Google Adds Phone Calls to Gmail

Google (GOOG) said Wednesday it's adding a feature to Gmail that will allow users to make low-cost calls to phones around the world.

The move puts the world's biggest internet search company in direct competition with Skype, the established player in free/cheap Internet telephony. Google said calls in the U.S. and Canada will be free until at least the end of the year. Rates for international calls start at two cents a minute