(sâft fōn)
(n.) Also spelled as
softphone, an
application that enables a
desktop,
laptop or
workstation computer to function as a telephone via
Voice over IP technology that uses the cables of a computer network as the medium for transmitting telephone service. Equipped with a headset or a hand-held device, and using the numbers on the
keyboard to dial, the computer with soft phone software can perform the full range of telephone features available through traditional systems, such as
teleconferencing and call forwarding. Soft phones typically make use of the computer's sound card for audio input and output.
Soft phones are typical call centers and other businesses that rely heavily on a combination of computers and telephones.
