Wireless

Truphone 3.0 gives Skype a run for the free-call money.

A new version of popular voice over IP app Truphone just hit the App Store, offering better call quality, single-screen instant messaging, and various interface improvements.

In case you're unfamiliar with it, Truphone leverages Wi-Fi networks to provide free voice calls--worldwide--to other Truphone users and to your Google Talk and Skype contacts. In other words, if you're in range of a hotspot, you can gab all you want without spending a penny.

Truphone also lets you call landlines and cell phones at low rates--great if you routinely burn through your allotted AT&T minutes and don't want to rack up massive overages, or if you're looking to make international calls on the cheap.

Calls to India, for example, cost about 10 cents per minute--less if you sign up for one of Truphone's monthly plans (which can quickly pay for themselves if you make a lot of calls).

In addition to "radically improved" call quality (which is hard to gauge given how many variables come into play for a VoIP call), Truphone 3.0 lets you manage all your instant messaging from one screen. The app supports all the major services: AIM, GTalk, MSN, Skype, and Yahoo. You can also access your Twitter account, though that happens on a different screen.

Truphone now lets you see the rates for a call before placing it, view call history, and top up your account from within the app--all nice perks.

Still, truth be told, there's nothing too earth-shattering about Truphone 3.0--it feels more like a 2.5 release. And I had lots of trouble staying connected to my various IM accounts, and frequently received errors when trying to send messages.

Even so, Truphone trumps Skype for iPhone with its multiplatform calling and chat support. The app itself is free, and you get a $5 credit when you create a Truphone account--more than enough to test the VoIP waters.

AT&T has pulled the plug on its CallVantage voice over IP phone service, according to letters from subscribers this week.

The service competed with other VoIP services like Vonage. VoIP services use broadband networks to place phone calls. These services are much less expensive than traditional landline phone services and cost between $20 and $30 per month. But even this price is proving too high for consumers who are cutting their traditional phones to use their cell phones or are signing up for voice services with their cable providers, which are bundling the phone service in with broadband and TV service.

AT&T launched CallVantage in 2004 when AT&T was still just a long-distance phone company. But the company hasn't disclosed subscribers numbers in recent years. The Associated Press reports that at the end of 2004, the service had 53,000 subscribers.

It is not a huge shock that AT&T is getting rid of the service. Last summer, the company stopped signing up new subscribers. Also AT&T has been pushing a new flavor of the VoIP service that it sells to its U-verse customers. U-verse is a new fiber network that AT&T is building to deliver high-speed broadband, TV, and phone service to consumers. Like the cable companies, AT&T is bundling the voice service with TV and broadband.

Verizon Communications also recently shut down its VoIP service called VoiceWing. It also sells an IP-based telephony service to its Fios fiber-to-the home customers as part of a triple play package.

An AT&T spokesman has said that the CallVantage service will be disconnected in phases throughout the year. And the company will send several more reminders to its customers before it shuts down the service.

Verizon Communications is trying to keep customers tied to the old idea of a home phone with updates to its new Verizon Hub.

(Credit: CNET)

The Verizon Hub, which was introduced earlier this year, is essentially a souped-up voice-over IP handset. It's designed to be the main phone and communication "hub" for the household, providing not only phone service, but also sports, weather, and other news.

But given the device's hefty price tag of $199 with a two-year contract, it seems a bit steep for consumers who can already get that information and functionality from their cell phones. In addition to the pricey cost of the hardware, Verizon also requires a $35-a-month phone service. While this VoIP service is cheaper than Verizon's regular phone service, it's pricey considering that Vonage and other providers offer similar services for about $20 a month.

Verizon is selling the device through Verizon Wireless and the service is offered to all consumers and is not limited to users in the Verizon broadband or wireline telephone territory.

As part of the upgrade, Verizon is offering more Widgets for the device that include instructional cooking videos and games. The company is also launching a new application storefront where users can download applications for the device, much like they do for smartphones like Apple's iPhone.

My colleague Nicole Lee from CNET Reviews gave the device high marks when she tested it, but she also noted the high price tag as potential deterrent. And I tend to agree. At a time when people are cutting the phone cord and using their cell phones to reduce their monthly expenses, it seems ridiculous that they would be willing to spend an additional $200 on a new device plus $35 a month on a phone service.

If Skype for iPhone seems like a big deal to you, you're right. It's topping iPhone App Store charts in nine countries, Skype says.

The Skype for iPhone VoIP application, which became available Tuesday after an announcement at CTIA, is now the top free app in the U.S., U.K., Australia, France, Germany, Holland, Japan, Russia, and Spain.

"I'm delighted that consumers have voted with their fingertips and chosen to download Skype in such phenomenal numbers," said Skype Chief Operations Office Scott Durchslag.

You can read more about Skype for iPhone in our hands-on review or see screenshots in our slideshow.

Hot on the heels of releasing Skype for iPhone, the VoIP communications company has come to the table with news of a free, "lite" version of Skype for BlackBerry. Already downloadable for Android, Java, Symbian, and Windows Mobile, BlackBerry has remained Skype's missing link.

