Appendix: Apps for Free Calls to Regular Phones
In my Times column today,
I tackled the complex and rapidly shifting topic of free Internet phone
calls. I pointed out that these so-called VOIP apps (for ‘voice over
Internet Protocol’) generally offer poor sound quality, audio delays and
longer connection times — but they can save you a ton of money.
The Times’s technology columnist, David Pogue, keeps you on top of the industry in his free, weekly e-mail newsletter.
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I reviewed a bunch of apps (Google Voice, Skype, Line2 and so on) in the column. But in the hours since the column was posted online, readers have flooded my in-box to let me know about some other options. In some cases, these additional apps disprove my thesis that “there’s still no app that offers all three of these elements: free calls, to regular phone numbers, from your cellphone.”
Here, then, is an appendix to today’s column.
* Talkatone. This free app takes some effort to set up. Its purpose is fairly confusing (“an iPhone application for chatting, calling, and location sharing”). The interface is confusing, too — it looks more like a chat program than a phone app.
But once you wade through the complexity, you find out that Talkatone lets your iPhone achieve that Holy Grail: free phone calls, to regular phone numbers, from your cellphone (when you’re in a Wi-Fi hot spot).
It works by tapping into a Google Voice account, which you have to get and set up. It uses the free calling feature that’s part of a Gmail account, which you also have to set up. But once that’s done, it’s true: free calls when you’re on Wi-Fi. Download and enjoy!
* netTALK. Several readers pointed out this iPhone app. It, too, requires more tech setup than the average non-techie is likely to understand — when you open the program, the first thing you see is an error message that says, “netTALK requires a valid SIP account.” And it doesn’t provide any information on what that is or how to get one.
But once that’s all plugged in, readers say, you wind up with the same effect: an iPhone that uses no carrier minutes when you make calls from a WiFi hot spot.
* Google Voice. This one’s fascinating. I noted in the column that Google Voice lets you make free calls to any phone number — from your computer, but not your cellphone. Several readers pointed out, though, that you can also make free domestic calls from your landline phone. (You dial your own Google Voice number, then press 2 for “Make a call.”) Of course, not that many people pay per minute for long distance on their home phones anymore, but this option is here if you need it. Details are here.
* Whistle Phone. This iPhone app, too, requires an SIP account (SIP is an Internet-calling technology) — but at least it helps you create one. You have to submit a lot of personal information to get the account, and you have to listen to a quick ad every time you place a call. But yes, it works — free calls over Wi-Fi.
Readers also pointed out that there are hardware boxes, like magicJack and Ooma, that let you make Internet calls from home. MagicJack is now offering software called magicTalk that lets you make free calls to numbers in the United States and Canada from your computer. And there are services like JaJah, which create free calls over the Internet by requesting the number you’re dialing, then hanging up, then calling both you and your callee simultaneously from the middle. Crazy, and still more complicated than regular calls, but it works.
As I noted in the column, don’t expect much in the way of tech support when you use these apps. And in many cases you’re stuck with one number for text messaging, and a second number (your free one) for calls. Often, you’re stuck with two separate address books, too. Clearly, this industry is in its confusing, chaotic infancy.
But in the end, I’ll have to sheepishly admit that I was wrong: there are indeed apps that let you make free Wi-Fi calls to any domestic phone number from your cellphone — if you can live with a stack of footnotes.
In an earlier version of this post the name of Jajah, an Internet-calling service, was misspelled.
Source: http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/27/appendix-apps-for-free-calls-to-regular-phones/
The Times’s technology columnist, David Pogue, keeps you on top of the industry in his free, weekly e-mail newsletter.
Sign up | See Sample
I reviewed a bunch of apps (Google Voice, Skype, Line2 and so on) in the column. But in the hours since the column was posted online, readers have flooded my in-box to let me know about some other options. In some cases, these additional apps disprove my thesis that “there’s still no app that offers all three of these elements: free calls, to regular phone numbers, from your cellphone.”
Here, then, is an appendix to today’s column.
* Talkatone. This free app takes some effort to set up. Its purpose is fairly confusing (“an iPhone application for chatting, calling, and location sharing”). The interface is confusing, too — it looks more like a chat program than a phone app.
But once you wade through the complexity, you find out that Talkatone lets your iPhone achieve that Holy Grail: free phone calls, to regular phone numbers, from your cellphone (when you’re in a Wi-Fi hot spot).
It works by tapping into a Google Voice account, which you have to get and set up. It uses the free calling feature that’s part of a Gmail account, which you also have to set up. But once that’s done, it’s true: free calls when you’re on Wi-Fi. Download and enjoy!
* netTALK. Several readers pointed out this iPhone app. It, too, requires more tech setup than the average non-techie is likely to understand — when you open the program, the first thing you see is an error message that says, “netTALK requires a valid SIP account.” And it doesn’t provide any information on what that is or how to get one.
But once that’s all plugged in, readers say, you wind up with the same effect: an iPhone that uses no carrier minutes when you make calls from a WiFi hot spot.
* Google Voice. This one’s fascinating. I noted in the column that Google Voice lets you make free calls to any phone number — from your computer, but not your cellphone. Several readers pointed out, though, that you can also make free domestic calls from your landline phone. (You dial your own Google Voice number, then press 2 for “Make a call.”) Of course, not that many people pay per minute for long distance on their home phones anymore, but this option is here if you need it. Details are here.
* Whistle Phone. This iPhone app, too, requires an SIP account (SIP is an Internet-calling technology) — but at least it helps you create one. You have to submit a lot of personal information to get the account, and you have to listen to a quick ad every time you place a call. But yes, it works — free calls over Wi-Fi.
Readers also pointed out that there are hardware boxes, like magicJack and Ooma, that let you make Internet calls from home. MagicJack is now offering software called magicTalk that lets you make free calls to numbers in the United States and Canada from your computer. And there are services like JaJah, which create free calls over the Internet by requesting the number you’re dialing, then hanging up, then calling both you and your callee simultaneously from the middle. Crazy, and still more complicated than regular calls, but it works.
As I noted in the column, don’t expect much in the way of tech support when you use these apps. And in many cases you’re stuck with one number for text messaging, and a second number (your free one) for calls. Often, you’re stuck with two separate address books, too. Clearly, this industry is in its confusing, chaotic infancy.
But in the end, I’ll have to sheepishly admit that I was wrong: there are indeed apps that let you make free Wi-Fi calls to any domestic phone number from your cellphone — if you can live with a stack of footnotes.
In an earlier version of this post the name of Jajah, an Internet-calling service, was misspelled.
Source: http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/27/appendix-apps-for-free-calls-to-regular-phones/