Like almost every other comrade in cost-cutting, I gripe about the
poor voice quality of IP telephony and VoIP (Voice over Internet
Protocol) services. In this regard, Dialpad is no different than its competitors. Invariably, the connection is beset by aggravating background noise, largely because of Microsoft.

I say this not as another indictment of the indefatigable Bill Gates and his quest to suppress everything that doesn't feed his corporate coffers.
Rather, it is to highlight the graphical nature of the Windows
operating system, and the repercussions it has on non-graphical programs.

Microsoft designed Windows to make users happy by establishing a
priority hierarchy for procedures. The result: most graphical
procedures found themselves at the top of the hierarchy, leaving
non-graphical tasks (such as IP telephony) a meager share of system
resources.

What does this mean?

If you want to improve voice quality, heed Dialpad's suggestions and close all other programs when using the service. This will eliminate some of the higher-priority functions and enable the Dialpad applet to eliminate some of the higher-annoyance noise.

Another advantage specific to Dialpad is its non-laborious nature:
users are not required to sit by their PC, constantly renewing their
calls as in most ad-based services. Too many times I've had my calls disconnected by I-Link.com because I forgot to renew the connection.

However, this is not to say that I think Dialpad is a perfect substitute for long-distance -- at least not yet. If you're really looking to save money without sacrificing quality, I'd wait until the release of the second generation thin-client (a separate piece of hardware) IP phones. This way, you have a device dedicated to error correction and improving voice quality.

Currently, KomodoFone (also called YapGear) has an okay (but better
than any PC based service) device out for $139, but I hear there are
better ones under development from HippoInc and IP Star. In any
event, if you make lots of long-distance calls, sign up for Dialpad,
get a good headset with a microphone ($15 - $60, depending on quality), but keep your eye out for other IP telephones that circumvent the PC.



Recommended: Yes