500 Million People Are Using Facebook Messenger.

Facebook Messenger.

Facebook announced today that 500 million users are using the app monthly. Facebook launched the standalone app in 2011 but did not receive the popularity that was expected. But it's ability reach 500 million is good news for the app group.

Messenger was the first of our standalone apps, and unlike our core Facebook apps, it focused on one use case – messaging. With Messenger, you can reach people instantly. It is just as fast as SMS but gives you the ability to express yourself in ways that SMS can’t. You can send stickers or videos, take selfies, chat with groups and make free calls. We’ve also continued to improve speed and reliability. Updates to Messenger ship every two weeks so it continues to evolve and improve.

Facebook

How To Make Free Voice Calls With Facebook Messenger App

Free Voice Calls With Facebook http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/

"i" top right hand corner

If you remember the facebook phone saga, like the facebook phone, you can turn the pages again. Facebook phone is back but not in the way we discussed or imagined. Now it looks exactly like the phone in your hand, be it an iPhone, Android phone, or any other smartphone supported by Facebook Messenger and as long as you have the Facebook Messenger app loaded. You also need to share your mobile number in order to participate in Facebook free calls.
If you have the latest Facebook’s Messenger app and provided that you are in U.S.A, you can place  voice calls over WiFi.
So how do I make a free call with the Facebook messenger? Pretty simple, you need to hit the “i” info icon in any of the messenger pages like a conversation or contact information page. In the panel there is a “Free Call” button that you can use to make a call. But your friend must have shared his / her mobile number with Facebook and should be available for a call.

MagicJack iPhone App Debuts

MagicJack iPhone App http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/

Welknown and also well used magicJack, the VoIP service that is offered with a USB device providing free calls for the cost of the device and a yearly fee of $19.99 to users in the U.S. and Canada. Each device purchased Magicjack or Magicjack Plus includes one year service. So the free calls is a kind of misnomer.
It is also very difficult to find any pricing information at the Magicjack site easily. Positive side of this is the happy users. I have a coleague who uses Magicjack and you would not know he is calling you via a VOIP service.
But the news today is that Magicjack has released an iPhone app. magicJack app came to the iTunes App Store this week and lets users make free calls to numbers in the U.S. and Canada and to other magicJack users anywhere in the world at no charge. The app works on all iDevices provided that have iOS 4.0 or higher.

magicJack is not alone in the Free VOIP calling space on the iTunes App store, it  joins the likes of Skype, Viber, netTALK.
Unlikewith the Magicjack devices described above, magicJack App does not require you to create an account before you can start making those free phone calls, (out going only). The App offers you the option to skip account creation and go right to the dialer shown above. By creating an account to get voicemail and a designated magicJack phone number, or information from an existing account one can receive calls through magicJack without using minutes on your cell phone plan. In the U.S. incoming calls count against your cell phone plan).
I have not tried the app yet and many of those who tried praise the app and it's abilities. Many have made calls over wifi and 3G and seem to be satisfied.
iTunes App Store

AT&T Offers Free Wireless And Landline Calls And Free Texting To Japan

Free Calls To Japan http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/

Showing a softer side of AT&T, the carrier is stepping up to help customers trying to reach loved ones in Japan. Japan experienced a devastating earthquake followed by an equally bad tsunami, killing scores of people. There are many people still missing. Japanese and other people who has relatives or loved ones in Japan can reach them for free thanks to AT&T.

Effective beginning last week, March 11, and continuing through March 31, AT&T wireless postpaid customers will not be charged for:

• International long distance usage from the United States and Puerto Rico to Japan
• Text messages to Japan, originated from a U.S. wireless number

In addition, and also effective March 11 through March 31, residential wireline customers can seek credits for up to 60 minutes of direct dial calling to Japan:

• Upon receiving their wireline bill, customers may call AT&T to receive adjusted calling for up to 60 minutes. In other words, no charges for up to 60 minutes of call time from the United States to Japan between March 11 and March 31.

If the customers too feel wanting to help Japan, they can text “redcross” to 90999 to give a $10 donation to help the Red Cross with disaster support efforts in the area.  No text message fees apply.

Following is the press release by AT&T; Thank you AT&T!

