Microsoft is anything but a newcomer to the technology field. However, it’s only recently that Windows has realeased MSN Messenger: Windows Live Call has strutted out onto the playing field. Available as a free download and serviced by mobile giant Verizon, MSN Messenger: Windows Live Call may just be the cheapest, easiest VoIP service available.
Installation and Interface
MSN Messenger: Windows Live Call basic software is as easy to set up as point-and-click. A single download provides the MSN Messenger software that can also act as a softphone. No phone is needed, just a microphone or headset.
Usable headsets are available at discount stores for fifteen dollars or less, but many MSN VoIP users feel that a USB headset’s clarity and dependability (cheap headsets are often short-lived) are worth the extra cost.
The Windows Live Call software also supports certain telephones made by Uniden and Philips. The phones are easy to install. One wire plugs from the phone’s base into a wall jack. A USB cord connects the base to the nearest computer. Now the phone is ready to call any computer with the proper software, and any phone at all. No drivers or software need to be installed.
Features
MSN Messenger: Windows Live Call doesn’t offer a monstrous host of features, and it doesn’t have to. The software is free and the PC-to-PC calling is free, to any computer in the world. The VoIP PC-to-Phone option, hosted by Verizon, is far from expensive. Most of all, MSN Messenger: Windows Live Call is compatible with roughly 85 percent of all computers on the planet.
Another notable feature is Live Call’s compatibility with Yahoo Messenger with Voice. MSN and Yahoo have the two most popular free messengers available. And now, individuals can spend as much free time talking for free as they want, regardless of the differences in software.
The major difference between the two services is that Yahoo service doesn’t offer an actual hand-held phone unit, and MSN Messenger: Windows Live Call does. With a Windows Live Call-compatible phone, the MSN VoIP user can talk while pacing the floor, grabbing a cold can of pop from the fridge, or even checking the mail.
Performance
The key to MSN Messenger: Windows Live Call’s PC-to-Phone performance is telecom giant Verizon’s inclusion in the package. Microsoft supplies the latest software, while Verizon supplies the strength of a nationwide telecommunications giant.
Service and Support
It’s no secret that Microsoft has one of the largest customer support networks of any technology provider in the country. 24/7 support is always available from a multitude of sources: FAQs, Microsoft Live help pages, online and over-the-phone representatives, and Microsoft user help forums.
List of Features Available on MSN Messenger
Support: Yes
Guarantee: No
Residential Plan: Yes
Small Business Plan: No
411 Service: Yes
911 Service: No
Call Return (*69): Yes
Call Waiting: No
Caller ID: Included
Click-to-Call: Yes
Fax Line (FoIP): No
International Calling: Yes
IP PBX Solution: No
Keep Your Number: Yes
PC-to-PC Calling: Yes
PC-to-Phone Calling: Yes
Virtual Phone Numbers: No