Tag Archives: VOIP
App review: Time to Call by Vonage
You’d be forgiven for thinking that most of the innovation to be done in VOIP apps had already been done, but US-based Vonage has other ideas. A few days ago Vonage announced their new Time to Call app and to be completely honest I ignored the press release as my understanding of Vonage was that they were a US company providing services to US customers only. That’s not so with this app, which is a truly innovative VOIP solution that can be used in New Zealand and is a god-send in both terms of convenience and cost-of-use when travelling not just overseas but even within NZ.…
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Posted in All, iPad, iPhone, iPod touch
Skype 3.0 goes live with video calling
Skype have just updated their iPhone app, adding video calling features that really should have been there back when the iPhone 4 launched. You can now make video calls from iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS (although you’ll need some crazy mirror array for it to be useful on that device due to its lack of front-facing camera) and iPod touch Gen 4 to any other Skype client capable of receiving video calls including Mac and PC, and non-video equipped iOS devices such as the iPad (but don’t get too excited, it’s still not a universal binary).
We’ve had a quick play with the app and although video quality is sadly noticeably inferior to that of FaceTime, it’s perfectly adequate and matches the quality you’ll be used to when using Skype on a desktop client. Unlike FaceTime, Skype does support calling over 3G although as mentioned in our VoIP round-up article, both parties will need to be signed in which does chew through battery life so Tango is still a serious competitor as far as the iPhone goes. Now if Apple would just enable FaceTime over 3G without a jailbreak we can all stop making-do with the next best thing!…
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Posted in All, iPhone, iPod touch, Other News
Do you really need a voice plan? Answer: no
If you’re using an iPhone in New Zealand, you probably have a voice plan that you pay your carrier a pretty sum for every month. Despite the ‘free’ minute allocation they include, the average price per minute still makes voice calling a costly exercise. The iPhone, however, with it’s fast data speeds and ability to install third party apps, opens up options that can dramatically reduce the price of calling. If you’ve not looked into this, read on and your next phone call might well be to your carrier to have your voice plan cancelled. …
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Posted in 2degrees, All, Digital Island, iPad, iPhone, Telecom XT, Vodafone
App Store Essentials: Skype
It’s easy to forget with its miriad of features and functions that the iPhone is just that… a phone. And while making and receiving phone calls on the device is just as much of a joy as performing any other function, there are two ways to improve on the experience: one is to be able to make cheap phone calls, and the other is to be able to make free phone calls. In the second in our series of App Store Essentials where we highlight the absolute must-haves that were launched prior to the 3GS and OS 3.0, we take a look at Skype.…
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