There's been a lot in the news over the past couple of weeks about Microsoft's acquisition of Skype for $8.5 BILLION.

Here at iCall, we find this to be an exciting time for the communications industry, and believe the recent Skype buyout signals a change in the VoIP marketplace, prompted by consumer demand for affordable, high-quality and easily accessible video calling services.

People use VoIP technology everyday for voice and video calls on their computer and mobile devices. It helps businesses compete on a global level through group video conferencing, and college students can save money by making free calls through the web. Missing out on an important event due to travel? Or, do you just want to be home for something as simple - and important - as reading a bedtime story to your children? Video chat can help you be there.

These are just a few examples of how VoIP communications have been integrated into our daily lives - and the potential for growth is endless.

Consumers currently have a choice of web calling options to choose from - some good, others not so good. When Andy and I started iCall in 2005, our goal was to not only to give you a high-quality and affordable communications solution, but one that could act as your central communications hub, with an advanced and intuitive interface for all of your conversations.

We understand that all of you communicate in a variety of different ways - from texting, to phone calls, to video chats. So with that in mind, I'm excited to give you a glimpse of what we have in store for you ... it's called iCall 7.

Today starts the countdown to our upcoming desktop launch - iCall 7, which will bring you a refreshing new layer of video calling options. It will unite all the tools you need to communicate in real-time into a central telephony hub. When you log into iCall 7, you'll have easy access to voice and video functions, texting, social networks, instant messaging, and so much more.

Your advanced video calling experience is right around the corner, so stay tuned for more details about iCall 7.