another interesting and valuable option for both Gizmo and Skype is the option to have a voicemail box. In the case of Skype, the voicemail feature isn’t available unless you pay for the upgrade to Skype Pro. For Gizmo, the voicemail feature doesn’t make it clear whether there are any charges or fees applied, however the feature itself does appear enabled in the free version of the software.

Advanced Options and Configuration

Finally, each application has a whole series of screens where you can configure your PC audio and microphone settings, videocam options and all of the other specific features of the software.

This is the one area of the Gizmo software that really raised my eyebrows. If you look closely, you can see how Gizmo developers apparently just reverse-engineered the options menus and screens from Skype. This section of the Gizmo software makes it painfully obvious that, at least in this area, Gizmo is very much a clone of Skype’s application. With that said, the additional features that Gizmo offers beyond the Skype features make up for this – but not by much.

Ultimately, my own summation of this Skype vs. Gizmo comparison is that Gizmo simply does not offer enough additional free features or services to effectively compete with Skype.

Have you ever used any VoIP software other than Skype? Which ones are your favorites? Share your own opinion in the comments area below.

Did you like the post? Please do share your thoughts in the comments section!

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It all sounds too good to be true and you’re probably asking the same questions I asked when I first heard about the service.

How can such a service sustain itself? How can they afford to do this?

According to the About VoIP page, they are funded by the calls made to their non-geographic DID (DIrect Dial) inbound numbers. So it is in their best interest to give away as many free numbers as they can, as calls made to those numbers provide revenue.

What’s the catch?

VoIP User is non-profit, and the revenue generated by inbound calls is used to allow users to make free international calls with their SIP accounts. As more inbound calls are made, more pooled minutes are made available for users to make outbound calls.

In order to prevent abuse (leeching of minutes), they have developed an algorithm to rate accounts on a scale from -10 to +10. Those with higher ratings are given priority to use pooled minutes. Users that do not generate inbound minutes will have lower account ratings, and may not be able to make outbound calls (or the amount of time they are allowed to call may be limited).

If you don’t know anyone in the UK and do not receive any inbound calls on your account, there will be restrictions on the amount of free outbound calling you will be able to do. If you are interested in making outbound calls, you will need to download a SIP client for your computer. One of the more popular free clients is X-Lite.

To set up X-Lite for VoIP User:

• Launch X-Lite and click the menu button (looks like a down arrow).
• Click on SIP Account Settings…



• Click the Add… button.
• Enter a Display Name (it is arbitrary what you enter here) in the account properties window.
• Enter your SIP username in both the User name and Authorization user name fields, as it appears on your SIP user settings page at VoIP User.
• Enter your SIP password. If you don’t remember what your password was when you signed up for VoIP user, you can reset your SIP password.
• Enter voipuser.org for the Domain.
• Enable the checkbox to Register with domain and receive incoming calls.
• Click the proxy radio button and enter sip.voipuser.org for the proxy.



• Click OK.
• Call someone!

To make calls, you will need to use the full international code standard. For instance, to dial the number 01234 567890 in the UK you would dial 0044 1234 567890. To dial 123 456 7890 in the USA, you would dial 001 123 456 7890. Please note that there is a mandatory 72 hour waiting period before you are able to make any outbound calls.

What do you think of VoIP User? What other service(s) do you use to make free international calls? Those who are interested can also check out a bunch of free international calling services that were profiled earlier.

Did you like the post? Please do share your thoughts in the comments section!

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1 UnwiredBuyer – Receive last minute eBay notifications and place bids directly from your mobile. Definitely a must-have for every eBay junkie. (US and Canada). Video Demo.

2. Soonr – Need to access your PC directly from the handset? Enter Soonr, a free mobile client that brings remote PC access to your phone: search files, view documents, check emails, run programs and more. US only. Video Demo.

3. Mosio – How old is Yoda? What was Einstein’s IQ? … and for all other questions simply send SMS to Mosio and get a quick reply shortly after. Screenshot. US only.

4. Plusmo – Super-fast mobile feedreader with lots of cool features. Video Demo. Another similar app is Viigo.

5. Fring – Really cool mobile app that lets you place free calls or chat with anyone from your Skype, ICQ, Google Talk, MSN, Twitter, or SIP contacts. Video Demo. You can also get same stuff with Nimbuzz.

6. Mobical – Over-the-air mobile data backup and restore service. Store and backup your contacts, synchronize data between multiple handsets and more.

