Google has bought GrandCentral Communications, a fledgling Internet firm that gives people telephone numbers that essentially follow them where ever they go. Google did not disclose how much it paid for the Silicon Valley start-up but said the technology will give users of the popular Internet firm’s services another way to communicate. “We think GrandCentral’s technology fits well into Google’s efforts...

People use VOIP for very practical reasons. You can easily call anywhere in the world at rates that are lower than if you used your regular telephone or even your mobile phone. Who doesn’t want to save money, right? Let me give you an example. If you lived in Europe, for example, and would like to place a call to your cousin who lives in Florida, you would have to pay a hefty per minute rate. The rates are...

Of course with the big players you’ll generally pay about 5 or 10 dollars more, just for the assurance of having a well-known brand name like AT&T or Vonage ( the current largest VoIP providers in the market). But then more and more companies are spreading its wings, so again, it’s all up to you. However, keep in mind that if a service has less than 100,000 subscribers you might want to think twice before...

Who among us here have friends and family overseas or at least in places miles away? You may have a close relative who recently moved to another state. Your best friend may have recently moved to another country to study for a few years. Or you may be dating someone from across seas or borders. Most of us are likely to have at least one relative or friend whom we’d like to get in touch with regularly, but...