Skype

E-mail and instant messages are certainly efficient communication tools, but some complain they lack the personal touch of traditional mediums such as the telephone. Skype combines the best of both worlds, allowing you to place free PC-to-PC voice calls around the world via VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) technology. Of course, to use the service you'll have to plunk down a few bucks for a microphone, and any call recipients will need to install Skype, too. Also, you'll need to sign up for a paid service if you intend to call a landline or cellular phones. VoIP may not have reached critical mass yet, but this is one technology that's on the way up.