Last night I paid $10 Euro ($12.40 US) for 10 hours of Skype time. Because I bought $10 worth I got 2 free hours tacked on.
Skype is a teleconference application that lets you call other computer users for free. It is best to have a USB headset so you don’t get feedback. You can talk with 4-5 people at once. This is free.
But you can pay for time to call a phone anywhere in the world from your computer. The time is prepaid and you have to use it within 3 months (which sucks). This is called “Skype Out” for calling out.
They also have Skype In, which gives your computer a phone # that others can call. I am not sure of the fees for this.
In any case, VOIP (Voice Over IP) is becoming all the rage. I can do the same thing with Vonage for $10 a month. I chose Skype to test it out and because it was a one shot fee. I’ll be calling others tonight š