What is Soft Phone

[Shrewsbury]

Not sure what I am missing here, but what is Soft Phone, and what is it's purpose ? Thanks for the Help.

[giqcass]

Soft phone = Software phone
It's a software based phone that runs on a computer, tablet, or (LOL) a phone.  It allows you to make and receive calls on computer powered devices in a manner similar to a real phone.

A more eloquently crafted definition.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Softphone