With New SDK, VoIP Over 3G Apps Now Working On iPhone

silverpig writes "Yesterday marked the announcement of the Apple iPad device, and with it came a new version of the SDK. In this new version, Apple has lifted the VoIP over 3G restrictions that limited VoIP traffic to wifi only. This morning, Fring announced that its iPhone app is 3G-capable starting immediately. No update is needed as apparently the app had 3G capability all along, but a server-side block prevented its use. Furthermore, apparently a 3G-capable version of Skype has been ready for some time now, and has been waiting for this restriction to be lifted."

Comments

About time

[WiiVault]

Now where's teathering for us poor AT&T "customers"?

Beginning of the end of telephony?

[uzyn]

This could mean the beginning of the end of traditional telephony, ie. mobile carriers will soon simply become ISPs with no one using its voice/SMS/MMS services.

Re:Beginning of the end of telephony?

[slimjim8094]

Oh God I hope so. It goes great with VoIP on the home-line side.

Why should there be a marginal cost to a phone call? There isn't - once you're paying for the infrastructure, it's free.

Re:Bluetooth Keyboard drivers

[whisper_jeff]

I would imagine it will work once the iPhone OS is updated when the iPad launches (or shortly before launch).

While we're at it... (other bluetooth profiles).

[weston]

When is the iPhone getting that? The iPad can use a bluetooth keyboard, but the iPhone can't? What kind of crap is this?

And while we're at it.... why not bluetooth syncing (with SYNCH, FTP, & OBEX), DUN for the touch and iPad, BPP (printing), and Audio/Video Remote Control Profile (AVRCP)?

This isn't just an Apple problem, by the way. This is an industry-wide problem right now: "bluetooth" means a lot of things and most of the market doesn't seem to care to specify what. The BSIG ought to require those using the Bluetooth logo to specify which profiles a device supports, for the sake of consumer awareness and market pressure.

Re:Lifted until?

[jgagnon]

Don't blame the vendor, blame the users that support the lock-in by supporting the vendor. Without them the vendor would be forced to change or go out of business.

Re:Lifted until?

[jo_ham]

Wait!

So, first it's "Apple is evil, it;s so locked down! It sucks! They should open it!", and when they actually do open it up and enable new function that they had previously prevented (for whatever reason) it's "Apple is still evil! They will restrict it again!"

Which is it?

Do you want them to remove restrictions or not?

Re:Interesting

[rsborg]

Right. If that happens, then I think cell providers will be well on their way to becoming dumb pipes.

This still doesn't resolve the fact that you're going through THEIR pipes and given the corporate friendly FCC in this decade that decided to roll back regulations, THEY choose how to fuck you over... there are precious few providers, and two of the four use CDMA (which in its current implementation doesn't allow voice+data) while the other two use GSM/HSDPA (which is what's required for the iPad).

Now the situation in Europe might be different, but that's because their governments mandate standards and interoperability which creates competition.

In short, without government intervention there is very little hope of avoiding the balkanized price-gouging cell market we have today in the USA.