Lessons in Technology: Read My Lips: Video Chat is Better Than Calling on a Cell Phone

One of the best things about the internet is that there are so many things available at a very low cost or for free, and a great tool that falls into this realm is voice and video chat. We’re all trying to save some money these days, and this is a great way to keep your cell phone or landline bill down, especially if you’re calling overseas. Plus, you have the added benefit of actually communicating with a friend or family member virtually face-to-face.

A couple of the most popular options for video chatting are Skype (www.skype.com ) and Google Talk (http://www.google.com/chat/video).Let’s first start with the most feature-rich tool, Skype. Skype is a free program that you download and install on your computer. It enables you to talk to anyone else in the world, either only by voice or with video. It is free as long as you are talking to another Skype user on their computer; if you want to make calls to land lines or mobile telephones, it only costs a few dollars per month – a tempting alternative if you make a lot of long distance calls or are in front of your computer a lot anyway.

In order to start talking with people, all you need is Skype, a microphone, speakers, and a webcam if you want the video capability. Most current laptops have these built-in, and these are inexpensive accessories for a desktop computer. Though your laptop may have a preinstalled mic and speakers, something to keep in mind is that the sound quality is better if you purchase a headset that you simply plug into the speaker and microphone jacks on your computer. You also have the added privacy with a headset. For a desktop PC a headset is a necessity, as most monitors do not have built-in speakers and microphones.

Once you’re ready to use Skype, you can easily video conference with relatives in foreign countries, kids away at college, family while you’re on a business trip, or your grandkids who live on the other side of the country. I was at a big birthday party recently where the guest of honor’s brother could not attend because he was in training with the Navy. Well, all we had to do was make a connection on Skype, plug the laptop into a big-screen projector, and he was able to see and talk with everyone at the party. So it can really be a cool and useful tool.

Another feature with Skype is that you can configure it so when you call land or mobile phones, the caller ID on the recipient’s end will see either your home or mobile phone number—this way your friend can recognize who’s calling, and know they want to answer the incoming call. You can also send text messages to mobile phones from Skype, though you do have to pay for that feature.

The alternative to Skype is a program from Google. If you’re already a Google user (Gmail, Google Docs, etc.), you can download and install the free Google Talk plugin that will allow you to video chat with other Google users. Again, you need to have a mic, speakers, and webcam, but otherwise it’s ready to go once installed. Google Talk is also totally free, and the sound and video quality is generally quite good, but the catch is that you can only talk to other Google users and only on the computer; there is no way to call mobile or land telephones.

One more thing to note is that both of these tools do require a high-speed broadband connection in order to work properly. Dial-up (56k modem) connections are quite rare these days, but it’s still important to note.

Strati Vourakis is Co-Founder of Dot Calm, a Computer Coaching company in the Sacramento region that is focused on simplifying technology.