Just don't expect to share photos of your cat quite yet. While Skype's core capabilities will debut in Skype Lite for BlackBerry, not everything Skype can do will be available right out of the gate. You'll be able to call other Skype users for free, and can initiate calls to landlines and mobile phones using Skype Out credit. You'll also be able to receive inbound calls to your online Skype number. Instant messenger and SMS features will also stay intact, but features like voicemail and file transferring, which are also available on other platforms, will be delayed on BlackBerry for the time being. Also, unlike the iPhone version just released, you won't need Wi-Fi to connect to Skype. Skype Lite will work over your BlackBerry's data plan, so long as you have a calling plan.

Skype's announcement is just part of the company's three-pronged mobile strategy, Skype's chief operating officer, Scott Durchslag, said in a press conference on Tuesday at CTIA. Skype's first goal is to create a native application for all major smartphone operating systems. After BlackBerry, Palm's unreleased Web OS platform would be the last major hurdle. After conquering native applications, Skype will work to get its VoIP client preloaded on mobile phones and other Internet devices. To this end, Skype has already cut a deal with Nokia to be featured on the Nokia N97 when it ships. Lastly, Skype will court carriers to integrate Skype-to-Skype calling for phones that don't have Wi-Fi.

Skype plans to release a beta version of Skype for BlackBerry in May, starting with BlackBerry Bold any Curve phones, and gradually adding support for more BlackBerry smartphones. Skype Lite for BlackBerry will be available in ten countries to start with, including the U.S. and U.K., Australia, New Zealand, and Brazil, and parts of northern and eastern Europe.

Related stories:
Skype for iPhone: It's official
Skype gets SMS, file transfer for Windows Mobile

Photos: Inside Skype for iPhone

Months after teasing us at CES with an announcement of Skype's native VoIP client for the iPhone, the free Skype for iPhone will finally be available to download from the iTunes App Store sometime on Tuesday. We got a chance to sit down with the application's principal engineer before the announcement was made at CTIA 2009, to see Skype for iPhone do its thing. While most of the features aren't too surprising--Skype does want to maintain some consistency across its mobile applications, after all--there are a few capabilities that are notably missing, and a few iPhone-only perks that are refreshing to see.

At long last, Skype has come to the iPhone.

(Credit: Skype)

In terms of navigation, Skype's VoIP app for iPhone looks more like your traditional iPhone app than it does Skype 4.0 for Windows. For many who already prefer Apple's sleek interface archetype, that's a triumph, but those who enjoy Skype's branding may feel disappointed.

Skype's screens are well organized and use the iPhone's ability to add filters, for instance, to sort your contacts alphabetically, or by who's online. There's chatting as well, though Skype's flagship feature is its VoIP calling that's free to other Skype users and an inexpensive per-minute fee to landlines. Calls on Skype for iPhone work only if you're in range of a Wi-Fi network, so your call quality will in part be at the mercy and strength of wireless networks nearby--calls will not work over the cell phone network on the iPhone (but chatting will.) Assuming your connection is solid, you can dial a number or quickly call a contacts stored in your address book. iPod Touch users will need earphones with an embedded mic to talk. During a call, you can mute the line, go on hold, or put the call on speakerphone. In the My Info window, you can follow a link to buy more SkypeOut credit online.

Taking a photo from within Skype to serve as your avatar image, or pulling a picture in from the camera roll are two iPhone-only features that makes use of the phone's hardware attributes. Another imperfect, but still neat, feature is the ability to accept incoming conference calls. While you won't be able to initiate a call, we're told, you will be able to jump on one if a buddy invites you in. We hope the next version includes placing conference calls from the iPhone.

Skype bypassed a few more features in its maiden iPhone voyage. SMS, setting up a conference calling group, purchasing SkypeOut credit directly, and being able to field a second incoming Skype call are a few. File transferring and getting Skype voicemail native on the phone are two more. We expect to see at least two of these added in the next version, but we'll hope for more.

Skype versus the competition
Here's the big question on our minds: will Skype's iPhone app replace competitors like Nimbuzz and Fring, which focus on cross-network IM but also include VoIP calls with Skype pals even though they've been available for the iPhone for months? Kurt Thywissen, the principal engineer for Skype for iPhone, thinks so. He says what the other apps use is a workaround that requires them to channel calls through a server and transcode audio, resulting in poorer-quality calls than Skype can do in its own app. He may be right, but those who IM more than they vocalize probably won't ditch the likes of Fring too soon. They might, however, let Skype handle the calls and let another app take care of the multinetwork chatting.

Inside Skype for iPhone--photos

Skype, the Internet calling service owned by eBay, is expected to announce an application for the iPhone at next week's wireless CTIA tradeshow in Las Vegas, according to tech blogger Om Malik of GigaOM.

(Credit: Apple)

Skype is keeping mum on the announcement and has declined to comment on the rumors. But the company is hosting a press conference Tuesday afternoon in Las Vegas the day before the show kicks off. And it's likely the news will be announced there.

Skype admitted earlier this year that it's working on an application for the iPhone. Scott Durchslag, the company's chief operating officer, said at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January that an iPhone version of the software client would be coming to Apple's App Store.

