Voice chat app Vivox comes to Facebook
A voice chat application launched on Monday in open beta enables Facebook users to place and receive calls within the social network.
Vivox Voice in action.
(Credit: Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)Vivox, which also provides voice services for online virtual words and accommodates more than 15 million users worldwide, is offering the app.
In order to use it, Facebook users first need to add Vivox Voice to their applications list and download a Vivox plug-in. From there, a Vivox channel and phone number are created to accept calls. Users can then place calls to (or receive calls from) Facebook friends also using the app. And because each Vivox channel has a call-in number, non-Facebook users can also participate in the conversation.
In order to invite friends to talk, an invitation is sent via Facebook chat. The recipient can click on the included link and start chatting with the other person.
I had the opportunity to use the app this morning. Overall, I was impressed by it. The installation took just a few minutes, and connecting with others was quick and easy.
The only issue I had with Vivox's Facebook app was its audio quality. At times, the transmission was clear. At other times, I could barely hear my wife, who was on the other end of the call. Luckily, those moments were few and far between.
If you try it out, let us know what you think of the free app in the comments below.
Don Reisinger is a technology columnist who has written about everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Don is a member of the CNET Blog Network, and posts at The Digital Home. He is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure.
