Google Free Call Service : 5 Things To Know

(1) It still doesn't have a nameGoogle hasn't yet chosen a name for the service, it just calls it "call phone". It is actually a feature rather than a service and with no plans to introduce it as a standalone attraction, "call phone" is likely to remain just another within Gmail alongside "task".

(3) Not available as stand aloneYou cannot download and install any software that will allow you to perform the service. The nearest thing to it, Google Talk allows free calls between Google Talk users but not to traditional landlines and mobile phones. Will this change at some point in the future? Possibly not.

(4) Not the cheapest aroundGoogle's VoIP service might be the cheapest for calling the US and Canada but it certainly is not the cheapest when calling other countries including France, UK and others. This is particularly true in territories where internet penetration is not high; dedicated VoIP services will almost certainly offer cheaper prices as they tend to have much lower running costs.

(5) QoS should be better than on most mobile phonesWe briefly tested the service today during a 30 second call using a laptop and were quite surprised by the quality of the call, one which we found out to be better than on most mobiles. Mobile technology still uses poor quality audio whilst VoIP services like Skype and Truphone offer much better quality because they do not carry any legacy technology.