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Vonage Makes Free Facebook Phone Call App
crimeandpunishment writes "Vonage has developed a new application for the iPhone and Android that provides free phone calls between Facebook users. Vonage's CEO says 'Essentially, we've given Facebook a voice.' Users sign in, see a list of Facebook friends who also have the app, and if they tap on a name a call is placed ... and it will go through even if the app isn't running on the friend's phone. The calling, which works over cellular broadband and Wi-Fi, doesn't use calling minutes but will use up data."
Vonage awesome! Facebook - not so!
another Android app to install. Sigh.
'Essentially, we've given Facebook a voice.'
He then added, 'But it creeps us out how the only thing it says is "kill me... kill me... kill me..." all day long.'
Demanding constant attention will only lead to attention.
So, now, if I get all the people I want to call on Facebook and get them to use this app, then we can call each other be buying the $10-15/mo unlimited data plan and buying 0 min/mo. Heck, it's a lot cheaper.
The calling, which works over cellular broadband and Wi-Fi, doesn't use calling minutes but will use up data."
Isn't data usually more expensive? How nice of them!
But not for the Pre? Meh. Sometimes... just sometimes it sucks having the best smartphone OS. Most other times it's quite teh awesome. *sigh*
"Be prepared, son. That's my motto. Be prepared." --Joe Hallenbeck
Naturally, Nokia and Blackberry get left out in the cold. Whether that is a good thing remains to be seen.
Twitter supports and protects racists - by smearing their critics with the "Hate Speech" label.
I need some asurances from Vonage that they are not going to look at my Facebook data before I install this.
"Hello. This is automated announcement from Fraternityville. Your friend M-A-L-C-O-M-B request that you send him a one case of beer. The cost is 10 fratbucks. Authorize?"
Is it me or is the Facebook universe getting out of control?
Tired of my customary (Score:1)
I have a flat $50 monthly fee; I'm not charged minutes.
Free Martian Whores!
Skype is limited to WiFi. But this would work on 3G? Wouldn't that be cannibalizing revenue from minutes for them?
"Hello, Vonage? AT&T here, our customers aren't burning through their bandwidth caps and we're losing money, would you min dmaking an app encouraging them to incur bandwidth overuse charges? Thanks much, we'll make it up to you."
Babytel did it a cpl years ago:
http://bit.ly/9a700O
I'm about to kick Vonage to the curb. My $24.99 a month line now costs $35 per month. I'm also preparing to tell Cox to take a hike. My $49 service is now $58.99 a month.
Versions for BlackBerry phones and for Windows and Mac computers are coming, he said.
I cross fingers and hope that a WebOS version will appear too. Though I won't hold my breath.
Also, given the "all of my friends are already on it" nature of FaceBook, this application has a good chance of competing with Skype.
I just hope that, for the call itself, it uses some standard protocol (SIP, H323, Jingle, etc.) instead of some proprietary shit.
And given that Facebook is moving toward XMPP support for their chat system, I suspect that Jingle could be the easy solution that they went for.
(If both end points are using the Vonage app, simply negociate a Jingle call through the already available XMPP chat connection. Otherwise use a free VoIP-to-Phone broker to call the recipient using the FaceBook profile's number)
Thus it will also be easier to develop a Linux version of it. Say for example add a "voice chat" capability to the existing Pidgin Plugin.
"Sufficiently advanced satire is indistinguishable from reality." - [Tips: 1DrYakQDKCQ6y52z6QbnkxHXAocMZJE61o ]
Doctors warn that exposure to Facebook harms the brain.
That's all we need - people so used to Facebooks' 420 character limit making phone calls.
"Hi. I'm eating my lunch. Bye!" Click.
"I like that!" Click.
"Poke!" Click.
"Cool youtube video. Check out the link!" Click.
"I'm getting a pedicure. Pics." Click.
"I *so* hate my mom!" Click.
"Sorry, wrong number. I was trying to call farmville!" Click.
"Friend me!" Click.
"Why did you send me a friend request? Are you stalking me?" Click.
"Why didn't you send me a friend request?" Click.
"Hi. Just calling all my friends to make sure they don't miss me. Bye!" Click.
"Why did you unfriend me?" Click.
"Why did you unfriend me?" Click.
"Why did you unfriend me?" Click.
"Why did you unfriend me?" Click.
"Why did you unfriend me?" Click.
"Why did you unfriend me?" Click.
"I'M COMING OVER WITH AN AX AND A SHOTGUN TO TEACH YOU A LESSON YOU ANTISOCIAL BITCH!!!" Click.
(Dials 911) "Hi, you have reached 9-1-1. Than you for friending us. If you need anything, just post it to facebook because that's all we do all day. Have a nice day! Bye!" Click.
Seems like many of us use more data now days than voice, so maybe we'll swing back the other way and make iPhone and Android apps that use voice minutes so we don't eat up our data plan!
Yes they are. Java apps leveraging the Android libraries but also with access to a good batch of the Java mainstays.
That you called it a 'universe' might answer your own question.
