I like to go by personal experience Jesse, but since you're so hung up on reviews I thought you might be interested to hear what Netguide magazine had to say about WebTalk. The following is from their May 1996 issue:
Is There a Caller on the Net?
By Lynn Ginsburg
When my father told me many years ago that there's no such thing as a free lunch, he could well have been referring to Internet phones. A good case in point is WebTalk from Quarterdeck Corp. WebTalk promises "quality just like your telephone," eliminating long-distance fees as you talk to people anywhere on the Internet for just the cost of the net connection. Sound too good to be true? Unfortunately, it is. The technology can't quite live up to its promise (yet), the installation and connection process is intricate, and the sound quality won't be putting Ma Bell out of business anytime soon.
To use WebTalk, you'll need a multimedia PC with a sound card, speakers (or headset), and an Internet account. The program comes with a low-fi clip-on microphone. To install the program, you'll need to know such net data as your Simple Mail Transport Protocol and POP3 server information. Once you've provided this basic information, the initial installation process is easy to complete.
But to get any further and actually connect with another user, you'll need to consult the manual. Configuring the program is not intuitive, and can't be resolved simply by clicking through the scant available menu choices. For instance, you'll have to read the manual thoroughly to discover that even though the program prompts you to enter a user's IP address before you can directly contact him or her, it is most likely a wasted effort. The manual explains that because many Internet service providers give a user a different IP address every time he or she dials in, it's "virtually impossible to know a dial-up user's IP address at any given time."
And only by reading the manual will you discover that the best way to connect is via the WebTalk Web server, and then you'll only be able to actually get in touch with someone who also is logged into that server when you're there. You'll also have to read the manual to find out how to configure your browser to use WebTalk to connect to other users. (Alternately, Quarterdeck includes with WebTalk its own preconfigured browser.)
As long as both users are logged into the WebTalk server, you'll be ready to connect. Compared to other net phones on the market that let you place a call directly to another user's e-mail address without either party having to first connect to a Web server, WebTalk is not very convenient or intuitive.
As with most net phones, sound quality doesn't even come close to rivaling a telephone. Using WebTalk with the included microphone and a SoundBlaster 16 sound card, I placed a cross-country call. The sound frequently dropped out mid-sentence, and voices sounded distorted-as if the participants had inhaled helium. In its favor, WebTalk does offer full-duplexing, meaning both parties can talk simultaneously, which not all net phones can do.
Although WebTalk will save you some money on long-distance bills, the technology's not quite ready for engaging in a meaningful conversation over the Internet. |
