Gizmo5 is one in a long line of VoIP applications that allows you to use your internet connection to make cheap phone calls.

If you're a Google Talk fan, like me, then the first good thing is that Gizmo5 and Google Talk are now connected. This means that Gizmo5 users can now send instant messages to Google Talk users but unfortunately, you can't call them although the developers promise that it's coming soon. To send Instant Messages, simply click on the IM icon next to your contacts name and you can instantly text other Gizmo5 users. One great feature of Gizmo5 is that you can perform free mobile phone and landline conference calling although you have to setup the system beforehand with the Gizmo5 FreeConferenceCall utility which can be tricky due to a few complicated configuration options. Another interesting feature is that Gizmo5 includes Asterisk PBX Support which means that you can now log into your virtual office with Asterisk PBX software. This basically means that you can receive calls and access your Gizmo5 phone wherever you are in the world. I also like the fact that it includes a free recorder which is something lacking in Skype.

Easy to use and integration with GTalk makes this a nice little app although it's calling rates need to be a lot more competitive before it can compete with Skype.

Download Gizmo5 4.0.0.386 in Softonic

The VoIP protocol has caused a total revolution in the way people communicate on the Internet, and Skype is undoubtedly one of the most widely used VoIP clients you can find.

With Skype you can not only have voice chats on your computer – just like telephone, only for free – but also make real phone calls at much lower rates, using the so called SkypeOut service and paying with Skype credit. Besides voice chats, Skype also includes the standard IM functionalities (written conversations, emoticons, user avatars and so on) and also lets you have video conferences.

These video calls are precisely the main focus on Skype's latest beta version. The program's interface has been completely redesigned with video conferences on mind. This means it's been made wider (full screen, really) so that video fits in perfectly with your written chat, your contact list and a toolbar to manage conversation. Honestly, I'm not sure this is a big improvement; my guess is that most people still use Skype only for voice calls and will find the new interface too obtrusive.

The sound quality during our testing was perfect: loud and clear. Unfortunately we can't say the same from the video image quality. The fact that it was displayed at quite a big size made it look too pixelated. There was though one nice detail, and that's the ability to see your own video image built-in on your contact's video. Also, though this is still a beta version, I must say I didn't have any problems while testing it.

Other improvements in this beta are, among others, a call quality feedback indicator, the ability to turn alerts off, the possibility to group contacts and a new feature called Video in mood, which lets you embed online videos from Metacafe and Dailymotion in your status message.

Skype 4.0 Beta features a complete interface overhaul that now focuses more on video chats, and also adds some handy improvements to the way you communicate online.

Download Skype 4.0.0.166 Beta 2 in Softonic

Wouldn't it be great if you could have WiFi access anywhere anytime? Of course, we're a long way from universal WiFi access for all but there are some networks that are already putting the principle into practice.

Whisher is one of those. Whisher is a small application which logs you on to the Whisher network and gives you free WiFi access where available. Of course, the key here is "where available" which at the moment, isn't many places, although it's not badly served by any means. It relies on users like you sharing your home WiFi internet connection with other users on the Whisher network.

However, you don't lose control of your WiFi network if you join in. All WiFi networks registered through Whisher are protected and the users have full control over who can access them. The principle of this app is superb - by aggregating all WiFi connections people have at home, it is creating the world's biggest free WiFi network. However, you still have to pay to use it - joining doesn't mean you're given free access to other users' networks. However, the more you share, the cheaper it is for you.

Whisher is an innovative solution to creating a universal WiFi network for all and if you're on the move a lot, it could save you a hell of a lot of money and hassle in finding internet access.

Download Whisher 3.0.09.03 in Softonic

Long gone are the days when you’d have to save up for weeks to make a long distance or international phone call. Thanks to Voice over IP technology and the widespread availability of broadband it’s now possible to talk free of charge to anyone in the world.

Skype has made the technology accessible to all through it’s simple and fun-to-use chat-style interface. The program is gaining in popularity, meaning the community of users you can chat to for free is expanding. This update certainly contains some decent additions to the previous version, most notably its webcam facilities. This means you can now watch your buddies as you chat to them and let them see you if you want.

You can use the program to chat with other Skype users anywhere in the world for free either via telephone or the built-in chat feature. However, some overly optimistic users may be disappointed to learn that you still need to pay for credits to make calls to landlines and mobiles with Skype, through the SkypeOut function. Luckily, this is a very painless process, and Skype has recently added a plethora of different ways to pay.

