Windows Live Call was part of
Microsoft's
Windows Live services. It integrated into
Windows Live Messenger to allow users to make PC-to-PC and PC-to-Phone voice and video calls. Microsoft partnered with telecommunication companies around the world to allow users to use a PC equipped with a microphone and speakers and a high speed Internet connection to call almost any regular telephone anywhere in the world.
Windows Live Call offered three ways of calling:
*Computer Call - Free PC-to-PC voice calls to Windows Live Messenger contacts
*Video Call - Free PC-to-PC video calls to Windows Live Messenger contacts
*Phone Call - PC-to Phone voice calls to landline and wireless numbers anywhere in the world (charges applied)
The Phone Call service utilized Windows Live Messenger and Voice over Internet Protocol (
VoIP) technology to provide users an inexpensive way to make domestic and international phone calls from a computer.
Microsoft also released the Windows Live Messenger Phone, which acts as an extension to Windows Live Messenger to make calls to other PC users or acts just like a normal telephone.
Windows Live Call was discontinued on June 1, 2010 because
Windows Live Messenger Wave 4 release no longer supports VoIP functionalities. However, the "Computer Call" and "Video Call" features are still supported, in the forms of audio and video conversations respectively.
Windows Live Messenger Phone
The Windows Live Messenger Phone is a two-line phone. The first line plugs into a wall jack similar to a regular home telephone. The second line is a
USB connection to the PC. The base/charger stays near the PC but the handset is
wireless, allowing users to take it across their room. The Windows Live Messenger Phone does not require any installation of
drivers or control software. The only requirement to take full advantage of the phone is the latest version of Windows Live Messenger.
There are two ways users can make a call with the Windows Live Messenger Phone:
*Make a call using the
local telephone service
*Users can also choose to open the
Windows Live Messenger interface. The user's current contact list will be displayed on the phone's color screen, including the contact's display name and up-to-date information. Selecting a contact will give the user the choice to:
**Call to PC - a free call anywhere in the world using the existing
PC-to-PC calling feature
**If there is a stored contact phone number, and the user has signed up for
PC-to-Phone service, the user can call them anywhere in the world at discounted rates
**If the user hasn't signed up for PC-to-Phone calling service, the user can still connect through their regular
home phone service, as if they dialed their regular telephone
Additionally, when a contact calls from Windows Live Messenger, the Windows Live Messenger Phone will ring, display information about the caller, and allow the user to answer the call.
Currently
Uniden and
Philips have manufactured the Windows Live Messenger Phone.
PC-to-Phone Partners
Verizon was the provider for the Windows Live Call PC-to-Phone service in the United States, but discontinued its Web Calling services for Windows Live Messenger as of September 1, 2008. Microsoft would instead partner with
Telefonica to provide the service.
Other partners who hosted the Windows Live Call service included:
*
Telefonica (USA, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Peru and Venezuela)
*
NTT (Japan)
*
LG Dacom
LG Uplus Corp. ( ko, LG유플러스; stylized as LG U+, ) is a South Korean mobile network operator owned by LG Corporation. It was formerly known as LG Telecom, but changed to the current name on July 1, 2010. LG Uplus is the List of mobile netwo ...
(Korea)
*
Chief Telecom
Chief may refer to:
Title or rank
Military and law enforcement
* Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force
* Chief of police, the head of a police department
* Chief of the boa ...
(Taiwan)
*
Bell Canada
Bell Canada (commonly referred to as Bell) is a Canadian telecommunications company headquartered at 1 Carrefour Alexander-Graham-Bell in the borough of Verdun in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is an ILEC (incumbent local exchange carrier) in t ...
(Canada)
See also
*
Windows Live
*
Windows Live Messenger
*
Windows Live TV
Windows Live for TV (codenamed ''Orbit'', previously ''Nemo'') is a Windows Media Center application that was part of Microsoft's Windows Live services. It provides users to access Windows Live Spaces, Messenger, and Call on their large-screen m ...
*
Skype
*
Yahoo! Voice
*
Comparison of VoIP software
This is a comparison of voice over IP (VoIP) software used to conduct telephone-like voice conversations across Internet Protocol (IP) based networks. For residential markets, voice over IP phone service is often cheaper than traditional public swi ...
References
External links
Telefonica Voype serviceCHT's MSN Out service
{{Windows Live
Call