Friday, February 28, 2003
Free VoIP-Based Phone Calls
Posted by Janak Parekh in "THOUGHT" @ 06:00 PM
PPCT member mscdex found an interesting combination of software and services to enable free calls from your Pocket PC.
First, SoftJoys Labs publishes a VoIP client for Pocket PCs.
"SJphone is a PC voice client that allows a new way to communicate using the technology known as VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol). Using SJphone, you can speak with people over the Internet the same way as you talk to them on your telephone, making PDA-to-PDA, PDA-to-Phone and Phone-to-PDA calls. SJphone allows you to communicate with any other H.323 - compatible entity (as Microsoft NetMeeting(R)) and/or SIP-compatible software and stand-alone IP-phones. SJphone can place a call to any regular telephone using an H.323 or SIP Gateway; allow for multiparty communication; call a computer in a private network through a gatekeeper; use codecs for voice compression; choose GUI, command line mode, or Web-interface."
Note the reference to SIP. pulver.com offers a free SIP-to-SIP gateway called Free World Dialup that enables you to call someone else at a computer or an IP phone.
"We are proud to announce the recent relaunch of Free World Dialup, a service which will free you from watching the clock and allow you to spend time with your loved ones, friends and business associates for free. You read that correctly. Free. No more per-minute charges or monthly fees. If you have broadband access, you simply signup, get configured and begin enjoying telephone communications the way they should be. Free."
You can also use the software to call people running NetMeeting. Unfortunately, there doesn't appear to be a free SIP-to-POTS gateway, which would enable you to call people that are just using a telephone at the remote end. Some commercial solutions do exist, but they're not consumerized yet.
First, SoftJoys Labs publishes a VoIP client for Pocket PCs.
"SJphone is a PC voice client that allows a new way to communicate using the technology known as VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol). Using SJphone, you can speak with people over the Internet the same way as you talk to them on your telephone, making PDA-to-PDA, PDA-to-Phone and Phone-to-PDA calls. SJphone allows you to communicate with any other H.323 - compatible entity (as Microsoft NetMeeting(R)) and/or SIP-compatible software and stand-alone IP-phones. SJphone can place a call to any regular telephone using an H.323 or SIP Gateway; allow for multiparty communication; call a computer in a private network through a gatekeeper; use codecs for voice compression; choose GUI, command line mode, or Web-interface."
Note the reference to SIP. pulver.com offers a free SIP-to-SIP gateway called Free World Dialup that enables you to call someone else at a computer or an IP phone.
"We are proud to announce the recent relaunch of Free World Dialup, a service which will free you from watching the clock and allow you to spend time with your loved ones, friends and business associates for free. You read that correctly. Free. No more per-minute charges or monthly fees. If you have broadband access, you simply signup, get configured and begin enjoying telephone communications the way they should be. Free."
You can also use the software to call people running NetMeeting. Unfortunately, there doesn't appear to be a free SIP-to-POTS gateway, which would enable you to call people that are just using a telephone at the remote end. Some commercial solutions do exist, but they're not consumerized yet.
