Move over, Skype! Make way for a miriad of choices hitting the market in VOIP videophone technology. Maybe.

One wonders if webcam equipped computers have obsoleted the videophone before it could even get a start. After all, most homes in the industrial world already have a computer with a webcam and a high-speed internet connection. Computer to computer, Skype or the like are free to use versus an average $25 for videophone providers’ services.

It is questionable, additionally, in rural areas as to how long it will take the infrastructure to catch up so that videophones are a viable communications alternatives there as well. Having video-enabled cell phones with their portability advantages available as well, videophone technology may be over before it has begun.