Skype is VoIP software from the same folks that gave you Kazaa, the peer-to-peer music sharing program. It's Internet phone - your voice turned into packets of data, sent through the Internet to another computer and turned back into voice.

All you need is a high speed connection, the free software and a headset. Audio setup is automatic and can be confirmed through Skype’s "Echo123" that let's you listen to a pleasing voice, record about 20 seconds of audio that is played back so you're sure you can hear and be heard.

I've been using Skype for a couple of weeks now and find it intriguing in several ways. More about that in a moment.

Look up people by country and language, name, screen name, or find someone in the Skype-Me mode. "Skype-Me" means you are willing to chat with anyone. That can invite a lot of calls - from people you don't know. That can be fun, a spontaneous conversation from someone on the other side of the world. Or, it can be bothersome, someone calling, yelling something obscene and hanging up. By the way, when someone calls, there is a "ring" that sounds like one of those phones in those 1950’s movie mysteries.

Sometimes it takes 5 or 10 seconds to make a connection after you click "call." A few calls are a little flakey, with noticable latency (lag time) between you speaking and the audio reaching the other other party. Some people use speakers to listen instead of the headset and when the speaker volume is too high you can hear your voice arrive.

But many calls are crystal clear - no time lag at all. I spoke with a 22-year old in South Korea from my Washington, DC office. It was the clearest, best-sounding phone call I’ve had – wired or otherwise. It was like she was in the room with me. Part of that is a good soundcard and stereo speakers. Doesn’t your stereo sound better than sound coming from the phone in your house?

Basic Skype is free. Another version also lets you call regular phones at low rates. Skype won't let you make emergency 911 calls, but can save you some money on International calls and – can be a lot of fun. It reminds me a bit of Amateur Radio (Yes, I'm a ham), searching for people to talk to in other countries. But instead of figuring out the best frequencies to try, buying or building antennas and electronics gear to communicate – there is the Internet and software.

SunRocket

For those who'd rather just dial the phone, there are more Internet phone companies ramping up, like Sunrocket.

"Internet phone service is ready for prime time," says Joyce Dorris of Sunrocket. “Now it's just like the same phone service you've always used, but you can use your high speed Internet connection to power your home phone."

SunRocket is a Northern Virginia company getting its feet wet in the voice over IP market. Call quality ranges from crystal clear to a bit muddy.

"I think sometimes it might be more like a cellphone call, but sometimes it's better than the quality you get in your house. It's great quality internationally. It should be good all the time."

Hookup appears simple. Plug a cable from your high speed internect connection to SunRocket's device, called a Gizmo. The Gizmo is designed to "pass through" the Internet connection. The Gizmo then plugs into a router or your computer. Some router chipsets balk at passing through the connection, but SunRocket has firmware ungrades it can pass down the line to take care of that. DSL hookup is a bit more complicated.

The advantages of Internet phone over the wired world - manage everything online, set up services, contacts, and even receive voice mail by e-mail. It sounds very clear.

The other attraction is cost. While the major wired companies offer combined local and nationwide calling for a fixed price, the Internet phone companies are much cheaper. "Once you have the experience for yourself and you go from paying 50 or 80 dollars a month to paying just 20 dollars a month for phone service, then you want to tell everybody about it, cause your phone works the same way it always has."

I've been trying the service for a few days, and made local and long distance calls to people who know my voice very well. Some didn’t notice any difference; other said they thought I was calling on a cellphone, but it was clear without any distortion. So far, so good.

Cautions

Some of the latest estimates suggest about 15-percent of us have cut the cord completely and rely on our cellphones. As the wireless world captures more of our everyday usage keep a couple of things in mind.

A. The POTS (plain old telephone system) runs on its own power. That's why you can call the power company to tell them your lights are out. And unless the phone line is cut or broken by a falling tree, the phone should keep on working even if the power is out for a week. If you try a broadband Internet phone service, the boxes provided by your Internet Service provider (ISP) and phone service rely on power from an electric outlet. That means you will lose phone service if the power goes out, UNLESS you use a battery-backup system. Backups good for a few hours are inexpensive and necessary.

B. 911 calls. When you call 9-1-1 with a wired phone, your name and address pop up on the call center’s screen, so even if you can’t talk, the emergency services people know where you are. Many wireless carriers now provide the same service. And so do many of the Internet phone companies. Be sure the company you choose supports emergency calls. Skype says up front it doesn’t support emergency calls.

C. Internet phone service may not respond to tones as quickly as POTS. I’ve used SunRocket to call my voicemail at work. I have to pause for an extra split-second between numbers when I enter extension number and password, etc., to make it work. Not a big deal, but something you may not read about elsewhere.