VoIP comes to iPhone, gingerly

Soon enough, you will be able to voice chat using instant messenger on an iPhone.

(Credit: Dong Ngo/CNET Networks)

Global IP Solutions, a company well recognized for its media-processing expertise in IP communications, announced on Monday its SDK, which enables Voice over IP applications to be made for Apple's iPhone.

This means that developers can now use GIPS' VoiceEngine Mobile, to create real-time VoIP applications, such as games, social-networking applications, and, of course, applications for making calls to regular phone lines over the Internet. Soon enough, you will be able to use instant messenger to voice chat with friends on the iPhone, just like you've been doing on your computer for ages now.

Though this is exciting news indeed, GIPS VoiceEngine Mobile will only work with iPhone's Wi-Fi connection and will not take advantage of the new iPhone's 3G connection. This is because Apple has always blocked the use of VoIP on the carriers' data connection; and AT&T, understandably, wouldn't be too happy about supporting something that potentially costs them long distance phone business. We can only hope this will change in the future. For now, in my experience, AT&T's 3G coverage is still too patchy and unreliable to be a platform for VoIP calls, anyway.

Being the inventors of the popular iLBC codec standard (which got approved by IETF in late 2004 and is currently implemented in the iPhone), GIPS' decision today seems a natural move, considering the popularity of the iPhone. According to Apple, more than one million iPhone 3Gs were purchased over the launch weekend; and exactly one month later--today--you can still find people waiting in line outside some Apple stores for the device.

So far, GIPS claims that its voice engines have been downloaded and used more widely than any other voice engine worldwide. GIPS' voice engines enable consumers and businesses to enjoy affordable, high-quality, IP-based communications, even under adverse network conditions.

[Jack_and_Coke]

I wonder how long will it take for Apple to shut it down!

[mistergoodman]

Well Apple already allows Truphone on the iPhone, which is a VoIP app. I've been using it to call my Mom's hotel in Germany while she travels and it works quite well.

[purcell429]

Ummm.... could the author maybe do some research before writing an article? Truphone has been out since the first week of the app store... and while its not perfect, it saved me a boatload of cash while overseas 2 weeks ago...

[TurdFerguson_69]

Standard CNET article, poorly done, no research. I wonder if Dong is a "senior editor" because it seems everyone at CNET is a "senior editor", I'm not sure how that works.

[Jailton]

I would like to point out that Truphone is a service that uses VoIP. Not exactly a VoIP application. Although somewhat cheap, you need to pay to use it. What the author is talking about is the fact that the company he mentioned can enable applications to use VoIP. That means that you coud in theory enable voice to a chat application or game. That would allow FREE calls, not only to other phone numbers but also to anyone using MSN, yahoo or other chat service. With so many iphones out there, you could potentially call friends and families all over the world for free. The only reason people use VoIP to call a real telephone number is because people are not always connected to a computer and the internet. The iPhone could change that since it actually is a small computer that can be connected to the internet all the time.