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VoIP at $15 a Pop
AndersBrownworth writes: "Creative has released what they are calling the VoIP Blaster, a $15 USB device (2 for $20) that lets you plug in a normal POTS type telephone and make Voice-over-IP calls to anyone on the Internet. Creative has some closed source software with it that they manage to sneak per call charges in with, but ignoring that one can install the open source fobbit software and do point-to-point unmetered VoIP calls to anyone else with a G.723.1 codec VoIP phone. I just got off a NC to CA call placed from behind a firewall and the quality rocked. It sounded far better than a cell phone. The Fobbit software is fairly solid on FreeBSD and Windows with a couple bugs in the Linux port." This device has been out for a while now, with mixed reviews, at least with the included software, but it's nice to see this effort to turn off the meter.
"Grandma? Can you hear me? GRANDMA! ITS ME! YEAH!NO IM USING THE INTERNET TO CALL YOU... THE INTERNET! THE I-N-T-E-R-N-E-T!!!!"
Fortunatley this wasnt a VOIP quality issue, grandmas hearing aid had just went out.
So is it phone sex or cybersex? ;)
Wow. Mine only weighs an ounce or so. Must be that crappy British made stuff.
Let's see...
$1000 for the PC and hardware
$20 month for the 'Net connecction
$0.05/min for the phone call
Tech knowledge to set it up
Hassle of cranking up PC just to make a phone call (Call you right back, I gotta reboot my phone!)
all to replace $15, proven reliable hardware, and LD rates that can be had for $0.029/min from BigZoo.com.