iCall

iCall is a desktop chat and VoIP client that you can use to stay in touch with your friends and acquaintances from anywhere in the world. It brings together instant messaging and phone calling capabilities, thus changing the way you communicate.

Once the installation is complete, just enter your user name and password and you can start chatting and making calls. When running it for the first time, you are welcomed by the 'Setup Assistant', which can guide you through every necessary step to configure your accounts (XMPP-based IM accounts or Facebook) and perform audio and video tests. However, you can do that later within the 'Preferences' window.

The main purpose of the program is to provide you with a cost-effective method to make international phone calls using your PC. You can view your account balance and add credit in the 'My iCall' section. US and Canada citizens can even get a free access number, which others can use to call them via iCall.

The interface is similar to that of any IM client. You can view a list of the online and offline contacts and organize them into different groups, customize your status message and the image avatar. Right-clicking on any contact name opens a menu where you can initiate a new private conversation, send a file or change the contact details.

Inside the conversation window, you can easily type text messages, preview videos and URLs and initiate a video call or conference. The variate collection of emoticons that iCall comes with is designed to personalize your conversations and make them funnier.

Fast file transfers, Facebook integration and fully customizable notifications are other advantages that this application provides you with. When enabled, the 'Autoaway' options display an idle message while you are away from your PC.

Although it does not integrate with well-known IM clients, iCall provides you with advanced messaging capabilities and calling features, enabling you to communicate by phone or by chat.