But don't throw out your telephone just yet. Internet telephony is still a technology in development. A December survey by Jupiter Research found that online shoppers and e-retail sites that use voice interaction have been dissatisfied with the results. Only 18 percent of online buyers used telephony, and the majority of those users were not satisfied with the quality of the experience. Among the major hurdles for sites using Internet telephony, Jupiter's data shows, are proxy servers and firewalls.
Proxy servers function as intermediaries in the path between user and Web site.
The voice quality is certainly good enough for Zube. He spent Christmas morning at home in Round Rock, watching online as his son's family opened presents at their home in Denton. We were all speaking, and I could see their faces.