voip

FCC requires VoIP providers to report service outages

The Federal Communications Commission has decided to require all interconnected VoIP service providers to report network outages in much the way landline and cell phone service providers must follow.

The goal of today's ruling is to build a more reliable 911 emergency call-in system and to make all of the U.S. communication infrastructure readily available in times of crisis.

"We are helping ensure that consumers will have access to reliable phone service, particularly when calling 911, whether they are using a traditional telephone or one that operates by interconnected VoIP service," FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said … Read more

Google Voice gets the Ice Cream Sandwich treatment

Earlier today, the Google Voice app for Android was quietly updated, moving it to version 0.4.2.44.

While the minuscule version number may suggest otherwise, this newest iteration is significant, as it shows off a completely redesigned user interface and a shiny new app icon. Both are marked by the clean lines and cyan accents of the newest Android operating system, Ice Cream Sandwich.

The most notable feature added to Google Voice is Click-to-Call, located in the top-right corner of the tablet version of the app. Click-to-Call summons a small pop-up window that, as you can imagine, makes … Read more

Skype desktop app now makes Facebook video calls

Skype deepened its partnership with Facebook today by adding Facebook video calling to both its Mac and Windows applications.

With the just-announced Skype 5.4 Beta for Mac and Skype 5.7 Beta for Windows, you can initiate a Facebook video call without having to open up your browser and log in to the social-networking site. Just connect your Facebook account to Skype, select a Facebook friend, and hit the Skype video call button. Your friend picks up the call directly from within Facebook. While the feature isn't exactly a game-changer, we do think it's superconvenient. Since you … Read more

Introducing AT&T Call International for Android, BlackBerry, and iPhone

The newly released AT&T Call International for Android, BlackBerry, and iPhone might be an awesome VoIP app for making calls overseas. Note the word "might."

According to AT&T, the Call International app lets you use a Wi-Fi connection to place international phone calls from their supported AT&T phones, to anywhere and from anywhere in the world--for a fee, of course. Just sign up for a Call International account, download the app from the provided link, and make your calls. Your credit card will be billed on a monthly basis, and you'll … Read more

Swap your landline for Google Voice with an OBi

Google Voice has been the in-crowd's way to make and receive calls for a while now, but for the past few weeks I've been doing something with even more hipster cred.

I've hooked my Google Voice account up to an old-school landline handset that even my grandmother couldn't tell apart from Ma Bell, and I did away with the need to involve a PC or pesky things like phone bills in the whole process. Smells like freedom to me.

If you detect another VoIP product afoot here, you're right on the money. I've been testing the OBi100 and OBi110 for quite a while now.

The idea is actually pretty simple and will be familiar to many Skype or Vonage fans who use similar products. Basically, OBi makes small converter boxes that plug directly into your broadband router on one end, and a traditional landline phone on the other. OBi has its own voice over Internet Protocol service, OBiTalk, to connect to other OBi users for free, but the real selling point is using the box as a bridge to Google Voice and a handful of other services.… Read more

Line2 HD turns your iPad into an iPhone

It was just over two years ago that I wrote about Line2, a clever VoIP app that adds a second phone number to your iPhone.

Now developer Toktumi has released Line2 HD, an iPad-specific version of the app, which should prove popular among business users. It not only turns your tablet into a full-featured phone, but also provides a nice hub for managing calls and messages.

To get started with Line2, you need to sign up via the company's site. (Unfortunately, there's no longer an in-app sign-up option.) You can test-drive the app and service with a free … Read more

Ooma CEO demos VoIP device quality (podcast)

As David Carnoy recently posted, voice over Internet Protocol company Ooma is now offering a $49.99 Wi-Fi adapter that enables users to place the required Telo base station anywhere within Wi-Fi range.

I had a chance to test the system in my house, and it works fine, even though it's a few rooms away from my wireless router. Installation requires temporarily connecting the Telo to an Ethernet port of a computer to configure your Wi-Fi settings.

Listen to a call To learn more and to demonstrate the voice quality of Ooma service, I called Ooma CEO Eric Stang … Read more

NVX 610: Make your iPhone feel like a landline

The Invoxia NVX 610 is for people who think their iPhones are too dainty and miss the heft of a nice solid landline.

It's not too late. You can still turn back the clock to those go-go days of the '90s--and make yourself feel like a high-level executive while you're doing it.

The NVX 610 features a sleek, clean-cut design made with glass and stainless steel. Dock your iPhone on one end and then revel in the corded handset. The system can be expanded with cordless handsets if cords don't get you excited. … Read more

Ooma brings Wi-Fi to 'free' Telo phone system

Attention all owners of the Ooma Telo VoIP phone system or anybody considering buying it: you can now go wireless.

The company has taken the wraps off a new $49.99 Telo Air Wi-Fi adapter that allows you to place the Telo anywhere in your home that's within range of your wireless network. That's a big deal for Ooma, because a lot of folks don't want to have to tether the Telo base station to a wireless router that's hidden away in a closet or situated in a less-than-ideal spot in their home.

For those who … Read more