The program is perhaps even easier to use than ever, with streamlined new tools such as the ability to add a contact from the main Skype window and contact grouping for arranging your friends, family and colleagues into categories. You can even import contacts from Outlook, and find out if any of these use Skype. The changes to the interface and its icons may confuse existing users for a while, but once you get used to it, the new GUI is arguably more intuitive than ever.

As we’ve come to expect there’s plenty you can do other than just having a two-way conversation with a friend, including inviting other users into a conference, setting up chatrooms, exchanging files, and viewing the history of your contacts. You can even set up customized voicemail to record messages while you’re away from base.

We're also excited by the new public chats function. You'll get to join in many different groups and talk about a specific subject. You can even create your own chat for others to join in, like an Italian language class or a talk on the consequences of the Iraq war.

As more people clamber aboard the Skype bandwagon, the network will become a much more convenient way for people to chat with each other. The client now provides the perfect platform on which to join the communication revolution. Let the Skyping commence…

Download Skype 3.8.0.139 in Softonic

Nowadays the majority of people enjoy a broadband Internet connection, be it at home or in the office. But if you're not sure about the performance of your Internet provider, it would be a good idea to use SpeedConnect Connection Tester.

This simple tool analyzes the speed of your Internet connection by downloading some data from an online server and calculating how much time your PC takes to finish the transfer. The default server is Microsoft but you can use just about anything by simply entering the URL in the program's field.

Once the transfer is finished SpeedConnect Connection Tester displays the results including the size of the downloaded file, average time and average speed, and giving also a verdict for your connection. Sadly, it doesn't let you save results or keep statistics for future comparisons or to keep track of them in the long term.

I must say I was quite surprised by the results (I thought my connection was better than "poor") so I don't know if these numbers should be taken very seriously. In any case it's an easy way to get an approximate idea of your connection's performance.

With SpeedConnect Connection Tester you can check your connection speed and performance in a very easy way, though I'm not that sure about the reliability of results.

Download SpeedConnect Connection Tester in Softonic

v-Phone™ Communication Center is a Voice-over-IP (VoIP) application with an added value. We believe that the Internet can and will replace the older means of voice communication. We have developed a range of v-Phone™ service packages from the simple "Talk-and-Chat" applet to the full communication suite which provides a complete communication solution for the most demanding user or enterprise.

Download V-Phone Communication Center 1.07.6 in Softonic

WengoPhone allows you to make VoIP calls all over the world, PC to PC, for free. This communication tools allows you to also send instant messages and arrange video calls. The directory is useful to store all your contacts. If you want to call a landline, you can take advantage of the extremely low communications costs offered by Wengo. This program is an interesting alternative to Skype.

Download WengoPhone 2.1.2 in Softonic

By releasing their own chat and VoIP client, Google aims to compete with the already existing MSN Messenger, Yahoo Messenger and Skype. Google Talk is a messenger client with a "Web 2.0" feel that makes communicating with other Google users a piece of cake. The program integrates well with many of Google’s other products. You can open it inside of Gmail, add it to your Google Desktop bar, or even manage your Orkut conversations directly from Google Talk.

At first glance, Google Talk follows in the company’s tradition of keeping things simple. All your contacts are automatically loaded from your Gmail account the first time you launch the client. You can start a conversation in a click and keep all of your different chats in separate windows.

Although, Google Talk doesn’t allow you to call phones, it will let you talk with other Google users and even send voicemail if they are offline. Gmail users will appreciate how the chat client is also embedded in your Gmail account, allowing you to chat with other Gmail users instead of sending emails. Google Talk also integrates into the Google Desktop, making it immediately accessible from anywhere on your PC.

Google Talk doesn’t allow you to set an alias but you’ll still be able to set a user picture. Maybe influenced by all the developments in online music like Last.fm, Google integrates Music Trends to your Google Talk. What this means is that you’ll be able to share your musical history with other Google Talk users. You can also set your status as displaying the track playing on your PC.

Google supports the Jabber protocol, so you can chat with friends using Adium, Gaim, iChat or Trillian. You can also connect to your Google Talk account using any of these chat clients. In the future, Google Talk, like most other IM clients, is expected to support Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) meaning you’ll be able to chat and call friends on many more clients like MSN or Yahoo Messenger.

Because it’s such a young chat client, it’s been easy to pinpoint the failings in Google Talk. First of all, Google Talk does not encrypt your conversations or calls, making your discussions available to anyone on the Internet. Many users have also claimed that the Gmail notifications are not very reliable and that Google Talk can suddenly freeze up after you’ve left it on for a while. We also find the user status icons to be too discreet.