AT&T Offers Wireless, Wireline Billing Relief for Consumers Calling and Texting Family, Friends in Japan

Dallas, Texas, March 14, 2011
AT&T* today announced it has implemented international calling and texting support efforts for U.S. residential wireless and wireline consumers trying to connect with loved ones in Japan, following last week’s tragic earthquake and tsunami.
Effective beginning last week, March 11, and continuing through March 31, AT&T wireless postpaid customers will not be charged for:

• International long distance usage from the United States and Puerto Rico to Japan
• Text messages to Japan, originated from a U.S. wireless number

In addition, and also effective March 11 through March 31, residential wireline customers can seek credits for up to 60 minutes of direct dial calling to Japan:

• Upon receiving their wireline bill, customers may call AT&T to receive adjusted calling for up to 60 minutes. In other words, no charges for up to 60 minutes of call time from the United States to Japan between March 11 and March 31.

For any of the above activity, customers will either see no charges reflected on their monthly statement, or they will see a full credit applied to their statement for activity between March 11 and March 31.
“We want to help our customers connect with loved ones in Japan in anyway we can,” said Mark Collins, senior vice president, Voice and Data Products, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. “Connecting with family and friends is most important at times like this— we want to make it as easy and worry free as possible for our customers.”
Still available, AT&T wireless customers can text “redcross” to 90999 to give a $10 donation to help the Red Cross with disaster support efforts in the area.  No text message fees apply.
And, TV Japan – the 24 hour Japanese news channel – is available for free through March 17 to all U-verse® TV subscribers, allowing viewers to follow the news and recovery efforts. TV Japan can be found on channel 3680.

*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.

About AT&T
AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) is a premier communications holding company. Its subsidiaries and affiliates – AT&T operating companies – are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and around the world. With a powerful array of network resources that includes the nation's fastest mobile broadband network, AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet and voice services. A leader in mobile broadband, AT&T also offers the best wireless coverage worldwide, offering the most wireless phones that work in the most countries. It also offers advanced TV services under the AT&T U-verse^® and AT&T | DIRECTV brands. The company's suite of IP-based business communications services is one of the most advanced in the world. In domestic markets, AT&T Advertising Solutions and AT&T Interactive are known for their leadership in local search and advertising.

Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://www.att.com. This AT&T news release and other announcements are available at http://www.att.com/newsroom and as part of an RSS feed at www.att.com/rss. Or follow our news on Twitter at @ATT. Find us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/ATT to discover more about our consumer and wireless services or at www.Facebook.com/ATTSmallBiz to discover more about our small business services.

^© 2011 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. Mobile broadband not available in all areas. AT&T, the AT&T logo and all other marks contained herein are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies.

Make Free Calls With GMail Voice Service And FreeSWITCH.

Free Calls With FreeSWITCH And GMail http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/
Folks (actually Anthony Minessale) has cooked up a bit of code to connect FreeSWITCH to GMail Voice interface.
They were able to get multiple calls up to prove the capability. This another confirmation to brilliant design of FreeSWITCH, plug anything you want, almost.
It only requires that you have a GMail account, and FreeSWITCH with mod_dingaling enabled (make sure to enable it load at runtime in modules)
You need to make some changes to  some lines in freeswitch/conf/jingle_profiles/client.xml. Create a Dialplan and you are in business!
The entire code and instructions are available from FS Wiki,
FreeSwitch Wiki

Google Voice Extends Free Calling To Hawaii And Alaska

Google Voice now covers all 50 states with it's free calling offering to registered users.

You can initiate free calls to Alaska and Hawaii from your inbox online, from our mobile apps, or by dialing your own Google Voice number from one of your phones and selecting option 2 to place a call. You can also forward calls to your Google Voice number to Alaskan or Hawaiian phones for free.

Google Voice is only available in the US, and you are required to have a working US phone to setup a Google Voice account.
Google Voice Blog: Free calling now to Hawaii and Alaska

Free (SIP) Calls With Google Voice And Gizmo5

Google Voice Free Calls Via Gizmo5

It is pretty easy to make free calls by combining Gizmo5 and Google Voice account. Once the easy setup is completed, one could accomplish US calling without paying a monthly fee or per minute fee. The calls are currently limited to 30 minutes per call.

