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Skype Challenging Two VoIP Services: Page 2 of 17


Skype remains the 18-ton gorilla in VoIP, with an outstanding combination of ease-of-use, voice quality and extra features/services. The fact that its basic service is free doesn't hurt either.


Furthermore, in recent months, Skype has begun to market itself even more aggressively, with outreach programs at major retailers such as Radio Shack, and Skype conversion kits that allow you to use your normal phone for Skype calls.

So the billion-dollar question is this: Given Skype's head start and market dominance, can anyone beat it? To find an answer to this question, I investigated and tested two high-profile VoIP upstarts: Gizmo Project and PeerMe. Each group has Skype targeted squarely in its sights. Each has a singular offering that it hopes will set it apart from the competition.

(If you're already signed up with Skype, or plan to try another VoIP service, you may want to check out our evalution of several different USB headsets and an interesting array microphone.)