Alexander Graham Bell didn't picture this.

I love new technology, I love bells and whistles, and I love saving money. Combine those three things into one package and it is all over.

Since getting a cell phone 5 years ago, I have been toying with the idea of getting rid of my landline. Most of my phone conversations are long distance, so my cell is usually my phone of choice. However, I haven't felt comfortable making my cell my primary phone for 2 reasons:

1. I don't want to give out my cell phone number to businesses and have it ring all the time.
2. 911 is a feature I never want to use, but it's nice to know it is there.

So, even at $37 a month (I refuse to give up Caller ID and Call waiting or else I could get it cheaper), I held on to it. That is until 1 week ago.

I have heard a lot about VOiP telephone service. Basically it uses your internet broadband service to carry the telephone service. You plug your telephone into an adapter that is connected to the internet. Because the process uses little of the traditional telephone infrastructure, costs are much cheaper and nation wide long-distance is a thing of the past; every call is local.

After the adapter has been set up and you have your phone plugged into it, you really wouldn't know that you we're not on a traditional phone connection. The call goes through instantly and is clear.

The best part is it has even more features than my landline at no additional charge (Call Waiting, Caller ID, Call Forwarding, Call Transfer, Voice Mail that emails your message to your email address, and much more) and it is 10 cheaper for unlimited calling. It can even ring my cell phone at the same time as my home phone.

There are some drawbacks:

1. Internet or power goes out - no service (It will detect that my phone is down and automatically forward calls in that situation to my cell)
2. I had to get a new phone number (however some numbers can be transferred)
3. DSL users can't cancel their phone and keep DSL (I don't think...I have cable)
4. 911 is routed to a non-emergency local number, but it still works
   

But so far I am sold. As long as I have my cell as back up I think the dramatic cost savings is worth it.

Interested? Check it out:
Vonage
CNET Reviews of VOiP Services
E-mail me if you want more info, or if you want a free month of service to try it out. (Current users can recommend a friend and give them a free month to try it.)