First of all you will need a Google Voice Account (or an invitation from Google Voice), Gizmo5 Account and a US Phone number. (You need a US phone number that you could receive calls and answer as you need enter a verification code for Google.)

So if you do not have any of those above, fear not, you can still make free calls via Google Voice, Gizmo5.

In either case you need to create a Gizmo6 account and best way to do so is to download and install the Gizmo5 software on your computer or sign up at Gizmo5 website. (It is also possible to use your mobile phone, smartphone for the purpose. So select what fits you best once you visit Gizmo5 site) .

Once you have registered and received a Gizmo5 user name, visit my.gizmo5.com and login with the credentials that you used at account creation.

Once you login, your MY page will show your 747 number. This is shown as your SIP Number and you need this to complete the process.

Now we need to Google Voice and Sign up. Google Voice is invite only at the moment and you could make a request for an invite. Once this is done, you will have to wait for about 8-11 days to get an invitation. If you are in a hurry, you can borrow one from somebody who has an invite or surf the web and you might find one.

Once you receive the invitation, you will be visiting Google Voice to sign up and during this process, you will need that afore mentioned US phone number. So keep that phone handy near you as Google Voice will call you on that number for verification. This number could be any US number either land line or mobile. You can familiarize yourself with Google Voice here.

Do not despair if you do not have a US phone number. There are many ways you could get one. But since we are talking about Gizmo5, I will tell you how to get a US Number from Gizmo5. You can purchase a Call-in number from your Gizmo5 page that displayed your 747 number. It will cost you $12 for three months. Unless you want to keep the US number longer (as long as you want) select the 3 month only option. The US number is required only during sign up process at Google Voice.

If you are verifying through Gizmo5 for your Google Voice Account, open another browser window and travel to www.GizmoCall.com (a service which lets you make/receive calls using just a web browser). Login with your Gizmo5 account information. Now you can receive calls to your browser (computer).

At this point you are ready to verify the Google Voice account and you can request for the verification call. If you are using a regular phone, use it to answer and enter the code or if you are using Gizmo5 Call in number, you can answer in your browser and enter in the proper code using the on screen dialpad.

Now you have a Google Voice Account which you could use to make calls, receive calls, listen to your voice mail etc. But we are here to learn how to make free calls with Google Voice and Gizmo5.

For this you need to add your Gizmo5 information to your Google Voice. You can do this by selecting Settings(Top right hand corner of you Google Voice Page) and then the Phone tab. Click on the Add Another Phone. Here you enter the complete 747 number that you got from Gizmo5,( remember it is not the Gizmo5 Call In number, it is already there if you registered with it). Enter all the 10 digits. Google Voice always verifies your phone numbers and this Gizmo account also need to be verified and like previously, Google Voice makes a call and asks you to verify. Again you do this at www.GizmoCall.com and if you not already logged in, login with your Gizmo5 credentials and then request Google Voice to verify the number which you can answer in your browser and enter in the proper code using the on screen dialpad.

Now we go to you MY Gizmo5 account and add Google Voice user name and password in the Google Voice on Gizmo5 and save it.

You are now ready to receive and make US calls for free. Gizmo5 desktop software or Gizmocall web site could be used to place or answer your calls.

But do not stop there, you can use multiple devices or software for PC, Mac, Linux, Android, iphone, supported by Gizmo5 to make your calls. Basically any SIP device or software.

Tags: Free calls, free calls with Gizmo5, Free calls with Google Voice, Free SIP Calls, Linux, Android, iphone

ooVoo Video To Take On Skype, Cisco Telepresence.

