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An inexpensive software that serves as a solution for making international calls directly from your desktop

An inexpensive software that serves as a solution for making international calls directly from your desktop

Vote: (79 votes)

Program license: Free

Developer: SELECTRA LTD

Version: 7.2

Works under: Windows

Vote:

Program license

(79 votes)

Free

Developer

Version

SELECTRA LTD

7.2

Works under:

Windows

Pros

  • Easy-to-use interface for making calls
  • VoIP call quality is good

Cons

  • Calls to non-Internet phones are not free
  • Some features are locked until a registration fee is paid

PC Telephone is an application that allows anyone to make calls across the Internet. The program supports many different types of Internet connections for calls. PC Telephone is free to download and use for certain things, although some features require payment or a service plan. Installation is easy. The program is incredibly small. It also has a dated appearance and very small text and icons that can be difficult to see. The program is focused more on being a professional business application than something that is used to call friends in the home.

The main screen of PC Telephone is not particularly attractive. It has the dated look of an application written under former versions of Windows. The left and center panes in the display are used to navigate through various folders. These include folders for contacts, calls and other features. The top of the window has a typical menu bar and some icons. Not all of the options that are available are self-explanatory. Some are not available to average users. Calls are made from a virtual telephone on the right side of the window.

PC Telephone can support computer-to-computer calls, computer-to-fax calls and computer-to-phone calls. It can also accept incoming calls from regular phones when using an exchange. Computer-to-computer calls are made by entering the Internet protocol (IP) address of the target computer. This other person must also be running PC Telephone or a similar voice-over IP (VoIP) program. Dialing through an IP address is very straightforward. The quality of these calls is not bad compared to previous years. PC Telephone also supports sending data during VoIP calls. Files can be sent sometimes without interfering with the call or the call quality. The same call process can be used to send fax information to another computer if the other system is running the appropriate software.

Most of the features and documentation for PC Telephone revolves around making computer-to-phone or phone-to-computer calls. These calls connect a computer to a call exchange across the Internet. Users need to have the address of a gateway to do this. Unfortunately, nearly all gateways charge per-minute fees for using this type of service. The developers of the program actively advertise calling-card rates to use the associated-call gateway. Using this feature requires registering PC Telephone for a fee. The fee includes free minutes and unlocks some of the features of the program, like the ability import or export information.

PC Telephone comes with all the features a person would expect in a VoIP program. It can record messages and organize mailboxes. It can show caller ID information, forward calls and automatically dial according to a schedule. The program can act as an exchange in a business environment. Supporting hardware and software would be required to do this. The program does have a global reach and is not restricted to a single country. PC Telephone is a small and stable program for VoIP communications, although the most attractive features are far from free.

Pros

  • Easy-to-use interface for making calls
  • VoIP call quality is good

Cons

  • Calls to non-Internet phones are not free
  • Some features are locked until a registration fee is paid