Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) has upped the ante in the competition among major e-mail suppliers, which would include, at least, Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT), Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ: YHOO) and AOL Inc. (NYSE: AOL). Each has tens of millions of users, most of whom have had accounts for so long they do not want to change addresses.

Google has gotten many people to convert to Gmail, though, largely because of a number of attractive new features. One of these is the ability to make free phone calls in the United States and Canada. Google announced it would extend that feature for another year.

Mayur Kamat, product manager for Gmail, said on the Official Gmail Blog:

Many of you call phones from Gmail to easily connect with friends and family. If you’re in the US and Canada, you’ll continue to be able to make free domestic calls through 2013. Plus, in most countries, you can still call the rest of the world from Gmail at insanely low rates.

Douglas A. McIntyre

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