X-Lite

X-Lite offers an excellent solution for people who wish to get used to softphones. It is a stripped down version of Bria 4, an excellent softphone client, but it still comes with a good selection of features, including voice and video calls, messaging and presence. You can use it to communicate with people from a computer to another computer or to mobile or landline phones.

The software is available free of charge, for Windows and Mac OS X. It can be installed in a few moments, without making any kind of advanced settings. Before using this application, you need to make sure you have a working Interent connection, from an ISP or an SIP-enabled IP PBX.

The main user interface resembles a traditional instant instant messenger. It presents a dial pad, as well as a contacts list, favorites list and recent calls, on separate tabs. You can also find options for adjusting the volume, changing your displayed status, and more. It should be fairly obvious that contacts can be called by dialing their numbers on the dial, typing it or by simply double clicking their corresponding entries in the contacts list.

With its Open Standards and SIP-based call signaling capabilities, X-Lite is capable of making calls to other softphones, mobile phones and to landline phones. Before you can enjoy these features, you will need to set up an account and make a series of specifications, on a tabbed menu.