Vonage

I've been using Vonage for about a year now and I've been delighted. Here's why:

1) Unlimited calling is relaxing. It's nice to never have to think "I've spent enough on this call" or "ooh, I'm using too many of my cell minutes" when I use my vonage phone. I talk to my friends and family and anyone else I feel like for as long as I want and it doesn't cost me a dime extra. I can even hand my Vonage phone to friends and coworkers and encourage them to talk as long as they like.

2) I bought the UTStarcom F1000 WiFi phone from Vonage. It's a handy little cell-phone shaped device that works with almost any wireless network that is open or for which you have the password. Now, think about this for a minute: I have my wireless network at home, so it works there. There's a wireless network in my office, so it works there. And of course all my friends have wireless networks, so it works at their houses too. So where doesn't it work? Well, I can't just walk around on the street and make calls, although in a pinch if I turn it on sometimes it will find an open network and I can make a call. Also, if I'm having a meal in a restaurant somewhere, they often don't have WiFi, and most stores don't either.

3) That means I only need a cell phone when I'm out somewhere. My cellular usage dropped from about 1500 minutes a month (my work tends to use a lot of phone time) down to about 300, so I was able to switch to a cheaper plan on my cell phone. The savings pay for the unlimited Vonage plan.

4) Sad to say, I had a prank caller bothering me for a while last year, and was forced to call the police. The detective told me that Vonage was the best phone company they ever dealt with, and Vonage made it very easy for me.

5) Vonage emails my voice mails to me. I can't tell you how much I like that. I hate calling into a voice mail system (although I can if I need to), so getting my voice mails as nice convenient emails is just great for me.

Okay, so what's the downside? Well, to be honest, the phone's interface is kinda like a late 90's cell phone; it's kinda ugly and doesn't synchronize with my computer. So, the price I pay for all the conveniences above is that I have to enter the phone numbers manually into its dialing directory. I'll live. Most of my calls are incoming anyway. Oh, and the phone itself is a little ugly looking, but who cares? I don't see it when it's in my pocket or at my ear, and I bought it as a phone, not a fashion statement.

And no, Vonage doesn't pay me anything to endorse their service, I'm just happy with it.