Video Conferencing Space
You know something is good when Reuters pay attention and write two page article about it. Yes that article is about oovoo. ooVoo is not new to us, ever since their 500 minutes of free calls campaign, we have written about the company and products.
The ooVoo video came to our rescue when Skype HQ video failed us on a planned conference. (Skype Video has changed since then and provides free video conferencing for up to 25 users.) But I guess it more appealing to read the Reuters article than all our writeups about ooVoo. (I wish that capitalized all or none, it gives me figer cramps to type this name)
The article has more informationabout where ooVoo is headed and planing on taking Skype and Cisco TelePresence in video conferencing space.
"We took what we had with the consumer and packaged it with a business plan," said ooVoo CEO Philippe Schwartz who said that about 20 percent of the company's current users were business customers even before its business-targeted plan.
ooVoo's business service costs $39.95 a month per person or less, depending on the number of users in a company, ad-free. The consumer service starts at no fee to as high as $17.95 a month for six-way chats.
Reuters

Tags: ooVoo, Free Video Conference, Free calls, Skype

SIPGATE, Free Phone Service To Unplug Landlines In USA

SIPGATE One
SIPGATE's recently launched free phone service seem to be going after 100 million landlines or land lines in the USA. After setting up the free account and receiving a free number in my locality, I am sure I will be using the new service, called SIPGATE One more often, perhaps more than my landline(S).
The service utilizes your broadband connection to offer a fully-featured phone service, complete with a free telephone number, no set-up costs and no monthly charges or minimums.
Another plus for the SIPGATE One is, it is capable of using any of your phones, including standard analog phones, mobile phones or VoIP phones. SIPGATE also offers a softphone for your PC. With a VoIP phone, calls to other SIPGATE users are completely free and also the incoming calls on the free U.S. phone number SIPGATE one provides. If you setup a free SIP account, you can use it as a VoIP Phone as well. Out going calls to US and Canada costs 1.9¢ per minute.
Sipgate turns your phone service into a completely web based service. Just like your web based Gmail or YahooMail. You can divert your calls to any number that you are at or call anyone with a single click and manage your calls, voice mails, just like you manage your emails.
There are many other benefits with SIPGATE One, You can setup all your phones, home, cell and office to ring in parallel, so all your calls are following you.
Remember those times that your forgot your cell phone behind? Just divert the calls to cell phone to your nearest phone, be it home office or hotel phone.
You get a call while you were on your way to a meeting and you want to take a note of the phone number and the conversation but you do not have time or a note pad handy, Just press *6 and your conversation will be recorded and you will be able to listen to it later. You can also setup a quick conference to add more people to a conversation. All these are offered without any additional fee.
There are many other features that I missed or not listed. Best would be to visit the SIPGATE and check it out for yourself.
Small Business', start ups, SIPGATE is getting ready to provide a SMB version (SIPGATE SMB)of the service and I know where I am going to test them. I am waiting.
SIPGATE

Tags: SIPGATE, SIPGATE One, Free Calls, SIPGATE SMB, Free Phone Number, VoIP phone, soft phone, free SIP account

Free Skype Calls Forever On 3 UK Network

Free Skype Calls
on UK's 3 network that is. If you have a SIM card from 3 Network and a compatible phone, all your calls will be free forever or what ever comes first.
3 believes it is important and according to a post;
"We’ve been working with Skype for over two years now and we've learned a lot about how our customers use the service. We know that a keen mobile Skype user is an instinctive, active communicator. They want to take full advantage of free mobile calls.

Increasingly Skype use is linked to other internet communications activities, such as Facebook, Twitter and a host of other services for which our customers will happily pay a fixed fee for unlimited use.

While others have looked at Skype as a potential threat to voice and text revenues we see another advantage. Did you know when you call a friend on a different mobile network their network will charge your operator a fee for carrying the call? This is called a Mobile Termination Rate or MTR and is currently charged at around 4.7p or more for every minute of the call.

This fee is regulated by the industry regulator Ofcom but we think they’re still too high. Without these fees we’d be able to offer our customers much better value and that’s where Skype comes in. With Skype, MTRs don’t apply so we can give our customers all the minutes they like without over charging them.

At 3, we believe our customers should be able to choose how they communicate because that’s mobile as it should be; simple, useful and always good value."

Kevin Russell, Chief Executive Officer of 3 UK, said:

“Communication through the internet is exploding. Internet calling or VoIP, social networking, instant messaging and email are used by millions in the UK every single day. They are open to all on their PCs and laptops. We want people to be free to communicate from their mobiles in the same way as they do from their PCs.

