Should You Skype?

It took a tech-savvy engineer friend to get me to start using Internet-based phone service, also known as voice-over-Internet protocol (VOIP), on a regular basis.

I had tested several services on my own already, but when I followed his recommendations, I set out to do a price comparison and all the other comparisons you'd expect.

Then I started making calls to Costa Rica. I even went to Italy and found that I could be doing business with the U.S. for just over 2 cents a minute.

That's when I knew I really had found the good life: I could eat fresh pasta with my Italian amici while keeping my business humming along. ...