Google goes voip?

Started up my gmail this morning to notice a new icon in the left navigation. "Call phone"

Hmm ... looks like they're not content to let Skype take the market share (as indeed skype took much of the market from other VOIP players such as PennyTel WorldDialPoint ... yadda yadda).

Interesting.

Prices seem exactly equal to Skype (which is dearer than VOIP via a Linksys type SIP). So it seems that as the technology is "new" (or rather as there are many new people on the market I've been using voip for about 5 years) they can provide something which is cheaper than regular telephony and still pull in some bucks.