Google Talk is not perfect but we think it’s a good bet for the future. As Gmail has shown, Google tends to constantly improve its products so we can expect some exciting improvements soon. The most urgent ones will be to support VoIP to phones, finally encrypt your conversations and to support the SIP protocol. Because of its integration with other Google products, Google Talk is an exciting chat client for Google users. However if you already have a solid chat client and are not a big fan of Google, this application won’t really bring you anything new.

Download Google Talk 1.0.0.104 in Softonic

MX Skype Recorder is a new tool that works in conjunction with Skype for recording Skype audio conversations.

It has several key features. It can work in automatic mode, so you don't need to press "record" or "stop", or manual mode. It also automatically compresses conversations into mp3 format using Lame MP3 Encoder or it can also save the file in wav PCM format.

You can record conversations either in single or dual audio track (one channel for input, other for output) and it can even work in "Spy mode" - users who use Skype won't even know that all their conversations will be recorded.

It also supports all versions of Skype, Google talk, Yahoo Messenger and several other VoIP applications.

Download MX Skype Recorder 3.5.2 in Softonic

SoliCall is an innovative software that will help you reduce unwanted noises on your part during an online conversation.

Ticking on your keyboard? The phone rings? Your kids play loudly in the other room and you just don't want the other party to be continuously disturbed by all these noises? SoliCall can help. Whether you use Skype, Yahoo Messenger or Google Talk, SoliCall will make you sound more professional.

Also, you can enjoy and hear SoliCall's performances yourself by using the Screen Incoming Audio feature, which minimizes background noises coming from the other end. In addition, you get an Automatic Recorder that allows you to record your calls and the files would be saved automatically under your name.

Download Solicall 1.2.2 in Softonic

Nikotel is an alternative telephony IP app that will allow you, besides speaking to your friends via the Internet, to send text messages to them or to even make video conferences. Nikotels IM functions are very similar to those of a typical messenger so there's nothing strange to get used to there.

On the one hand, you can manage your contacts, visualize if they are connected or not, to send a text message to them or call to them in a few simply clicks. On the other hand, the program includes a typical numeric keypad that allow you to call to any telephone in the world - mobile or fixed.

Obviously, all the services are free as far as PC-to-PC calling is concerned although calling phones is not. Your account can be magaed from the keypad, cimilar to that in Skype, where you can modify your account details, change your state and conect to the Nikotel homepage.

This is a slick looking VOIP program that if it can reduce calling fees, could eventually give the big boys a run for their money.

Download Nikotel 2.1 in Softonic

Getting in touch with someone on the other side of the planet is becoming just as easy as talking to your next-door neighbour these days. First it was email, then IRC chatrooms, then instant messaging, and now the world is being sucked in by Voice-Over-IP. Thanks, in no small part, to the popularity of Skype, using your computer to talk with people around the globe is becoming more commonplace and cheaper.

VOIP Stunt is certainly one of the most eye-catching of the Skype copycats out there, due to the fact that it’s very, very cheap. It’s so cheap, in fact that it offers free calls from your PC to landlines in a wide range of countries, including the UK, Germany, France, Spain, Canada, Australia and the US. This of course, is even cheaper than calling with Skype, which applies an, albeit small, call charge. Even for those countries where calls to landlines aren’t free, the call charge with VOIP Stunt is generally cheaper than Skype.

Before you start ditching Skype and switching to this app, there are a couple of points you should consider. For starters, to use VOIP Stunt you need to have credit in your account in order to make calls, even free ones. While it may sound like a bit of a scam, the minimum top-up is only about $12, and credit remains in your account for 120 days, so it’s possible to make infinite calls to landlines (in the countries listed) while only paying this nominal fee every four months. Nevertheless, the service is still effectively a subscription-based system, but then the developers do have to make their money from somewhere.

It’s also worth noting that VOIP Stunt contains nowhere near the amount of features that Skype comes with. This means no instant messaging, no video conferencing and only a limited range of settings. This said, if you’re busy chatting away all night with your friends and family for nothing then you can quite easily forgive the application these shortcomings.

Download VOIP Stunt 4.00.461 in Softonic

Don't you just hate it when work interrupts your Skype calls? Oops, I mean the other way around, honest boss. Well, there's no reason why you can't combine the two things at the same time. The Skype Office Toolbar allows you to access the popular VOIP service directly from Microsoft Office applications, providing you with the use of all its many features.

