At last week’s Google I/O event, Google Voice news was noticeably absent from the stage, overshadowed by the new Hangouts service, which doesn’t yet support Voice. Hold tight, says Google, it’s coming. Read more »
Until now, Viber has been a mobile-only play that sits somewhere in between Skype and WhatsApp. Now it’s on the desktop too, and the different platform versions are very tightly integrated indeed. Read more »
Skype in the browser is finally arriving, but there’s a bit of a catch: The service is fully integrated with Microsoft’s Outlook.com email service. It’s a smart move by Microsoft to integrate the service, which will require a browser plug-in. Read more »
Orange’s Skype-and-WhatsApp rival is gaining functionality and reach for users around the world, with particular benefits for customers of certain Orange carriers. Read more »
Skype is the largest international voice provider in the world, and this year saw it continue to steal minutes away from carriers. Skype calls accounted for 167 billion minutes in 2012. Read more »
Users of TruPhone’s unique global GSM service will have a new network to use when cellular service is spotty. Yup, it’s Wi-Fi and the TruPhone+ app will smartly use the best connection. Read more »
Mobile operators have treated Skype as a threat for years. Now they’re going to profit off it by allowing customers to buy Skype Credit directly through their phone bill or pre-paid allowance and taking a cut. Read more »
Facebook jumped into an already crowded VoIP market with the update of its Messenger app last week. Robert Gaal, of Karma, says the company’s scale ultimately will allow it to kill off the phone. Read more »
After Microsoft bought Skype, some were concerned about the security of their Skype calls. Microsoft did little to assuage those concerns, so a group of human rights organizations and journalists are demanding more transparency. Read more »
The Messenger app will get a new button that will allow Facebook friends to call each other over a Wi-Fi or data connection. The update will roll out automatically starting Wednesday. Read more »
Facebook is testing out Wi-Fi based calling in Canada with its latest update to its Messenger app. The calling is only avoidable for the iOS app, but both IOS and Android users still get the benefit of being able to record voice messages. Read more »
Rebtel is opening to developers with a new SDK that will allow developers to create a free calling layer in their iOS and Android apps. Users will be able to talk app-to-app over 3G and Wi-Fi. Read more »
With the transition to an all-VoIP world phone numbers are a bit of an anachronism but even the die-hard VoIP lovers at Bandwidth.com think the 10-digit number is here to stay at least for another decade. Here’s how your digits will transition to the digital. Read more »
Skype 3.0 for Android is here, boasting improved audio quality thanks to Skype’s own SILK codec. After testing the new client on both Android phones and tablets, I can hear a bit of a difference, but some key flaws remain for video calls. Read more »
A preview version of Skype for Windows Phone 8 is available for those with new Microsoft-powered handsets. Although the app isn’t finalized, it offers a solid set of features such as People hub integration, calls in the background and presence in the contact list. Read more »
AT&T’s news yesterday that it wanted to shut down its circuit switched network is a big moment in telecommunications — and could be a big deal to consumers, even if they have already ditched their landlines. Here’s why it matters. Read more »
Microsoft today announced that it is transitioning over 100 million of Windows Live Messenger users to Skype. It is the latest sign of Microsoft-ization of Skype. The race to integration is having some unintended consequences — including declining quality of voice calls. Read more »
Vonage is expanding its reach yet again. This time the VoIP provider will offer a long distance calling card aimed at people who want convenient pre-paid international calling without hidden fees or even a physical card. This helps it move beyond land line phones. Read more »
When Microsoft’s Windows 8 debuts later this week, one of the most popular voice and video calling apps will be available. That makes sense, as Microsoft bought Skype last year, but making even more sense is Skype integration with the Windows 8 / RT People hub. Read more »
Despite the dust up over FaceTime, not all carriers see blocking or restricting over-the-top communications services as their option. VoIP player Sidecar thinks carriers will try and match the features of OTT apps, while T-Mobile says it actively encourage the use of competing IP communications services. Read more »
With iPhone 5, Apple might just have launched a mad dash towards high-definition voice and what that means is when some calls, we can actually enjoy the conversation. Skype, Google and others have similar ideas. Does that mean return of voice. God, I hope so! Read more »
