The concept is to use your computer and connection to the Internet to make phone calls anywhere in the world. At a very basic level, the technology converts your voice into digital packets of information that can travel across the Internet at the speed of light and get routed to any phone in the world.

In order to make Internet calls in the past, it was necessary for both the sender and receiver of the call to have computers and connections to the Internet. It was also necessary to have software installed and other configurations that could be complicated to set up.

While the technology is clearly in its infancy, it has grown past its first generation and is now a much more usable resource. Now, all that is necessary to make free long distance Internet calls is a PC equipped with Windows 95/98/NT, a 4.0 or newer browser, a sound card, a microphone, speakers and an Internet connection. Sorry Mac and Linux users, Dialpad.com is only usable on Microsoft patforms at this time.

If your computer is equipped with these basic requirements, point your browser to Dialpad.com (http://www.dialpad.com). This service is limited to US calls, but in my opinion, it has the best quality of any other of these types of services. There are no sign-up fees and it is free to make calls. The interface is driven by the Java computer language, which is already built right into your browser. It also features a very logical and easy to use graphical interface.

Once you are at the site, the first step is to create a new Dialpad ID. Click the join button on the home page, and from there you have to accept the license agreement. Then, you will be taken to the form where you create your ID. Fill out the basic information, including the user name and password of your choice, and you are ready for step two.

After you have filled out your personal information, you will need to accept two pop-up windows in your browser which launch the Dialpad.com interface. There is a rotating banner ad at the top, then a phone keypad, main display screen and a few basic buttons at the bottom. You are ready to dial.

Just click or type in the area code (even for local numbers) and phone number, then hit dial. You will hear the computer dial, then the display will tell you when someone picked up. It is important to watch the connection level in the lower left part of the screen. I noticed when it dropped all the way down, I was unable to hear the person on the other end. They could, however, still hear me.

Overall, I would rate the quality of the service as about the same as older cell phones. It is really nice when it works and the price is right for long distance calls, but sometimes it just wouldn't work. And, when it did, there were some echoes and audio artifacting during the conversation.