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AOL to Enter the VoIP Ring
FiveDollarYoBet writes "Looks like AOL is entering the VOIP racket. The service is free but it's really a Skype clone with a copper local number. They're also going to offer an unlimited version for $14.95 a month but you have to make the calls from your computer. It'll be interesting to see if it's more of a IM live chat or a true VoIP. The article also outlines their plans to take on MySpace in the near future."
You've got Phone Call!!
When I tell an object to delete this, am I killing it or telling it to kill me?
kan u here me know?!? LOLZ!! :::hugs:::
"I would say that 99 per cent of what my father has written about his own life is false." - L. Ron Hubbard Jr.
They've had user to user voice communication for quite a while now (long before Google for instance). Moreover, (AFAIK) they are the only IM service to allow PSTN termination; Skype was never really an IM service (it was primarily VOIP). The real contenders in this particular market (text IM services integrating voice communications) are MSN, Yahoo, AOL [AIM], and Google [Talk]. Of those, aren't they now the early bird?
> And once again AOL offers us another paid service any person can spend 15 minutes learning
> to get absolutely free and legal! Pity time and warner.
According to TFA you get an inbound phone number with this sucker, for free. That's kind-of spiffy, that's almost worth running AIM. Think about it, your stuck at an airport abroad but you have your laptop and WiFI. You need to contact your non-technical person so you hit the website and msg their mobile, and boom "you've got a phone call".
Now color me ignorant, but show me another service that would permit free incomming calls without a monthly fee.
There is no sanctuary. There is no sanctuary. SHUT UP! There is no shut up. There is no shut up.
What's odd is that their current offer in France is an ADSL modem with an (optionally) included voip handset meant to replace your regular phone.
;)
Why don't they do the same in the US ?
In France having a lot of stuff included is the norm for ADSL offerings and I know the US lags a bit because of the low population density, but adding a handset to a modem isn't that hard. Or do they target dialup users ?
And for 6.90€ extra, you can change the colour of the modem! Yay!
The ISP that typically sets the trend for bundling gadgets here is "Free". Currently their ADSL2+ offering comes with a kit consisting of the ADSL2+ modem with 1 USB port, 5 Ethernet ports, a WiFi Mimo interface, a phone interface. Then there is the multimedia hub with the TV tuners (including HD), a terrestrial digital tuner, a number of connectors (SCART, etc, including HDMI, S/P DIF), WiFi link to the ADSL modem and a remote. All of this is actually Linux based
You can also stream your computer's content to your TV on your LAN through VLC via the multimedia hub.
The kit comes with the TV (through ADSL in a VLC like stream), free phone and ADSL2+ for 30€ per month.
Why anybody would pick AOL over something like that is beyond me...
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That is why AOL has succeeded thusfar..
It's also the reason we have to put up with the concerted effort to take over your browser, spam your inbox, ect. People actually buy shit from random pop-ups and emails. AOL will happily promise to shield you from all the "hackers" for a fee. From what I can tell, (I'm not from the US), they are basically aimed at people who (for whatever reason) cannot use a browser for more than five minutes without calling a help desk.
If AOL suddenly had a change of heart and tried to educate their users about "the tricks of the trade" they would loose their (sizable) section of the market, it is in their interest to "help" their users and at the same time treat them as mushrooms.
"The average net use cannot figure it out in 15 minutes."
I agree. Whatever your opinion of AOL, there are plenty of people who are willing to pay for someone else to "work it out" for them Many of them don't want educating, they want a device like a preset home theater where they only have a few buttons to remeber to get what they want. Push the wrong buttons (like 'mute' or 'AV3') and they simply call in a TV repairman (or pester a relative) to "fix it".
"People are fucking stupid."
I don't see that behaviour as automatically stupid, sometimes it is just willfull ignorance. All through the 80's I repaired my own cars and bikes, now my car looks like a dishwasher under the hood and tells the mechanic how badly I have neglected it (error codes). I have a good enough idea of how my car works to spot bullshit, but spare me the details, what's it going to cost and how long will it take?
OTOH: Browse at -1 to see the stupidity of people on the net. While doing so remeber the 'netizens' who created the often nonsensical, bottom-dwelling posts were at least smart enough to work out how to post them.
And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? - Pink Floyd.