You don't move along with communications without something VoIP in your bag - it seems everyone understands that now. The new Nokia gem, rival to the iPhone and to my taste better than it, the N900 Maemo, has a Skype client embedded in the Linux-based operating system. Calls can be made through 3G, WiFi and IM and there doesn't seem to be the unnecessary hassles that accompanied the launch of the iPhone relating to the use of 3G and stuff for VoIP calls. Clean. The N900 address book embeds Skype buddy contacts such that the online/offline status status is displayed directly in the address book. Read more. And oh, Fring too is on the N900 application list, but will be available later.

This type of question is starting to become somewhat irrelevant since all new stuffs know they have to embrace VoIP as part of the future tech landscape. Chrome OS is no exception. VoIP will, according to me, thrive on it.

Reasons are numerous. First, it is Linux-based and therefore open. VoIP services and developers won't have to wait for clearance and APIs. Second, Sun is trying to add Java support, and when you have Java, you have a wide platform for applications. Third, it supports Flash, and some VoIP services deploy Flash applications, such as the recently-reviewed TringMe. After all, Chrome OS will be an operating system for Web and communication.

3Jam is a service that provides 'cloud' phone numbers that can be used to contact a number of phones. It poses as a competitor to Google Voice, but unlike the latter, it is not free. The price covers the expanded features and facilities it offers that Google Voice does not. 3Jam's robust features and available anywhere worldwide and without invitation, among other reasons, make up for its cost. Read more on 3Jam below:

• 3Jam Review
• 3Jam vs. Google Voice

Bandwidth if one of the main factors that affect voice quality for VoIP calls. Cable and DSL are the most common types of high-speed Internet services we have, but which one is better? About.com has this great video for making the difference and helping you to choose. There is a transcript below the video frame, in case your Internet isn't high-speed yet.

Related Content:

• Factors Affecting VoIP Voice Quality
• Bandwidth Requirements for VoIP
• Do I Have Enough Bandwidth for VoIP
• Connection Speed Tests - Measuring Your Bandwidth

So far, Google Voice has only been a service offering phone numbers that can ring several phones, forwarding of voicemail as text and some other features. It finally isn't a VoIP service. This is about to change since Google confirmed it is acquiring Gizmo5, which is fully VoIP-based.

This acquisition will allow Google Voice to pose as a competitor to services like Skype by offering free Internet-based international calls and cheap calls to and from phones. Stay tuned on what Google will propose soon.

The classical VoIP service where you install a softphone client and make calls through your computer has its limits when it comes to making calls instantly. Say you are in a Facebook chat and someone you want to contact uses a service other than yours - like you using Skype and they using Google Talk. Talking to each other instantly would not be possible unless one of you signs up with the other's service.

With services like FriendCaller, talking instantly in such situations can be possible. Simply clicking on someone's Call Me link starts a conversation even if one of the talking parties is not a registered user of the service. Besides, FriendCaller is browser-based, which means there is no need for installing any application. FriendCaller also has interesting international call rates. Read more

Skype is finally relieved from the lawsuit that Joltid had held against it and that had potentially put its own existence into jeopardy. Skype creators Friis and Zennstrom, who are behind Joltid, and who sold Skype to eBay, had lodged a lawsuit against the latter for using technology it was not allowed to use, a technology that is the very core of the Skype communication system.

Now the conflict is resolved, with the lawsuit dropped in exchange of 14 percent stake given to Friis and Zennstrom in the new Skype venture, as well as a seat for each of them on the board. This event results in Skype having full ownership of the software, so that it can concentrate on building what Skype president Josh Silverman terms as "the world's greatest communications software".

Faxing over IP isn't as developed as voice communication, and VoIP faxing devices are rare. As Mike Oliszewski, CTO for FaxBack puts it, "The issues associated with connecting fax machines via SIP T.38-based ATAs still pose a serious challenge for carriers seeking to migrate their internet connected customers to VoIP." They have therefore introduced an ATA (commonly known as a phone adapter), for faxing over IP using the T.38 protocol. The difference between this ATA and non-fax ones is that, beyond the VoIP functionalities, it embeds the necessary software and intelligence for reliably connecting fax machines and computers to a range of common networks. Read more

Related Content:

• Internet Faxing | Faxing over IP
• Reasons for Faxing over IP
• Internet And Email Fax Services

Many put a question mark to this phrase, because many are still skeptical as to Skype becoming open source. Developers inside Skype (namely Stanislav Karchebny, a.k.a Berkus) announced that Skype is definitely going open source. Olivier Faurax also shares on his blog his correspondence with Skype on the matter, confirmation the information. However, we still ask whether it will be the complete Skype we know, including its core protocols and algorithms, or simply its user interface. This is the reason for the skepticism. Berkus says, "Having an open source UI will help us get adopted in the "multicultural" land of Linux distributions...".

Why only an open source 'UI' (user interface)? This is most probably because going open source might prove to be rather uncomfortable for Skype. Firstly because if we believe Joltid, the main underlying Skype communication technology doesn't belong to Skype but to them, which is the reason for their lawsuit against Skype. This tempts us to say that besides its GUI and billing service, Skype doesn't own much of its application. Secondly, an open source Skype will nurture potentially serious security issues. With thousands of hands able to make surgery into the app, the prejudice to Skype might potentially stem from simple network attacks to stealing calling credit. In the best case, it's going to be harder for Skype to manage the application.

On the bright side, that is the users' side, open source Skype will be most welcome, especially by Linux users. The app would be far richer that what it is now, with a worldwide cohort of developers free to add any options and features they want to the app. This will also make it more accessible to platforms other than Windows - the actual Linux version of Skype severely lags behind the Windows version.

Who said VoIP was dead? An Infonetics research showed that for the first half of 2009, the VoIP services services worldwide generated a whopping $21 billion. Above that, demand for VoIP keeps being on the rise, while that of other services accused a slowdown, mainly due to recession.

A breakdown of the study reveals the following main points:

• Residential VoIP has the majority of paid VoIP revenue and subscribers are 14% more numerous over last year;
• IP connectivity services amount to a third of the total VoIP business revenue;
• North America is the biggest VoIP market;
• More details...