Gizmo5 is an interesting alternative to Skype for Mac -- offering voice calling video conferencing and text chat along with integration with Apple's AddressBook. They even allow direct calling of Skype contacts for 5 minutes for free by simply dialing "skype_username".

Gizmo5 offers 500 minutes of calling for a flat $10, as well as other options for a dedicated Gizmo5 phone number (Gizmo5 'CALL IN' as they call it) for about $35 a year. Quite competitive with Skype's pre-paid minutes and 'SKYPE IN' features.

Another innovative feature: You can make Gizmo5 calls from ANY web browser: It uses the Adobe Flash Plug-In to tie into your computer's microphone and webcam to initiate a VOIP call right from your Safari or FireFox browser window. Neat!

Tags: gizmo calls, voip gizmo, mac gizmo