A survey of 2300 adults, conducted by Harris Interactive and sponsored by the VOIP service Rebtel, found that Americans still overwhelmingly prefer to communicate by voice. 74% of respondents said that the phone was how they keep in touch with friends and 81% said it's their preferred method of communicating with family members.

The survey looks at the preferences for communicating with friends, family, significant others and co-workers. In three of those four categories, voice is the number one choice. When it comes to our work colleagues, however, we prefer to send email: 43% of respondents said they would choose email, 33% would choose voice/phone, 12% would text, and just 6% would use social networking sites to communicate with co-workers.

It's interesting, despite pronouncements about the death of email, to see that method continue to rank so highly. In fact, there was very little difference in the usage of phone and email across these groups, with the notable exception of communicating with a significant other: 85% use the phone, 58% text, and just 56% use email.

Photo credits: Flickr user plenty.r

The survey found that almost a quarter of American adult Internet users (24%) have placed a phone call online. That's 19% of all American adults.

But clearly something has shifted.

The research found little difference between men and women when it came to making calls over the Internet. However there were some differences based on socio-economic factors. Internet users with higher levels of education and household income were more likely to use the Internet to make phone calls, as were those who live in urban areas. Hispanic users were also more likely to use VOIP services than others - 27% compared to just 21% for non-Hispanic Whites and Blacks.

The Pew Research Center does admit that they rephrased the question in this round, which may account for some of the increase: "Please tell me if you ever use the Internet to make a phone call online, using a service such as Skype or Vonage? Did you happen to do this yesterday, or not?" This was the first time that the organization specifically referred to Skype when surveying about VOIP usage.

But even if the mention of Skype triggered a more affirmative response than in previous surveys, there's little doubt that placing phone calls over the Internet has become more popular. Pew points to several reasons why this is the case: "It is free or cheaper than other types of phone calling; it is enabled on many handheld devices like smartphones and tablet computers; more and more meetings and classroom activities exploit online phone connections along with video capabilities; and more families and friends are building online calls into their communications streams."

The increasing popularity of video calling is also part of the appeal. In this latest survey, the Pew Research Center found that 7% of cell phone owners had participated in video calling using their mobile devices.

Digium, the open source project's maintainer, has informed its users that Skype for Asterisk will no longer be available for sale or activation after July 26. According to the notification, Skype has opted not to renew the agreement that allows Digium to utilize Skype's proprietary software in order to turn the open source Asterisk into a native Skype client.

Although ReadWriteWeb editor Richard MacManus argued that Skype's acquisition by Microsoft could take the VOIP service "to the next level" with integration in Windows mobile devices and with Xbox and Kinect gaming systems, it appears that the new frontier for Skype may be inhospitable for open source.

CRN reports that open source telephony has seen steady growth lately, as companies have soft lower-cost but feature-rich solutions, with open-source PBX systems accounting for almost 20% of all PBX sales in North America.

As ReadWriteWeb's Dan Rowinski recently noted, Microsoft's acquisition plans for Skype may include deep integration of the VOIP service into its Lync communications platform - a platform that is certainly a competitor to the open source Asterisk.

However, the more exciting news for U.S. users of the Android application is support for 3G calling, which had previously been limited to select Verizon phones.

Skype launched on Android in March 2010 through a partnership with Verizon Wireless, but it wasn't until October that a general release was made available to all Android users. In that version, calling was restricted to Wi-Fi only in the U.S.

At the time, Skype's communications lead Peter Parkes told us the company offered "an optimized solution for Android" through its partnership with Verizon Wireless, and that the new Wi-Fi version allowed customers of other mobile carriers to also use the service. "There's an extensive network of Wi-Fi hotspots and Wi-Fi providers across the U.S., so people in the U.S. should have plenty of opportunities to use Skype," he said.

People who actually live in the U.S. know that this "extensive" network consists of, essentially, coffee shops, airports and McDonald's. The new 3G calling feature will make the Skype app dramatically better.

The update also hints at Skype having inked deals with other mobile carriers, or perhaps an end to the exclusivity clause in its Verizon's deal. We've asked Skype to comment, and will update if the company responds.

Update, Skype's response:

Thank you for your inquiry. We have extended the support of Skype for Android to work over 3G (and WiFi). This is just part of Skype’s on-going effort to provide consumers with the best Skype experience.    With the large 3G networks and extensive network of WiFi hotspots across the US, Android phone users are provided with many opportunities to use Skype on their mobile phone.

In the US, our partnership with Verizon still allows us to offer Skype mobile™ with an optimized solution on Verizon’s network.  Since March 2010, Verizon consumers have enjoyed Skype on a variety of Blackberry, Android, BREW, Windows Mobile, and Palm phones.   With the launch of Verizon’s 4G LTE network, Skype mobile™ with video will soon be available.  In addition Verizon customers can use the Skype for Android when traveling abroad.

