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6 Skype Alternatives Offer New Services: Page 10 of 12

  1. Jangl is priced right while it's in beta -- it's free, even for international calls. So, just as with Jajah, as long as you and the person you call are both registered Jangl users, the service costs nothing. (Free calling is limited to 32 countries, though -- you're going to have to keep paying to talk to your buddies in Wallis and Futuna). Jangl's temporary callback numbers are all local as well, so that won't cost you anything.

Jangl offers many of the same features as other second-generation VoIP services. You can screen first-time callers by listening to the caller's voice introduction, then accepting or rejecting the call. (Repeat callers who use the Jangl callback number show up in Caller ID.) Jangl provides voicemail for callers, and can send you e-mail or SMS notifications which include phone numbers and URLs, so you can listen to your messages either on your phone or your computer.

The service is pushing "CallMe Links," its version of click-to-call. It's the easiest one of the bunch to use: You don't need to include any special code or phone numbers -- just put a link on your site or in your email signature to "http://callme.jangl.com/[email protected]" (with your e-mail address replacing "[email protected]," of course). You can use it even if you don't have a Jangl account -- everybody has to eventually register in order to connect a call, but the sign-up is easy.

Jangl is a little bit more cumbersome than other services because reconciling e-mail addresses adds a step or two to the process, but it's painless, and it works. You can keep your phone number private, and -- at least as long as Jangl is free -- you're not leaving yourself open to anything beyond your normal phone charges.


Jaxtr
Jaxtr is more or less Jangl plus eye candy minus the e-mail address feature that permits unregistered users to make calls. It's clearly aimed at the social-networking market, and has a feature set that's intended for users with short attention spans.