The toolbar facilitates much more than just the ability to make calls. The plug-in recognises telephone numbers and Skype contacts within the Office document you're working on, automatically adding a link to phone this person with one click. The program is also great for quickly sending Word, Excel and Powerpoint documents toyour Skype contacts. You can even see when the author of a document is online and start communicating with them using Skype. So, there you have it, using Skype at the office is not necessarily a bad thing.

Download Skype Office Toolbar 1.1.0.10 in Softonic

If you are constantly moving between networks or IP addresses, you'll know how annoying it is to keep reconfiguring your connection settings. This usually involves constantly opening the Network and DialUp Connections applet to manually change the TCP/IP settings to match your current network.

Since the download is a Windows Installer 2.0 "Install From Web" application, it's best to select "Run from current location" on the download dialog as what is downloaded is simply the bootstrap portion of the install. IpManager works by automatically recording the configuration settings of every network you connect to. So basically, next time you work on that network, all the TCP/IP, DNS and Gateway will be ready to go next time you work on that network. The system tray icon runs in the background and from here, you can switch between networks.

This tool is particularly useful for those laptops that connect to the Internet via Wifi in different locations such as at home, at work and in a hotel. If you're always on the move, this is a simple but effective solution to your connection problems.

Download IpManager 1.2 in Softonic

I remember fondly the days when walkie talkies ruled the world of communication but since the advent of mobile phones and the Internet I thought I'd never utter the words "10-4 receiving" again. I was pleased to hear about Walkietalkie then, a program designed around the famous old handsets, which lets you talk to your pals through the Net. The application sends data at just 13kbps, making it ideal for use with online video games, which often demand most of your PC's resources for themselves.

I was disappointed that the program doesn't completely replicate a real walkie talkie, allowing you to talk with each other simultaneously and not making any "krsssh" sounds before you speak. This is the 21st century though, and as a means of communicating via voice without using up a lot of system resources, Walkietalkie does a great job.

Download Walkietalkie 2.7.6 in Softonic

Connection Keeper prevents your Internet connection from appearing idle or inactive. It does this using almost no bandwidth or system resources. If a connection is lost, Connection Keeper can automatically dial back in.

It can even automatically simulate a button click to close popup windows (such as those asking if you wish to remain connected). You can configure precisely how your line is kept active, and Connection Keeper's window can be minimized to the system tray.

Download Connection Keeper 7.2 in Softonic

Pamela answers calls and chats for you when you are away or don't want to be disturbed, offers 32 languages and does a lot of other cool things too. Pamela Basic Version offers the following features:

• Automatic voice mail answering system
• Automatic answering of Skype chat messages
• Record unlimited number of voice messages (from 1 to 10 minutes)
• Voice mails are available locally in standard audio formats (LAME required for native MP3)
• Easy recording of your greeting messages directly from within Pamela
• Balloon notifications of connection status of Skype (also visible in status bar)
• Call back or send chat messages directly from Pamela to contacts that tried to call you
• Pamela can change Skype status automatically during a call (status type can be chosen)
• Record all audio files in native MP3 format (separate installation of free codecs required)
• Recording and playback device can be selected by the user
• Sampling rate and bit rate of audio recordings can be selected by the user
• Compatible will any soundcard and USB phone

Download Pamela Basic 3.5.0.54 in Softonic

WiFi SiStr enables you to keep track of your WiFi signal strength by means of an attractive, small window that sits right on your desktop. It keeps information about your connection history, generating graphical statistics based on the average quality of your WiFi signal. The program can also be scheduled to play an alert sound in case your connection signal drops too much.

Take a look at what WiFi SiStr has to offer:

• Support for 17 languages
• Easy to use and understand
• Small display fully customizable
• Pre-defined and user defined themes
• Move by left button drag-n-drop
• Very complete Help included

Download WiFi SiStr 1.0.2678.17860 in Softonic

With FreeCall you can call your friends for free from your PC. And if your friends also have FreeCall, you can talk PC-to-PC for free for as long as you want. Here is a list of the countries where you can make free calls to with FreeCall (to landline only):

There are several ways to call with FreeCall:

• From the text box, enter the User Name of another VoipBuster user, or the desired phone number and press enter
• Double-click a User Name in your contact list
• Use the dialpad to make a call just like you do on a regular phone
• Or use the keypad on your PC

Download FreeCall 3.02 in Softonic

CQPhone is a simple chat program that works like a real telephone.It offers you the following:

• Voice chat + Video chat + Typing chat
• Share pictures and web pages
• Works with dialup, DSL and cable modems
• Every user receives a private phone number
• Meet new friends on the public chat list
• No cost. No registration. No adware. No spyware

Download CQPhone 2.4.04 in Softonic