Security Fix Released

Earlier this month, Justin Case who blogs at Android Police discovered a security exploit in the newest version of Skype, then in beta. At first he assumed the vulnerability was only in the test version, not the standard release. As it turned out, he was wrong. The general release from October 2010 also had the same issue - an issue that could potentially affect the 10 million users of the mobile app, Case noted.

Skype immediately began investigating the vulnerability and made note of its progress on its official blog on April 20, reminding Android users to be careful about what 3rd-party applications they install.

As of this morning's release, the reported vulnerability has been patched, says Skype. It encourages all Android users to download the most recent version from the Android Market as soon as possible. Don't worry Skype, you had us at "3G calling."

The company has just announced that Google Voice will be fully integrated with Sprint. This means that all Sprint phones and all Sprint users will be able to tap into Google Voice's features without needing a special app.

Google Voice will also replace Sprint's voicemail service, enabling customers to receive the (often hilariously inaccurate) transcribed voicemail messages online, via email or text.

Today's partnership may be good news for Sprint users. But it's also good news for Sprint. The company unveiled the new Nexus S 4G today, and all of this helps give the carrier some ammo as it makes its case to customers that it's a viable alternative to Verizon and the soon-to-be-merged AT&T/T-Mobile. If nothing else, Sprint is sure looking like the carrier of choice for Google.

Qik Video Connect offers video streaming and video calling - available for real-time viewing or recorded and sent as a video message. The app will also allow you to post live video links to Facebook and Twitter.

The pro version offers HD video recording and includes additional features like filters and editing tools.

The live video chat will work between iPhones on Wi-Fi as well as on 3G, and the video messages can be shared to those not on the iPhone platform, making it a good alternative to Apple's own video-calling app Facetime.

Despite the acquisition of Qik by Skype, it appears as though the video sharing app will retain its own name and branding. It's an indication, nonetheless, that Skype plans on being active in video and mobile calling.

The company has just announced the change, insisting that, "the Skype experience is our first priority." The move to bring advertising to the Skype environment comes as the telephony company makes its move for a planned IPO this year. While Skype has an estimated 177 million active users, only around 8.1 million are paying subscribers. The addition of advertising will give the company another revenue stream.

Currently, the advertising is set to only appear in the Home tab in Skype for Windows, although the company says it might experiment with ads in other areas and with other clients eventually. The ads won't interrupt your VOIP experience - no "annoying pop-up ads or flashy banner ads in middle of conversations," insists Skype. Skype says the ads will only appear occasionally, and the initial plan is to show one ad from one brand per day. Ads are rolling out in the U.S., U.K., and German markets first.

The advertising may use non-personally identifiable demographic data - your location, gender and age - in order to target ads and deliver relevant content. But you will be able to opt out of allowing Skype to share this data with advertisers.

Skype has become immensely popular, in no small part because it's offered its services for free. As Skype moves towards its initial public offering, ads appear to be one path to monetize those users.

Users will also be responsible for airtime minutes if using a mobile phone, and local operator charges when dialing from a landline, notes Skype via blog post. Skype's standard connection fee applies as well.

Many people assume that Skype is only a Web-based or mobile service - that you have to install and launch an app on your desktop or smartphone in order to use it. With Skype to Go, however, you can make long distance calls from any phone - even a rotary phone with one of those twisty cords!

With the newly revamped service, you can create up to nine direct dial numbers for friends, family or other contacts and is available in many of Skype's biggest markets, including the U.S., Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and parts of Europe.

On a side note, Skype also announced its service is now available on the new HP Palm Pre 2 from Verizon Wireless in the U.S. No word yet on when international Pre 2 users will have access to the same feature.

This new version also introduces group video calling as part of its Premium package. There is a 7 day free trial for new users, but then you'll need to purchase either a day pass ($4.99) or buy a monthly subscription ($8.99 per month) for the feature.

Still missing from this version is deep integration with Facebook, something we've been looking forward to since the two companies announced a partnership last year. But as Mike Melanson reported yesterday, it does seem as though Facebook is testing some VOIP calling. It's just obviously not in this new version of the Skype client for Mac.

Although Google Voice has become a popular VOIP service for some users, particularly with its ability to transcribe messages, it has always seemed like a supplement rather than a replacement for a "real" phone number. That's because, in no small part, you couldn't ever port your phone number over to the Google account. Instead you had to set up a new Google Voice number and then construct a system of forwarding calls to it.

"Huge," was the initial reaction from lots of folks. And on the surface, indeed, this is a big deal, something that Google Voice users have long desired, and arguably the purpose behind the service - the ability to have one number that can "ring" and record all your phone calls. But after the news broke, Google contacted Engadget and others saying that this was only a test and only an option for some users, although it does "plan to offer this feature to all users in the near future."

