Instant Messaging

Your next phone: new IM tools with VoIP

Instant-messaging apps are adding Web-based calling so that you can make free phone calls around the world.

By Elsa Wenzel (August 25, 2005)

In recent years, instant text messaging and e-mail have replaced the phone for those who want to quickly and quietly use a computer to chat with friends, family, and colleagues. But the top IM apps are now pumping up their volume by integrating free, Web-based calling services. Yahoo Messenger now allows a Phone In/Phone Out service with penny-per-minute domestic calls and the option to pay $30 per year for a unique phone number. Will jumping on the VoIP bandwagon spur legions of IM users to pick up PC-to-PC phoning--making landline and cellular companies sweat? To help you decide, we've test-driven six free apps that offer VoIP alongside text chatting.

Making a free phone call by punching a button within your IM program is easy enough, whether you're a die-hard IM fan or a technophobe. The catch? Most IMs let you call only people who use the same tool as you do. So if you're an MSN Messenger maven but your pal prefers Yahoo, someone will have to convert so that you can both talk via the same program. As of our review date, the beta versions of Google Talk and Triton lacked features already offered by their predecessors, AIM 5.5 and 5.9. MSN Messenger 7.0 and Skype, on the other hand, are polished release versions.

MSN Messenger, Yahoo Messenger with Voice, Google Talk, and Triton are all IM programs first and VoIP services second. The beauty of using the apps from MSN, Yahoo, and AOL for making voice calls is that you can instantly share photos and other files or add a Webcam for videoconferencing. Skype is the only messenger to offer encrypted data transfers, making it the most secure instant messenger of the bunch.

	MSN Messenger 7.0	AIM Triton (beta)	Yahoo Instant Messenger with Voice	ICQ 5.04	Skype 2	Google Talk (beta)
OS/ browser	Windows 98 and up	Windows XP-only beta	Windows 98 and up	Windows 98 and up	Windows 2000 and up, Mac, Linux, Pocket PCs	Windows 2000 and up
Call other users around the world for free	X	X	X	X	X	X
Instal- lation settings	Changes your browser settings if you don't specify otherwise.	Doesn't change browser settings.	Changes your browser settings if you don't specify otherwise.	Doesn't change browser settings.	Doesn't change browser settings.	Doesn't change browser settings.
Encrypted data transfer					X
Video chat	X	X	X	X
Voicemail			Free		Skype Voice- mail, $20/year
Confer- ence voice calling			X		Up to five people
Call landline phones			1 cent/ minute domestic, 2 cents/ minute and up inter- national	2 cents/ minute domestic, 39 cents/ minute and up inter- national via Net2- Phone	2.3 cents/ minute inter- national
Avatars	$3 each through Blue Mountain		Free	Free for limited time, $15 personal cari- catures
Recently improved spam protection		X	X	X
Online gaming	X	X	X	Full screen
Photo sharing	X	X	X
Web search	Share several MSN search results with buddy; click to open browser window		Share several Yahoo search results with buddy; click to open browser window	Opens browser window for Google search
Links to blogs	MSN Spaces blogs		Yahoo 360 blogs
Service and support	Know- ledge base, e-mail, FAQs	FAQs	Know- ledge base	FAQs, e-mail, tours, tutorials	Know- ledge base, forum, e-mail, user guides	Know- ledge base
Interface without company promos					X	X
Phone numbers			$30/year for a phone number		$35/year for a phone number
Links to e-mail	Shows new Hotmail messages		Shows new Yahoo messages	Checks ICQmail		Links to Gmail account
Custom- ize back- grounds	X		X	X
Calendar	X		X
Custom- ized ring tones			X		X
Tabs for news, enter- tainment	X		X	X
Supports multiple lan- guages	inter- national editions		18 inter- national editions	Editions for five lan- guages	Supports 20+ lan- guages

Read the CNET editor's take

Google Talk beta

MSN Messenger 7

AIM Triton 1.2 preview

Yahoo Messenger with Voice

Skype 2

ICQ 5.04

	Google Talk beta With an interface that lacks ads but is also short on features, this early Google Talk Beta serves Gmail users who want to chat via text or voice. CNET editor's take Check prices
	MSN Messenger 7 A fun and feature-packed IM applet, MSN Messenger 7 is a great upgrade for version 6.2 users, but we prefer the less intrusive Yahoo Messenger 6 and ICQ 4.1. 6.7 out of 10 CNET editor's take Check prices
	AIM Triton 1.2 preview Though it's still too early to tell, a number of new features show great improvement and a lot of promise. For now, though, stick with AIM 5.9. 7.3 out of 10 CNET editor's take Check prices
	Yahoo Messenger with Voice Yahoo's next IM app lets you make free voice calls and leave voicemail, and it adds search and antispam tools. CNET editor's take Check prices
	Skype 2 Though Skype 2 suffers from middling voice quality when calling landline phones, it's still one of the best free VoIP services around, and its new Skype Video feature makes it even better. 7.5 out of 10 CNET editor's take Check prices
	ICQ 5.04 Easy, free services make ICQ 5.04 a fine choice for voice, keyboard, or Webcam chats, but MSN Messenger 7.0 and Yahoo Messenger 7.0 offer more features. 6.7 out of 10 CNET editor's take Check prices

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