7. Jajah – Dirt-cheap international call from your handset. Video Demo.

8. AllFreeCalls – Not just dirt-cheap but totally free international calls to over 50 countries. Available in US, UK, and Ireland.

9. Emoze – This one lets you push emails to your mobile. Works both with web-based emails (Gmail) and desktop clients (Outlook). I have covered a bunch of email to mobile apps here.

10. Directory Services - These services offer everything from the nearest Dominos and Movie theater schedules to the driving directions and maps to any address of your choice. There are plenty of good ones: Free411, Goog411, TellMe, and DialDirections. Although i have to warn you in advance, all of them are for the US only. European? See below.

11. Google SMS – Via SMS directory service with lots of extra features: dictionary lookup, currency converter, translations, flight schedules, stock quotes, etc. . Europeans can try Google SMS.

12. Foonz – Handy service to make group calls and send group SMS messages for free.

13. Nutsie – This ingenious app brings your iTunes music library to your mobile. Video Demo. Also check out MunduRadio to access hundreds of digital internet radio stations from any web-enabled mobile phone. Video Demo.

14. Podlinez – Any podcast any time from your handset. Completely FREE. Sorry folks, again US Only.

15. mShopper – Lookup prices and deals for any product right from phone. Quite handy for price lookups while window shopping Video Demo.. US only.

16. Trumpia – Send message to friends and get it delivered to their email, instant messenger, and mobile phone. Recipients can send replies from email, IM program or as a text message. Video Demo.

17. SoLow – Addictive auction service where the winning bidder is the one who has the lowest unique bid. Today’s auctioned items: 250$ cash, Vail Ski Holiday, and Necklace by Laura Shape. US only.

18. BooksInMyPhone – The best mobile book service out there. Comes with an excellent book reader app that makes mobile reading quite convenient. Also see DialyLit.

19. Jott – Voice-to-text transcriber with a bunch of cool features. Dial toll-free number and “Jott” yourself memo notes, Or “Jott” messages to a group of friends. Jott will transcribe your messages and send it to indicated emails.Video Demo. US only.

20. Qipit – Use phone camera to capture documents and convert them to well-formatted PDFs. Forward ready PDFs to your email or even send fax it anywhere you want. Video Demo.

Did you like the post? Please do share your thoughts in the comments section!

New on MakeUseOf ? Get cheat sheets and cool PDF guides @ www.makeuseof.com/makeuseof-downloads/

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There are many VoIP providers out there (Skype, VoipBuster, …) each with its own features and pricing models. After going through a bunch of them I came to conclusion that VoipBuster is the cheapest one. It’s by far cheaper then Skype, upto 2.5 times in some cases and has same (if not better) voice quality. To start using it you have to install VoipBuster software and register on voipbsuter.com.

To call someone you’ll need speakers and a microphone, in case you don’t have either of them, you still can use VoipBuster through your landline telephone. For that simply open VoipBuster client and go to ‘direct call’ option. Once there, 1. enter your landline number, 2. enter destination number and 3. press call. VoipBuster will try to connect these two numbers and within 2,3 seconds your landline phone should ring. You will need to pick up the phone and wait for the other side to answer. Please note, when using this option your calling rates will be higher.

VoipBuster Features

• Free PC to PC calls (VoipBuster accounts required).
• When calling from PC to mobile or landline the following rates apply (much cheaper than skype.)
• All landline calls to these countries are free (some balance deposit required). Otherwise, free calls are still possible but limited only to one minute per call.
• Free inbound local number: Users can get a number from voipbuster which looks and functions exactly like a normal local landline number. People from any type of phone can call this number and pay local calling fees. Coolest part about it, is that user can receive calls on that number regardless of his/her location. [Ex. Joe lives in New York and has inbound number. Joe goes to study abroad to Germany. Joe's friends in NYC call Joe's local number and Joe's PC rings somewhere in Germany. Joe picks and they start talking. Joe's friend pays only NYC local calling fees and Joe himself pays nothing.]
• No expiry date on the deposited credit. Prolong it for as long as you want.
• Direct calling: An option to use landline telephone handset.
• Good quality connection.
• Line ‘Hold on’, ‘Call History’ and ‘Chat’ options.

Overall, I think it’s really cool service which can save you considerable amount of money. It’s especially useful for making long distance calls. Try it out, it may be not as feature abundant as Skype, but definitely offers a better deal when it comes to money.

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