"We have to make sure the call quality is there and the application works really well before we can announce the software for any device," he said in an interview after the company's press conference. "But we will have something for the iPhone as soon as it's perfect."

Skype sees mobile as the next major growth area for its business. Not only does it expect its more than 405 million registered users to take their Skype experience, which offers free and low-cost calling, with them on-the-go, but the company also believes they will be able to reach new users via mobile devices. By putting the peer-to-peer service, which uses the Internet to carry voice traffic, onto a mobile phone, it becomes very convenient to use. The regular Skype service runs on a computer and requires either a special phone or a headset and microphone to make and receive phone calls.

In the U.S. most cell phone plans include domestic long-distance calling as part of a bundle of minutes, so the Skype service isn't really that appealing. But for subscribers calling outside the U.S., rates can be as much as a $2 a minute if cell phone users don't subscribe to a special monthly plan for making international calls. This makes the Skype mobile client most appealing to users who want to make inexpensive international calls, but don't want to be tied to their computers.

A software version of Skype already exists for Windows Mobile phones. Nokia also plans to embed some of its phones with Skype clients. And Skype has worked with a company called iSkoot to develop a special Skype phone that is sold by the cell phone operator Hutchison 3 U.K. A Skype-lite version of the client is also available on some Java phones.

Now, iPhone users will get to use Skype, too. But before iPhone users get too excited, there's probably a big catch. The new Skype app for the iPhone will likely be restricted to Wi-Fi networks only, as Apple has done to other third-party services like Fring, which offers access to Skype.

If this is the case, it will be a huge limitation to the usefulness of the service. While other mobile phone users can use the Skype service anywhere they can a cell phone signal, iPhone users will be restricted to only using it where they can access Wi-Fi. Most people access Wi-Fi home or in the office, where they're likely to be near a computer anyway.

In these tough economic times, everyone is looking for a good deal.

And Sascha Segan at PC Magazine seems to have found a darn good bargain if you're looking for a cheap wireless plan that offers unlimited data and voice calling. The service, which costs only $70 a month with no monthly contract, is offered by a new mobile virtual network operator, or MVNO, called Zer01 Mobile.

The company also offers unlimited international calling to 40 countries for an additional $10 a month.

Segan reports in his story posted on Thursday that the company is using a form of a roaming agreement with AT&T and T-Mobile to provide access to their cellular networks. But instead of using the 3G wireless network to carry voice and data traffic, Zer01 sends the voice and data traffic over its own IP backbone.

The company's CEO explained to Segan that instead of buying wholesale cellular minutes from AT&T and T-Mobile the way other MVNOs have done, it has bought its own IP backbone and only uses the carriers' networks to interconnect or roam. Carriers throughout the world, such as Verizon Wireless or Sprint Nextel, use these interconnection agreements to provide coverage to their customers when they are not in their own coverage area.

The devices on the Zer01 network get fixed IP addresses and they each open a separate VPN session to the company's servers when a call is placed, according to the article. By using interconnect agreements, Zer01 can keep costs low and get around the carriers' 5GB per month data caps, Segan points out.

The service uses a proprietary voice over IP application that today only works with Microsoft's Windows Mobile 6 phones. But the application will eventually work on other phones such as Google's Android devices, Research In Motion's BlackBerry, Symbian phones, and perhaps even jailbroken Apple iPhones.

Unlike other mobile VoIP services, the Zer01 service allows users to dial from the phone's keypad without launching a separate VoIP application.

The service isn't yet available to the public. But the company is expected to provide details about a launch date around the wireless industry's CTIA tradeshow in Las Vegas, which starts April 1, so stay tuned.

Zer01 is expected to sell three HTC phones for the service: the HTC Tilt, which was made for AT&T, the Touch Diamond, and the Touch 3G. But users will be able to bring their own unlocked GSM phones to the network.

Truphone

(Credit: Truphone)

BARCELONA--Mobile VoIP provider Truphone has a new service to help frequent international travelers bypass expensive roaming rates when using their cell phones.

On Tuesday at the GSMA Mobile World Congress 2009 here the company announced Truphone Local Anywhere. This new service allows travelers to use one GSM SIM card to make local phone calls in several different countries.

Details about how much the service will cost and which countries and operators it will partner with to offer the service aren't yet public.

The service is essentially a substitute for the tried-and -true method of swapping out SIM cards for unlocked mobile phones when you travel. Using a local SIM (subscriber identity module) has always allowed travelers to get a local phone number and make calls in-country for local rates. But for frequent travelers, who go to more than one destination, keeping track of SIM cards is a hassle and a headache. With the new Truphone service, these same people can use one SIM card, and simply sign up for multiple local numbers. Whenever they make an outbound call, they'll be using the local phone number and local phone network for where they are located.

And because the service uses one SIM card, friends and family can use any of the local phone numbers associated with that card to reach the Truphone Local Anywhere customer.

Truphone executives say there is a definite market for this service. Tom Carter, president of Truphone's operations in North and South America, said the people likely interested in a service like Truphone Local Anywhere are airline pilots, cruise ship workers, and other business travelers who find themselves in the same foreign countries all the time.

"We're really going after people who have what we'd call an international lifestyle," he said.