Excite@Home Monday launched Excite Voice Chat which allows individuals to have real-time voice conversations over the Internet.
Powered by Lipstream Networks Inc., the free service is found through the Excite portal at voicechat.excite.com. It is based on the text-based instant messaging platform, yet supports voice communications.
Excite currently provides five chat rooms, separated into categories by age. The company plans to add rooms to discuss movies, romance, music, poetry and sports.
The service is currently available to only Windows 95, 98 and NT users and requires an Internet connection, microphone, and speakers or headphones. It’s designed to allow individual conversations and conference calls of up to 10 people at once. The service also provides a “whisper” option to mute other chatters.