“In future you will be able to buy a 3 SIM for unlimited Skype-to-Skype calls for less than the price of a cup of coffee and talk for as much as you want without ever paying us another penny. We won’t ask you for a top-up or a monthly commitment. If you want to talk on a mobile for free, just join us and give it a go. This is for everyone.”

Josh Silverman, President of Skype said:

“Demand for mobile access from our users has never been higher. The introduction of unlimited Skype-to-Skype calls and instant messages across all 3 price plans is a really exciting move from a key partner. 3 UK clearly understands the desire for people to use Skype wherever and whenever they want. This is the first mobile network to show this kind of innovation to enable their customers to access Skype.

“We believe this is how the future looks for the Internet on mobile. With this bold move 3 UK has again shown their willingness to be the customer champion for mobile services in the UK.”

Currently, 3 UK’s growing Skype community enjoys 1.5 million minutes of free Skype-to-Skype calls every day. The launch of the first 3 Skypephone in October 2007 really kick-started the growth of free internet calling on the 3 network. With over 433 million people registered on Skype worldwide, the new free Skype-to-Skype offer from 3 opens up a world of free calling.
3 UK Press Release

Tags: 3 UK, Free calls, skype

Free Calls With Jaxtr FreeConnect,

http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/
Jaxtr released a press release about their new service FreeConnect that promises unlimited free calling between members. I have seen a quite a few outfits trying this path to attract customers. Skype is one such company used free calling among members (May not be the same medium and the cost) to bring itself up and make Ebay think that they were worth billions.
There is a difference in Jaxtr plan,
"Launching a free international calling service that works on any phone is a dream come true, and something the jaxtr team has been working toward for many years," said Touraj Parang, jaxtr Co-founder & COO. "Although smart phones such as the iPhone, Blackberry and Google's Android have received widespread accolades, the vast majority of people worldwide do not have access to such phones. Our mission at jaxtr has been to create innovative services that are accessible to anyone, anywhere. We're extremely proud that FreeConnect delivers on this promise, and can be used on any of the more than 3 billion mobile handsets worldwide, and the even larger volume of landline phones in use today."
Anyone can join jaxtr and sign-up for a free basic membership. New members also receive a trial premium membership when they first join the service, which does not require a contract if continued. FreeConnect is available to any registered jaxtr user, and does not require a premium membership or any other payment relationship.

But what I liked most about this press release was the Industry Guru's view on Free calls. Om Malik had a write up that left me feeling confused. My police is "you never know unless you try".
Voip Watch directed me to Om Malik's article and it seems Andy is also in agreement with Om.

Tags: Jaxtr, Free calls, VoIP Watch, OM Malik, Skype

Raketu Client V3 With Video! Released

http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/ (All images are from Raketu)
Raketu has released its desktop client for windows, Version 3.0. The new version allow users to navigate and use Raketu’s services much better than before. They have also improved the overall look and feel as well.
But most insteresting feature is the new VideoCalling service that allows users to make free videocalls with their friends, family and business colleagues. The new VideoCalling adds existing line of services where users can make international calls computer-to-computer, computer-to-phone and phone-to-phone, send sms-text messages, instant message, and email totally free or at Raketu’s ultra-low rates -- all from any device, even iPhone and iPod Touch, anywhere in the world, mobile or desktop/laptop.

“Raketu listened to our users suggestions around navigation and look and feel of the Raketu download client, and with the release of our new Version 3.0, we have made great steps forward in improving all aspects of the use of Raketu,” said Greg Parker, president and CEO of Raketu. “With the addition of free VideoCalling in combination with existing services, the cost of making and receiving video/phone calls is affordable no matter where our users are.”

Current Raketu users can download and start using the new services immediately, and new users can sign up and download at http://www.Raketu.com.

