<p>I’d like to put in a plug for Skype (<a href=“http://www.skype.com)%5B/url%5D”>www.skype.com)</a>. This is a fabulous service that, I think, would be a boon to any parent with a student living away from home. There is no cost to become a Skype member. All you need is broadband connection and a computer that has a sound card and a mic (I use the built-in mic on my laptop and earphones are nice to eliminate feedback). Calls to any other Skype users are FREE and calls to non Skype users can be made for very low fees. The voice quality is astonishing— much sharper than a land line. I use it to have long chats with friends in Europe and on the west coast. There’s a conference call feature, an instant message feature, and even a file transfer feature. If you keep a laptop near the kitchen, you’ll never have to trudge over to the stairwell and yell for a teenager to come down to dinner again—it makes a great intercom, too!</p>
<p>Awesome idea - My DD called me on my computer one day - it was pretty cool - forgot about that!!! Wow what technology can do these days!!!</p>
<p>With Sprint we paid an additional $5/month to have unlimited nights/weekends start at 7 PM instead of 9, which is very useful, as is the unlimited in network calling. My mom got a discount for being a “government employee” because she is a teacher; both Sprint and Verizon offer that, so if it applies to you, look at that.</p>