Reply to That ||
red rum! red rum! red rum! red rum!
I had a $29.95 standard internet (and only internet) from Time Warner.
My bill rose from $29.95 to $36.95 and then to $39.95 in 3 months. Customer service told me my initial price encompassed a discount (which was never mentioned to me neither by the sales department nor on the bill). I was also told my next bill would be $45.99.
Then I asked them to terminate my service. At which point they offered an extended discount bringing back the service to $33 for a year. Not $29.95, but better than $45.99. It's worth a try anyway.
if your inclined to tinker and think $24 per month is a rip off and would rather pay $0.02 per minute.
To follow on from my comment - I predict that when Android is consistently and clearly outselling the Iphone platform (and it will soon enough), Iphone fans will no longer make any mention of sales when talking about comparing Android (they still will with Palm and Windows mobile though).
When Android was selling less than the Iphones, as with Palm and Windows mobile, Iphone fans made no end of comments of how Android was selling less, to claim the Iphone being better. Now the sales figures are close, it's something that's hotly debated. Yet when Android soars into third place, leaving Apple in fourth, all mention of sales figures compared with Android will mysteriously be forgetten - as with Symbian and RIM - instead fans will resort to comments like "But the Iphone has more mindshare than Android" or "But me and my friends have Iphones, I'm going to ignore those stats" or "But look, one week after the Iphone 5 was released, it was the best selling phone in some random country I've never even been to - that counts more than overall sales, right?". (Yes, that last one happened - funny how we've never had any stories since on what the best selling phones are for any other month, either in Japan, or for the countless other countries in the world...)
This app is not so useful for Vonage World Plan users.
There is another third party app called vOnGo (Vonage on the go) that lets you use your Vonage World Plan from iPhone. It will use your cell phone minutes though, but you are making international calls at domestic rates.
Here is the app url. http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/vongo/id352307701?mt=8
I liked Vonage compared to AT&T. However, I ditched them as well and went with an Ooma. $200 up front and another $40 for the number port. Now it's less than $15/year in fees and taxes.
I don't know the Symbian SDK, but according to wiki
Then Wikipedia is out of date. And indeed, if you bother to read the top of your own link:
"This article is about the historical Symbian OS. For the current, open source Symbian platform descended from Symbian OS and S60, see Symbian platform."
For heaven's sake, I even posted direct links to Nokia! Nice to see that a mod favours Wikipedia over the primary source - who can't even be bothered to read the link posted! (Particularly ironic given that Wikipedia is usually hated round here).
And if you do want Wikipedia, try:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qt_(framework) :
"Nokia acquired Trolltech ASA in 2008 and changed the name first to Qt Software, then to Qt Development Frameworks. Since then it focused on Qt development to turn it into the main development platform for its devices, including a port to the Symbian S60 platform. Version 1.0 of the Nokia Qt SDK was released on 23 June 2010."
What takes longer is the SDK, but I think that's true of all platforms.
Not with Qt. It's incredibly easy to get to grips with.
Honestly, the amount of Apple RDF here is getting depressing. By all means prefer your beloved Iphone if you prefer, but don't spread false claims about Symbian development, when you clearly are years out of date, and have already been proven wrong with references. Otherwise I'm going to start criticising the Iphone for not being able to even copy/paste, do MMS, or multitask; and claim that Macs still can't multitask either.
Clarification: actually I've come across those Wikipedia pages before, and there is confusion over which page refers to what version of Symbian. Indeed, Wikipedia suggests that my 5800 is running Symbian^1, which is apparently also the same as the latest S60 anyway.
But note that Qt is now the SDK even for the older Symbian platforms like S60 (even my old 5800 runs it fine, as well as dirt cheap phones like the 5230), and not just Symbian^4.
So Wikipedia is out of date, and needs to be updated. I'll do it later (using the refs that you decided to ignore).
Aren't all iPhone to iPhone calls made without using minutes anyways??? Why bother making sure both parties are running an app?
While Wiki is, or was, out of date, it wasn't *far* out of date if this SDK hit 1.0 on 23 June 2010. (I suppose prerelease versions were available sooner, but still.) The impression most developers would have had is with the older version of the Symbian SDK.
Why is this article filed under the Apple category?
Well yes, indeed, this is why I originally said "Possibly you are thinking of the old Symbian C++, that apparently was a bit harder to learn?", acknowledging that it was reasonable the OP may have been thinking of the older SDK.
(Yes as you say, the SDK was available in beta for months before then, but hit 1.0 in June. I was using the SDK fine for a few months earlier.)
Even if it's only recently changed, it's nonetheless available now and working. Just as I can no longer say the Iphone can't multitask, or has a poor screen resolution, or no forward facing camera, as a criticism, even though the Iphone 4 was only recently released. It doesn't excuse spreading FUD about a platform (I'm reminded about Opera, where even years later, we still get the inevitable "It has ads!" comments).
With all the complaining aobut Facebook privacy issues, why would anyone want to give them your (and all your friends) phone numbers?