For those who had their hearts lifted by the promise of moving a well-loved phone number to Google Voice, it looks like you'll have to wait a bit longer. And arguably, you should use some caution before shelling out the $20.

After all, Google is not a mobile phone service provider. Porting your number effectively ends your current service, and there may be some early termination fees for doing so. Furthermore, without a phone service provider, those ten digits won't work - ported or not.

Of course, Google could pursue that option, but that seems to be significantly further down the road than just the option to port your number. And if Google can do that - lets us cancel our old phone line, move our number, and have cheap calls, free text messaging, and decent transcription - then yes, that would indeed be huge.

Update: Skype has confirmed the acquisition on its blog: "Through this acquisition, we'll also be able to take advantage of the engineering expertise that is behind Qik's Smart Streaming technology, which optimizes video transmission over wireless networks."

The tip comes from a reliable source, according to Business Insider, who broke the news of the acquisition this morning. Neither Skype nor Qik have confirmed this, and we'll update this story when we hear more. The two companies do share some of the same investors, notably Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz.

For Skype, both mobile and video have been two important areas it has pursued. Just last month, it added video-calling functionality to its iPhone app.

So if the news of a Qik acquisition is true, we can expect to see more developments with the combination of video, mobile and Skype VOIP on other smartphones in the months ahead.

According to TeleGeography, growth in international call traffic grew by an estimated 4% in 2010, to 413 billion minutes, down slightly from a 5% growth rate in 2009 and down substantially from the 15% average growth rate from the previous two decades. Skype, however, has seen a huge uptick in growth, particularly in the last two years.

However, the challenge to international telcos isn't simply an economic one, as TeleGeography's data shows phenomenonal growth for Skype, which is now by far the largest provider of international voice-based communications. Skype's growth rate outpaced that of international phone traffic in 2009. But it skyrocketed in 2010, growing by 45 billion minutes - more than twice the volume added by all the world's phone companies, combined.

"Demand for international communications remains strong," says TeleGeography analyst Stephan Beckert. "But ever more people are discovering that they can communicate without the services of a telco."

That discovery isn't simply for international calls, as Skype is increasingly used for domestic calling as well. The service has also added video calling features, most recently to its iPhone app. And Skype is one of many companies rumored to be looking at an IPO in 2011.

The new Skype app works on iPhone 4 and 3GS and the iPod Touch with iOS 4.0 or above. You can also receive video calls on 3rd generation iPod Touch devices and on the iPad. Video-calling was already available on Skype desktop clients.

As the response to Skype's recent outage demonstrated, the service has become an important communication tool - for both professional and personal reasons. Skype says there are approximately 25 million concurrent users logged into Skype at any given time.

And video-calling makes up more and more of that usage - approximately 40% of all Skype-to-Skype minutes for the first six months of 2010, according to Neil Stevens, Skype's general manager of consumer business. "By bringing video to mainstream users at their home or work via their desktops, on the go with their mobiles, or into their living room via their TV, Skype has made it possible for millions of people to share their video moments wherever they are."

"Wherever they are" is increasingly mobile, and improvements to Skype's iPhone app are welcome news. No word, however, on when video-calling will come to Android.

According to the carrier, the three new feature phones that now have access to the Skype app are the Pantech Crux, LG Octane and Samsung Zeal.

This marks the first time Skype has been made available to non-smartphone devices on Verizon's wireless network. The feature phones and messaging phones now supported run the BREW platform. While not as robust a platform as either Blackberry or Android, BREW is able to run apps like Skype, among others.

For prepaid users, cost savings are clearly a major factor when buying a mobile phone. Offering these customers Skype as an alternative to pricey long-distance calls is sure to be a selling point for these devices among this demographic.

With the Skype app installed, customers can communicate cheaply with friends and family anywhere in the world, although Verizon makes a point to note its support for Skype-to-Skype calls in Mexico and Southeast Asia specifically, as the Skype application is offered in Spanish, Korean and simple Chinese localized versions.

Verizon customers can get the app for their phone from the built-in app stores on their device or the online store at www.verizonwireless.com/mp3.

The Google Voice app allows users to make cheap international calls from their iPhones and send free text messages to any U.S. number. Just like the HTML5 web app Google debuted earlier this year, you can also see your voicemail transcriptions in the app. In addition, the native app now allows for push notifications when you receive a new voicemail or text message.

The new app also features Google's Direct Access Numbers, which make connecting calls through the company's VoIP system just as fast as dialing directly from your phone. In earlier versions of Google Voice, the system would actually call you back and then connect the call after you picked up. Now, your phone will just call a central number and connect the call immediately. Sadly, though, these calls take you out of the Google Voice app and back into your native phone app.