Tags: raketu, VoIP business, Free calls, SMS, Video Calls, mobile voip

Free Calls WIth Asterisk And Gizmo5

image credit 2nm.com.au

Nerd Vittles has done it again with a fine ariticle on how to make free calls worldwide with Asterisk and Gizmo5 (All calls free). According to the article you will be able call any cellphone or landline in the United States at no cost, as long as it is not on AT&T number!
In fact you can check any of the numbers you call are free calls by checking with Gizmo5's back door. Nerd Vittles also explains about the carriers who are using the VoIP for their call terminations. I just checked my sprint number and it is free through Gizmo5 back door dialing. Back door dialing is easily accomplished by adding 0101 to the destination number, Just dial 0101 + 10 digit US telephone number.
While the technicalities are too long for a referring article, you can read all at leisure at Nerd Vittles. In addition, the article also tells you how to add Free Calls to 40 Million Asterisk Servers with e164.org. I am proud to say that four of those Asterisk servers are mine and there are about 100-150 that I helped to implement. You might also want to read ASTGizmo to setup Gizmo5 and Asterisk together.
So head over to; Free Asterisk Calls to Zillions of Phones with ENUM and Gizmo5’s Backdoor Dialing and start making those free calls.

Tags: Free calls, Free VoIP calls, gizmo5, Asterisk, nerd vittles, Gizmo5 back door, free calls worldwide

Free Calls To Tibet

Vannes, France, 9th April 2008 – Manifone, an innovative telephony service provider and ING Telecom, a major French telecommunication termination provider have today announced, that in a joint action they would offer non-profit organizations free phone calls to Tibet. The offer is intended to show solidarity to the people in Tibet and help the work of humanitarian organizations that support them. Since the exile-governement of Tibet resides in Dharamsala, India, free calls to that city are included in the offer as well. All non-profit organizations dealing specifically with Tibet are invited to get in touch with Manifone via the contact page of the website http://www.manifone.com.

Manifone’s cost-saving telephony service works with all existing telephones, including mobile phones, on all networks, in the UK, USA, Canada, and other countries covered. Due to its flexibility, it can be of great help to field staff, which often have no choice but to use their mobile phones to place International calls. Manifone’s service substitutes International phone numbers with local numbers. That way, all Internationals contacts become reachable on local phone numbers, and it is Manifone that handles the International part of the call. For the initiative ‘Free calls to Tibet’, the International part of the call is offered by Manifone.

More information on Manifone: www.manifone.com
tag: Free calls, Free calls to Tibet, Manifone, ING Telecom, free phone calls to Tibet, free phone calls, Dharamsala,

Free Mobile Calls (VoIP) From Tpad Mobile

Tpad today announced the availability of a free SMS text service that will automatically setup a WiFi enabled mass-market mobile phone that will bring free or ultra low cost mobile VoIP calls to millions.
The SMS text service is currently configured for Nokia's latest E and N series phones and will be constantly updated when leading mobile phone producers such as Samsung and Motorola release their brand new WiFi phones later this year.

Mobile calls between Tpad users are free worldwide if the calls are routed over their WiFi Connection. All other PSTN calls from the user's WiFi mobile to any other landline or mobile in the world will be charged at the usual low Tpad VoIP rates.

This SMS text service has been designed to remove the need for complicated set up procedures. At Tpad, set up is easy and fast, customers simply create a free mobile account and then they will automatically receive a free SMS text that will configure their phone's SIP settings with Tpad.
Tpad (www.tpad.com) integrates seamlessly with the phone using the existing address book, so there's no need to retype your contacts. Once set up to use a WiFi hotspot, the mobile connects automatically next time the phone is in range.

The beauty of this service is that no special software is needed, as it uses the inbuilt software that Nokia already has pre-installed. This ensures that there will be full compatibility with trouble free usage.


tag: mobile Voip, Free callsTpad, SMS text service, Nokia free VoIP, Tpad VoIP,

Free VoIP Calls, 30 Minutes A Day, 2 At a Time, To Landlines From Your PC

AdPhone a new player in the game offering free phone calls, up to 30 minutes per day to selected destinations. I checked destinations that I call most like Japan, Germany and The Netherlands and were all there. I could call all my friends and family.
But then I noticed the fine print here;

"You have 30 free minutes every day when calling landline phones in all countries listed below.
(The first 2 minutes per call are free. You cannot call the same number for free more than once every 10 minutes)
Additional minutes to selected countries, calls to countries not listed below and calls to mobile phones are charged at our very low rates. Please click here if you would like to buy Units."

