VoIP for next to nothing

Brett Arends, at TheStreet.com, opines that  the increasing ease with which software  VoIP can be installed  is  returning the power to the consumer after nearly a century of having to bear the diktats of the telecom giants.

Moreover, the early pioneers of VoIP like Skype and Vonage are finding it difficult to attract and keep customers.

Says Brett  "Skype isn't the cheapest service. You may not want to spend $150 buying a new "Skype" phone. And if you do, you're stuck using it with Skype -- to change to a new VoIP provider you'll need a new phone. So I explored the independent route. It was much easier than I expected."