VoiceOverIp -- Engadget Mobile

VoiceOverIp posts

Google refutes USA Today report on blocked Skype application

by Joshua Topolsky posted Aug 21st 2009 @ 6:03PM

While Apple was busy batting away the FCC with its litany of reasons why its app approval process is totally hunky-dory, Google was apparently having it's own VoIP-related firefight. It seems that an article in the USA Today which hit newsstands this morning alleges that the internet giant sought to block (dare we say reject) a full Skype application from making its way into the Android Market. The story claims that the application was neutered to become "a watered-down version of the original that routes calls over traditional phone networks" -- which would obviously cast a decidedly malevolent slant to the benevolent company's policies.

The story is surely fine fodder for a FUD enthusiast up to that point, but it appears (gasp) that USA Today may have gotten one minor fact wrong. Namely, that Google had any unsavory aim to clip the wings of the Skype app. According to company man Andy Rubin (on Google's Public Policy Blog), the "lite" moniker was only attached due to technical limitations of the Android platform. In his words:

Here are the facts, clear and simple: While the first generation of our Android software did not support full-featured VoIP applications due to technology limitations, we have worked through those limitations in subsequent versions of Android, and developers are now able to build and upload VoIP services.

As we told USA Today earlier in the week Google did not reject an application from Skype or from any other company that provides VoIP services. To suggest otherwise is false. At this point no software developer -- including Skype -- has implemented a complete VoIP application for Android. But we're excited to see -- and use -- these applications when they're submitted, because they often provide more choice and options for users. We also look forward to the day when consumers can access any application, including VoIP apps, from any device, on any network.

Note the jab there at the end? Okay, swell. Of course, even if Google had rejected the app outright, users still could have installed the software through other avenues, as the Android Market is only a suggestion -- not a mandate -- for how consumers should acquire apps on Google's platform.

[Via TechCrunch; Image courtesy eBoy]

Read - Google-AT&T-Apple fight over Net calls draws FCC interest
Read - Android and VoIP applications

iPhone gets VoIP and chat options thanks to Fring

by Joshua Topolsky posted Apr 15th 2008 @ 3:55PM

Sure, the iPhone is cool looking, works out a lot, and is really good at math... but it can't do VoIP, can it? Well, yes it can -- and you can, thanks to a company called Fring and a piece of ingenious software (for jailbreakers only). Using the native app, it's now possible to place and receive calls via your WiFi connection, thus making AT&T CEOs cry like little babies. Besides doing Skype and the like, the app also lets you connect for chats via MSN Messenger, ICQ, GTalk, SIP, Twitter, AIM, and Yahoo!, which should make this an attractive package even if you don't want to harness the raw power of IP telephony. You can get the application for free by loading up Installer with the company's repo. Check the video after the break to see the magic happen.

[Via Zatz Not Funny!]

Continue reading iPhone gets VoIP and chat options thanks to Fring

Truphone demos VoIP for iPhone

by Joshua Topolsky posted Sep 26th 2007 @ 5:38PM

Are you ready to have your brain go flying out of the back of your skull? If you said yes, be prepared to lose your mind... repeatedly. One of the Holy Grails / Seven Wonders of the iPhone World has been loosed upon the Earth today, namely: VoIP. According to a company called Truphone, they have unlocked the secret of IP telephony on the iPhone, and demonstrated said ability today at DEMOfall 07 in San Diego. Executing commands via the Terminal (i.e., on a phone which had been Jailbreak-ed), Truphone CEO James Tagg was able to call another mobile phone using only an IP connection -- all without breaking the SIM lock. According to the company, the software is still in beta, but they soon plan to have a version which will simplify activation, and allow seamless switching between WiFi and SIM use. Clearly, an exciting development for iPhone users, but a cringe-inducing situation for AT&T. Check the video after the break to see it all in action.

Continue reading Truphone demos VoIP for iPhone

ROK Viper lights up VoIP over Bluetooth

by Chris Ziegler posted Sep 8th 2006 @ 12:51PM

Carriers like to throw around the term "unlimited mobile-to-mobile" from time to time, but we don't think this is exactly what they had in mind. ROK's "Viper" VoIP client uses a handset's Bluetooth link to hook it up to a PC sporting a broadband Internet connection, which in turn connects it to any other handset with Viper installed. Better yet, Viper contacts are shown with their availability in a buddy list format -- but the best part? It's all completely free and covers platforms Skype doesn't. Compatibility is limited to a handful of Nokia handsets running S60 right now, but word on the street has ROK releasing on Java and Windows Mobile clients before too long.

[Via Tech Digest]