Yahoo Messenger vs Skype Telephone Features

The universe is growing smaller and smaller with the technological advancement in all phases of communication. Webcams and social networking sites are just among the tools that connect many people around the world as if they were living next to each other’s. Skype and Yahoo Messenger are the most famous text, voice and video media that bring together two or more groups together.

This technological innovation facilitates communication of families, friends, and colleagues who are geographically separated from each other. With high speed Internet, they can almost touch their boundaries with the aid of webcams and headphones with microphones. International client collaboration is also made possible through online chat and conferencing services like Skype and Yahoo Messenger. There is growing competition among these two service providers and developers which are both used in private and commercial setting.

While both of them have telephone service features like telephone to PC or vice versa, one is extremely different from the other with regard to convenience, ease of use, and quality. Both offers video calling services although the former is much preferred because of its scratch-free voice quality than the latter. If you are opting to call a conference, then Skype is definitely for you as Yahoo Messenger does not have yet this feature. When it comes to voicemail services, Yahoo Messenger does not ask for a fee unlike Skype that requires a service charge. However, their telephone services are not considered an overall replacement of a true telephone and mobile phones. These two IM systems continue to develop technological innovations that would facilitate global communication.

Skype vs Google Voice

Speaking of online voice conferencing I have lately been using Skype and Google Voice to deal with international clients. If my client has a hi speed wifi connection then skype works easiest for me.  I can’t deny the clarity of Skype vs Google voice. While in  London, UK only 1 week ago I was chatting with my wife back home and could not believe how I could so easily hear my daughter playing in the background.

Skype vs Google Voice

It’s like the days of Sprint, when they would advertise, So quiet, you could hear a pin drop.  That’s how Skype is to me. Now if your wifi is sketchy you will get these weird extended sylables and dropped calls.  If you have an iPhone, any inbound phone call screws up your entire connection and you have to dial in again. Of course, using skype on my Dell laptop prevents the whole problem with inbound phone calls from being any issue. Of course, my dell computer can use tethered wifi from my iPhone too.

Now Google voice allows me to call when 3G coverage is sketchy OR when the other user does not have access to wifi.  The international calling rates are actually a little cheaper with Google Voice vs Skype.

Comparison of International Calling rates with Google Voice vs Skype

• Example: Call a landline from the USA to London, UK with Google voice is only 2 cents a minute while Skype would charge 2.3 cents.
• Call a cellphone in the United Kingdom with Google Voice and pay only 10 cents a minute, Skype is 25.9 cents.
• Germany cellphones – Google Voice – 10 cents / Skype 25.3 cents
• India – Google Voice – 2 cents / Skype 9.2 cents

Google Voice is the hands down winner for convenience and price.  Skype is the winner for clarity.  It all depends on what you are looking for and how much money you have in your Google wallet.

17 Ways to Use VoIP to Save Money During a Recession

With this recession kicking into high gear it’s time for small business’s to look at ways of cutting costs without slashing employees or the marketing budget.  VoIP is a quick and easy way to trim that budget for the end of the year. See the list below: