Free internet phone and video calls

Skype really started something six years ago, when it introduced the world to free phone calls over the internet. Today a huge number of people use either it or many imitators to call friends and family, video conference and the like. It's still not for everybody. Forget it if you don't have broadband or live outside the cities. And New Zealand's slow broadband can make the video part almost a nonsense. Other disadvantages with Skype seem to be problems with compatibility between the PC and Mac systems, and Skype's tendency to insert its own code into html documents. And with all systems, if you want to use video, you need a webcam, although these are pretty cheap.
Skype's not the only player in town, and Stuff has an article today outlining some of the alternatives. There are some surprising omissions from the article, though. For instance:
Probably the best-known alternative is Windows Live Messenger (formerly known as Windows Instant Messenger or MSN). I know this works fairly well because our Chinese daughter uses it to chat with her parents every week. Google is also introducing a new chat system, Google Talk, although I don't think it has been launched in NZ yet.
TokBox is a web-based video chat application that lets you set-up video chat channels with unregistered users in seconds. The application has a simple user interface with controls for volume, muting and camera off. When you want to invite some to a video chat all you have to do is send them an email link or direct them to your user page. You can also add their Facebook application or embed your video chat channel on your website or MySpace page. There were early problems with Tokbox, but a quick check online seems to indicate these have largely been ironed out. Its main advantages appear to be that you don't have to download special software, and that you can talk to several people simultaneously.