Abstract: A communication apparatus and method includes a modem operable for connection to a telephone line, a voice receiving interface apparatus for use in receiving voice signals from a local user, and a voice conveying interface apparatus for use in conveying voice signals to the local user. Further, processing circuitry, operable under control of a graphical user interface program executable on a personal computer, may be, for example, operable to convert received voice signals from the local user via the voice receiving interface apparatus into outgoing digital voice information, compress the outgoing digital voice information into compressed outgoing digital voice information, and packetize the compressed outgoing digital voice information and provide outgoing packets based thereon. Each of the outgoing packets includes at least one header.

Abstract: A communication apparatus and method includes a modem operable for connection to a telephone line. Further, under control of a graphical user interface program executable on a personal computer, various processing may be provided. For example, the apparatus and/or method may convert received voice signals from the local user into outgoing digital voice information and convert incoming digital voice information into voice signals, and further may compress the outgoing digital voice information into compressed outgoing digital voice information and decompress compressed incoming digital voice information into the incoming digital voice information. Yet further, processing circuitry may be operable to packetize the compressed outgoing digital voice information and provide outgoing voice packets based thereon (e.g., each of the outgoing voice packets including at least one header), and further may packetize outgoing data packets including outgoing digital data information (e.g.