Skype is one of the most revolutionary services to hit the Internet. Long before people talked about viral growth & network effects, it swept the planet with a simple idea: anyone could make free calls over the internet. Skype celebrated its 9th birthday August 29. Read more »
Some will never switch their voice activities from a smartphone to a tablet: Who wants to hold a tablet to their head? Wired or wireless headsets help, but wearing them for hours isn’t comfortable. What about a radical new wireless handset that looks like a pen? Read more »
Thinking of dumping your phone for an iPod touch with the FreedomPop WiMAX sleeve? Sounds like a good plan unless you happen to encounter something unplanned: An emergency. The device doesn’t support 911 calling and the company hasn’t yet figured out an alternative solution. Read more »
With the Nexus 7 receiving good reviews, people are starting to enjoy the portability and immersive experience that small tablets offer over smartphones. Looking at the mobile trends, I can see how the tablet will replace the smartphone. And it may happen sooner than you think. Read more »
Nimbuzz didn’t impress when it launched its VoIP and instant messaging app, but thanks to the evolution of mobile, the company crossed a new milestone: 100 million users. Now that we want to choose where, how and on what device to communicate Nimbuzz’s future sounds good. Read more »
Viber, the hot VoIP and messaging app, has just hit 90 million users, adding 20 million of them in the last two months. Now, it’s adding group messaging and an HD Voice engine, which should just encourage users to send more messages and make more calls. Read more »
KakaoTalk, a messaging and VoIP app, has been growing at a breakneck pace with 38 million registered accounts in Korea, its home market. In response, the leading carriers have worked to make life difficult for KakaoTalk and similar apps, blocking and throttling service for these apps. Read more »
Swedish operator TeliaSonera won’t ban Skype’s voice service on handsets using its network but it will charge customers for it. The operator is piloting plans that will cost customers extra for using an over-the-top voice service. Ring ring! It’s network neutrality calling. Read more »
Skype is taking first steps towards a browser-based future, and key to these efforts is a technology originally open sourced by Google: WebRTC could allow Skype to run video chats int he browser without any plugins, and finally make the company open up its walled garden. Read more »
Hookflash is launching an iPad app by the same name Thursday that integrates LinkedIn’s directory, giving business users a free over-the-top alternative for voice, HD video and messaging. It’s the first communications app to build upon LinkedIn’s social graph. Read more »
It’s tough for the phone business and data released this week from the FCC indicate that it’s not just people abandoning their wireline phones that are helping kill the copper-based voice biz, but also VoIP providers. Read more »
Rebtel, which calls itself the biggest mobile VoIP company after Skype, is expanding its emphasis on mobile with the launch of its first iPad app. The company is looking to ride the growth of tablets and get even more people on to its cost calling service. Read more »
So by all counts, Skype is doing fine under Microsoft ownership. The software giant has kept its paws off the baby. However, the current success isn’t enough to mask the fact that Skype is facing increased competition from upstarts looking eat into our attention to Skype. Read more »
Apple may be planning to add 3G data support for FaceTime on iOS devices, based on some recently published screenshots. Many have wanted FaceTime on a mobile broadband instead of Wi-Fi networks. But I’m not sold that it’s a good idea. Here’s why. Read more »
With more and more business leaders now turning to this topic, the questions — and confusion — are multiplying. With so much to consider, we’ve broken down the cloud discussion to help companies decide which strategy is right for their business. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Skype may be blocked for use by a wireless provider in the very country one of Skype’s founders, Niklas Zennström, is from. Sweden’s Telia is reportedly considering a block on Skype’s mobile video and VoIP services later this year unless customers pay an additional usage charge. Read more »
Here’s a nifty Japan-only product that looks like a small wireless keyboard. But it pulls double duty: Hold the device up to your ear and it works as a wireless handset for VoIP, Skype or other audio chat applications on mobile devices. Read more »
Computing in the business market will change radically in the coming years thanks to mobility, apps and a shift toward tablets. Here we gather a survey of GigaOM Pro readers to examine the future of enterprise mobility. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
While carriers may fret about the impact of messaging apps like WhatsApp on SMS revenue, they should really be worried abvout the continued erosion of voice revenue as people talk less, message more and turn to IP services, even those within mobile apps. Read more »
