Skype might meet competition in Google, after the Internet search giant announced on Wednesday, a new service that will allow Gmail users to make phone calls to landlines or cell phones over the Web.

According to a feature on The New York Times, the service will turn Gmail into a one-stop shop, so to speak, for “people’s social interactions.”

Charles Golvin, a telecommunications analyst at Forrester Research, shared: “It’s one place where you can get in touch with the people that you care about, and how that happens from a network perspective is less important.”

This is an improvement from Gmail’s existing voice and video chat service, since in both instances, each party will have to be at their respective computers. The new feature will be great for those who are in an area that has poor cell phone reception, or for those who would like to make quick calls at their desks.

Users will need to install a voice and video chat plug-in to their browsers. Once this has been completed, they can then use their computer’s microphone and speakers, or a headset, to make calls. Calls to numbers within the United States and Canada are free of charge, at least until the end of the year, according to the feature. International calls to most countries will have a minimal charge of 2 cents per minute.

In comparison, Skype charges 2.1 cents per minute to numbers in the United States and Canada, or one can choose to pay $3 a month for unlimited calls. Skype charges $14 for unlimited calls to 40 countries.

Originally posted on Print Country Blog