So it is not for me but you might still want try it out and the pc to pc phone calls are still free no matter the duration of the call.. It is a new concept for ad supported VoIP calling. There were many other form of VoIP solutions that provided free calls with or without ad support. But it is hard to compete when there are really free VoIP services, like 500 minutes free calls from ooVoo and all calls free with Gizmo5.
The other thing I had to laugh was the site is really ad supported, Google ads like what you see here are in every page and when a full banner of Vonage ad jumped at me, I had to question the motive of the company.
I would prefer to call more than 2 minutes at a time and there are many other Free VoIP Calling solutions that allows me to do so.
tag: Free calls, free VoIP Calls, Free VoIP Solutions, oovooo, gizmo5, Vonage

Free Calls With EuVOX Portable VoIP Package.(VoIP In A Stick)

Euphony has launched euvox, a portable VoIP package based on a USB stick. The euphony released the following information and costs associated with each option.
EuVOX is a virtual phone using a USB memory stick which uses the Internet to call normal national and international landlines (and mobiles in some countries, as specified below). This technology is known as Voice over Internet Provider - VoIP.

YOU CAN TAKE YOUR MEMORY STICK AND VIRTUAL PHONE WITH YOU WHEREVER YOU GO AROUND THE WORLD AND MAKE UNLIMITED FREE CALLS TO ANY OF THE COUNTRIES INCLUDED IN YOUR CHOSEN PACKAGE.
* Each package includes UNLIMITED FREE CALLS, including VIDEO CALLS, between EuVOX users ALL OVER THE WORLD.

EuVox is probably the best value for money VoIP package available on the market. Overall, nobody offers you as many cost saving features.
How much does EuVox cost?
The price of the EuVox USB phone starter pack is 100 euros
(including IVA). This amount is credited entirely to your EuVox call account, which means your EuVox software and memory stick are completely FREE.

What does my EuVox package give me?
A FREE USB memory stick (512 MB *), The pack also includes a FREE earpiece with an in-line microphone.
No headset is required, although you will need to purchase a webcam to make video calls.
(*)The EuVox software uses 10MB of memory, the remaining 502 MB is free for personal use.

EuVox Anywhere
2.75 € per month (incl. VAT)
Make calls to anywhere in the world at ultra low rates. Including FREE calls and video calls to other euVOX users. To check our low cost rates please visit www.euVOX.net

EuVox Anywhere 20
9.99 € per month (incl. VAT)
Free landline calls to these 20 popular international destinations:
Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark,France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands,Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK and USA.
Includes free mobile calls to USA and Canada.

EuVox Anywhere 40
12.99 € per month (incl. VAT)
FREE landline calls to these 40 popular international destinations:
Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil (Sao Paulo, Rio &Belo Horizonte only), Bulgaria, Canada, Chile (Isla De Pascula &Rural excluded) China, Cyprus (south only), Czech Republic, Denmark,Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Ireland, Israel,Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Netherlands,New Zealand, Norway, Poland,Portugal, Puerto Rico, Romania, Russia (Moscow & St.Petersburgonly), Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, UK,USA, and Venezuela.

Includes free mobile calls to USA, Canada, China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Thailand.

PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING (FOR ALL PACKAGES):

* Calls to premium rate numbers, specialist numbers excluded.
* Calls to non-geographic numbers excluded.
* EuVOX is a prepaid service, with no bills or credit checks.
* No minimum contract period. If you no longer require your euVOX service, just use up your credit and stop using it.

tag: Portable VoIP, euvox, euphony, free moblie calls

"All Calls Free", With Gizmo5

Gizmo has a few different ways that will allow you to make all your calls free. One of the special programs allows you to call certain US numbers for free.
In order to use this backdoor, as Gizmo calls it, you need to find out if the number you want to call qualifies, for free calling. I did for one of my numbers and that session is in the image above, and I qualified. It is a mobile number. You will find your backdoor information here.

How to do backdoor dialing:

Download and install Gizmo5 for Windows/Mac/Linux.

Dial 0101 + 10 digit US telephone number (if it qualifies).

Two-way calling feature:

After calling a mobile or land line phone that's available for Backdoor Dialing using Gizmo5, the person you called can call you back directly on your computer anytime you're logged in to Gizmo5!

