The end of the free phone call.

We all knew it was too good to be true. For most of 2006, Skype has been allowing users in the U.S. to call U.S. based landlines and mobile phones for free. Starting in 2007, however, you will need to pay $30 per year for unlimited calling in the U.S. That's still a great deal when you compare it to landlines, cell phones, and other VOIP services such as Vonage, but free is way cooler. If you haven't tried using Skype to make a phone call, give it a go before they start charging. I find call quality to be better than landlines most of the time, though occasionally I get a bad connection (usually restarting the calls clears up the problem and when it's free I'm not complaining). Just to be 100% clear, Skype to Skype calls will remain free.