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By: Anthony Augustine

Posted: 09/2/2010 1:00 AM | Comments: 0 (including replies)

River Phoenix

Make Calls from Gmail

WHILE Canadians might not be able to use Google Voice yet, the web giant recently rolled out free calling in North America through their popular email client, Gmail. Canadian users may not immediately have the feature available to them, but a small change in the language setting of Gmail to English (US) will allow you to make free Voice-over Internet Protocol (VoIP) calls to any number in North America.

Skype has had this market all to itself, but in the 24 hours following the launch, Gmail users made over one million calls. Skype may have an advantage because it was first out of the gate, but the fact that Google has 175 million monthly users instantly makes it a huge competitor.

The company hopes that revenue from international calls will ensure that the service remains free in North America. VoIP calling is nothing new, but the fact that Google is rolling out this feature can't help the bottom line of telecommunications companies. Web-based calls might not replace home phones right off the bat, but as people get more comfortable with the technology, you can bet that fewer and fewer homes will need a land line.

As users start making calls more frequently from their computers and as more products are developed to connect web-based calling to a physical device that mimics current phones, VoIP won't seem as much as a novelty. Use of VoIP calling will also increase if Google develops an app for iPhones, Android and BlackBerry phones. Skype already has an app that lets users make calls over Wi-Fi and 3G for a fraction of regular rates ($2.99 a month unlimited), so it probably won't be long before Google tries to take over the smart-phone market too.

Actors We Miss: River Phoenix

ALTHOUGH he was only 23 when he died, actor River Phoenix left an impressive body of work. From Stand by Me to My Own Private Idaho, Phoenix was a compelling actor whose life was cut tragically short owing to a drug overdose in 1993. Cinematical.com tries to imagine the type of roles Phoenix would have been up for and wonders how he would fit into Hollywood in 2010.

"Having seen people like Robert Downey, Drew Barrymore and Jason Bateman overcome their addictions and relevant SSRq90s slumps, it's even sadder to think of what we and he missed out on" writes Cinematical's Christopher Campbell.

"We were robbed of his talent too young -- Phoenix was a maverick whose best work was still to come. His choices were brave and his performances shone, but his was a career still on the cusp of maturing," suggests Joe Utichi. "What we might have seen from him in the years since 1993, alongside contemporaries like Brad Pitt and Johnny Depp, simply doesn't bear thinking about."

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition September 2, 2010 E3

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