Gizmo Project also have a program called "All Calls Free" Plan. And this is how that works;

If both parties are logged into Gizmo Project, you should just make a Gizmo-to-Gizmo call, which has always been a free call. If the person you want to call is not currently online or logged into to Gizmo at the time you call, you can then dial the "home phone" or "mobile phone" numbers they have added into their Gizmo Project profile. That call will be free provided (a) you both are active Gizmo Project users, and (b) are calling a qualifying number in one of the 60 countries for which the plan is offered.

Gizmo would love to make this calling plan work for all numbers around the world. However, (at least for now) They are only able to allow free calls to landline phones in 60 countries, and mobile numbers in 17 of those countries (see chart below). If the person you want to call lives in a country that's not on the list, remind them to get Gizmo Project so you can call them on their PC for free, or purchase Gizmo Call Out credit to make calls at extremely low calling rates."

All Calls Free plan is currently is in effect for the following 60 countries and types of phone lines:

Landlines & Mobiles (17 countries)	Landlines Only (43 countries)
Canada China Cyprus Guam Hong Kong Malawi Malaysia Puerto Rico Russia Saipan San Marino Singapore South Korea Thailand United States US Virgin Islands Vatican City	Argentina Australia Austria Belgium Bulgaria Chile Croatia Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France French Antilles Germany Gibraltar Greece Guadeloupe Hungary Iceland Ireland Israel	Italy Japan Liechtenstein Luxembourg Monaco Netherlands New Zealand Norway Panama Peru Poland Portugal Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Taiwan Turkey United Kingdom Venezuela Zambia

Check further with Gizmo for updates and the Gizmo itself.


tag: Free calls, All Calls Free, Gizmo Project, Gizmo Call Out, landline phone, Gizmo-to-Gizmo call, Gizmo5, Gizmo5 Backdoor Dialing

Call China for free with Million Minute Giveaway For Chinese New Year

Start the New Year, the year of the Rat with free calls to and from China with one million free minutes offer from Rebtel.
From Feb 7-27, 2008;
• calls from any Rebtel Country to China
• calls from Shanghai to the USA and Canada
Gong xi fa cai - happy Chinese new year! Be the first to call China and wish your friends luck and prosperity in the Year of the Rat.
tag: Free calls, Free Calls To China, rebtel, year of the Rat, Gong xi fa cai

FREE VoIP Calling With The "All Calls FREE "plan At Gizmo Project.

I have written earlier about GismoProject and Gizmocall before. Since then a bit more has happened at Gizmoproject. Version 5 of GizmoCall is out and adds;

• Unlimited FREE calling Gizmo to Gizmo users.
  
• FREE calling to landline and mobile phones using the All Calls FREE plan.
• Chat with Windows Live Messenger, AIM, Yahoo! Messenger, GoogleTalk, and Gizmo users.
• FREE voicemail and more.

But what is interesting in the All Calls Free Plan. Users NEW to the All Calls Free plan get 20 minutes of free calling simply by getting ONE friend to sign up for a new Gizmo account. There are no commitments and no hidden fees.
Although sounds like a marketing gimmick, I look at it in another way. Say if you are a Skype user and have bunch of friends wanting to explore other avenues of free calling for the upcoming holiday season, this would be a good way to check out the GizmoCall. Who knows, you might permanently switch over ;).
I have both Skype and GizmoCall but on my only Windows Desktop, (a notebook actually) I have GizmoCall running all the time.
It also runs on my Nokia N810 flowlessly. It is awailable to PDAs and desktops. You can check out at Gizmo Project.
So to get started on All Calls Free plan;
1.Tell a friend to download Gizmo Project and have them add their phone number to their profile.
2. Add each other to your contact lists and you can call that person for FREE using Gizmo Project.
3. Be sure to make at least 1 Gizmo Project to Gizmo Project call per week or your free minutes will expire.

Don't forget to read All Calls Free Requirements

After 14 days or when your 20 free minutes are used up, users new to All Calls Free will need to follow the All Calls Free Active User Requirements to continue making free calls. All Calls Free active users can also receive up to 20 minutes of free calling per week! To learn more, view the All Calls Free Frequently Asked Questions

Tags: Gizmocall, All Calls Free, gizmo project, Free Voip Calls, linux, Nokia N810