[ggrund]

Hi,

Does anybody know whether there is a similar program as the Net2Phone of MS Messenger for the PC which will allow me to make free calls through the Internet. I've found a couple that offer Mac software but they dont offer free calls!!

Also on the net2phone side there is a page where we can request them to make a mac version available.

[blizzard]

I believe that on the front page of MacNN they say that a Mac version of Net2Phone is on the way. I haven't checked the link, I'm afraid.

I asked Net2Phone about a Mac client a few weeks ago. They replied "blah blah blah... we just hired a mac developer.... blah blah blah... look for something in the future.....".

Someone should be able to beat them to it, but Net2Phone seems to have the infastructure to pull it off if the software is decent.

[Fdanna]

It's soooo disappointing that there are more than enough free PC to Phone programs for Windows and NONE for mac! It's funny that I saw this post today because just this morning I was scouring the net trying to find a glimmer of hope ....there's NONE. My only hope was the pc to phone client from vocaltec ... but it's not compatible with Modern (iMac B&W etc) macs because of the sampling rate! Even at that, there are no providers that offer free US calling, as is stated in the original post.

Being part of a minority sucks

[druber]

Truedat, Fdanna. ICQ and MSN Messenger both have voice chat on the pc side. AOL's IM apparently does for mac.. Anyone actually tried it? My computer at work is on a LAN, and I'd love to give my parents a free call during my lunch break, or friends wherever.
Hopefully OSX will bring us closer to the mainstream, with it's unix core 'n all..

[Miniryu]

I've been using AIM's voice chat for a while now. The sound is very clear; the problem is the time delay between computers. Both my friend and I are using the standard mics that come with an iMac, so a headset might aleviate this problem by reducing the extra noise that is transmitted. Does anyone else have other suggestions? I'm already on a T3 and would like to make this thing work better without spending any money.

[druber]

Haven't used AIM's voice chat, but a couple of things that can make a difference:
Voice-enabled chat will interrupt and transmit whenever the mic registers a sound, so it can cause lag by sending empty space. If there's an option that will let you push a button to talk, that would help.
If you are listening to the chat with your iMac's speakers, your mic can pick this up and catch you in an echo loop. Definitely annoying.

You might try rogerwilco.com. It's meant for gaming, but I think it works fine on its own. Again, haven't had people to test it with. Make sure you get the latest version from versiontracker or the rogerwilco message boards (v1.4b I think). The version on the main page is the 1.0b or somethin.

[Miniryu]

Well, the AIM does have a feature where you can switch between talking and listening- I'll have to give it a try next time I am on.

And there is definately a feedback problem if you use the computers speakers. I solvd this quite easily by using my discman headphones