[qi:91] We wrote about the Skype for iPhone web service earlier this summer, and now two more VoIP startups are trying to bring their magic to the popular phone from Apple (AAPL).
Truphone, a UK-based maker of software that allows you to send and receive phone calls over Wi-Fi on Nokia (NOK) mobile phones, has started showing off an iPhone-version of its offering at the DEMOfall conference. (Watch the video to see how it works.)
Truphone is also giving a demo of its service on other devices, such as the Nokia N800 Internet Tablet, the new HP Smartphone and DASH. In other words, Truphone now works on a version of OS X, Mobile Linux and Windows Mobile, along with Symbian S60 platforms.
I spoke with Truphone CEO James Tagg earlier this morning, and he said that the software will be available for download later this year — perhaps by December. You need the third-party application installers to install the Truphone for the Phone application. I am going to meet with folks from Truphone next week in London and will try and get a copy of the software to muck around with.
Like Truphone, Israel’s Flat Planet Phone has come up with a rudimentary service for the iPhone called the iPhone PBX Manager. Moshe Maier, founder of Flat World Phone, emailed us and gave us the skinny on the service, which works via the browser and comes with five international landline numbers (though you can add up to 30). However, since I have not used the service, I cannot vouch for it.
The system identifies where the person is calling you from and sends the call to the relevant number. Folks can send you faxes and leave voice mail by following the menu commands they hear. Faxes are emailed to your email address. For outbound calls, the “PBX manager on the phone” uses a Jajah like-interface — enter the number you want to call and the PBX will connect up both of you. Jajah has also made its callback service available on the iPhone.
Err, yes, that’s what Oliver broke on blognation yesterday, in case you missed it (although it was linked to prominently in Andy’s post as well):
http://us.blognation.com/2007/09/25/bn-exclusive-truphone-to-launch-voip-client-on-iphone/
Hey Om,
thanks for the mention of JAJAH and it works absolutely smooth on any iPhone – no Wifi needed. Simply access http://mobile.jajah.com with your iPhone’s browser and start making ultra-low cost international phone-to-phone calls.
This is how it works:
Talk to you later and cheers,
Frederik
I know you weren’t talking about it in this sense, but technically – the iPhone already had VoIP – the traffic runs over AT&T’s (formerly Cingulars) Sonus network.
I can’t wait till the average phone is an i phone
Om, Thanks for the mention. I think one of the coolest features that we are putting in there, is the time function, once you put international numbers on a mobile phone, no one knows where you are when they call you. You could give them a NY number but be in Lima or Bangalore. Since the caller does not know where you are, or assumes that you are in NY, he just might call you in the middle of your sleep….
so how do we solve it? When you land in a new country or time zone you call up an access number and type in the current time. From now on whenever someone calls you, he will hear a message —
o Thanks for calling John Doe. The time were I am now is XX:XXpm (the system will read out the current time – that way the caller who doesnt know where you are in the world – will decide if it is an appropriate time to bother you! )
If you want to send me a fax press 1. + If you want to leave me a message press 2 + If you want to speak to me press 3 + If you prefer to speak to my assistant press 4
+ If you need me urgently press 5 and the PBX will try to find me
Thanks for calling my iPhone PBX and have a good day or night wherever you may be!