5 Android Options to Make International Calls

Nowadays it is unthinkable to not have a cellular phone. In this age of rapid communication, everyone is expected to be reachable by cell phone during normal waking hours (and possibly even while everyone else is asleep, depending on your job and lifestyle). Besides the expectation that others should be able to get a hold of you when they need to, it is simply reassuring to know that wherever you go, you can get in touch with whomever you need, whenever you need them. However, this is not always the case when traveling.

Whether you cannot find any signal in they country you are visiting or you are subject to obscene roaming charges, you may find it difficult if not impossible to place a call on your cell phone. This problem is compounded by the fact that many broadband wireless international corporations do not rent devices to assist in making phone calls overseas. For that reason, I present you with five options for making international calls with the Droid phone.

• SKYPE

Skype is an application that enables users to make voice calls over the Internet. Any call to another using only the Skype program are completely free, while calls from Skype to a landline or cell phone cost a small fee, miniscule compared to roaming charges. Skype users can also use the program for instant messaging.

• GOOGLE VOICE

The Google Voice program assigns users with a free US phone number. Calls to this phone number are then forwarded to the user’s other phone numbers. Google Voice calls are free within the US and Canada, and cost a small fee everywhere else. Google Voice also transcribes voicemails and sends them to the user’s email.

• VONAGE

Vonage’s package consists of a phone adaptor that allows you to power your phone through the Internet. Unlike Skype and Google Voice, Vonage users pay a monthly subscription in addition to a fixed rate for international phone calls. You would probably only want to choose this service if you are already renting international wireless services from an international broadband mobile company, as you cannot use the program unless you already have Internet access.

• TRUPHONE

Like Google Voice and Skype, Truphone allows its users to call each other over the program for free, and charges a small fee for international calls to landlines or cell phones. Truphone cuts costs for calls by transmitting the signal wirelessly, where it finds a local-rate phone number through which to patch the call.

• REBTEL

The company Rebtel has created a Droid application that allows users to make free (or nearly free) international phone calls. The app intercepts long distance phone calls and automatically converts them to local phone numbers. However, users may still have to pay for local call minutes, as specified in their cell phone contract.

You can also check the 10 Essential Android Productivity Apps.