New VOIP app for iPhone (DU geniuses figure out the pretzel logic here)

[NightWatcher]

this is not from the Onion I swear

VOIP is Voice Over Internet Protocol, aka using an internet connection to transmit your voice.

http://www.macrumors.com/2008/10/03/fring-enables-voip-calls-over-wifi-for-iphone-with-skype-support/

Fring allows you to chat and interact with others on a variety of networks including Skype, MSN, GoogleTalk, AIM, Yahoo, Twitter, and ICQ. In addition, Fring offers Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) using the iPhone's Wi-Fi connection. Features listed include:

• VoIP (Voice) Calls over WiFi
• Instant Messaging
• Integrated dynamic contact list 
with real-time contact availability
• SIP integration
• Multiple Connection types

Fring supports SkypeOut and SIP which allows you to make calls to landline and mobile phones. Some charges may apply depending on the type of call and plan. Fring is available as a free download in the App Store. (App Store Link)

Steve Jobs had said that VoIP calls over Wi-Fi was allowable in the App Store when the iPhone SDK was first released. Fring should also work with the new iPod touch, which supports an external microphone.

Update: Some are confused about the benefits of fring. One user details some of the features:

- Can call directly using iPhone to another person with iPhone running Fring
- Call MSN or Skype users that are using their computer
- Call using Skype account, which allows you to have your own Skype number and at a discount rate for international calls
- Receive phone calls using Skype with your own custom Skype number
- Basic chat functions with most chat platforms, such as AIM, Yahoo and ICQ

[targetpractice]

1. Save wireless minutes when you are on Wi-Fi.

[NightWatcher]

3. dont you have to pay for time spent going wifi?

I have to pay per kb above a certain amount, while I carry thousands of minutes over every month

[targetpractice]

4. It depends...

... on what hotspot you are using. There are lots of free hotspots in NYC.

The big benefit would be to avoid international roaming charges.

[NightWatcher]

5. I guess it's good if your iphone gets free wifi, but I thought minutes were easier to come by

[ContinentalOp]

7. If free wifi were more ubiquitous, you wouldn't need ANY minutes.

You wouldn't need any plan at all. No monthly fee. Totally free phone calls (well, minimal skype fees).

[ContinentalOp]

6. On an iphone? I don't think so. I have an ipod touch though so I don't have any monthly plan.

I can use wifi for free wherever it's available for free. Which now means free phone calls anywhere there's free wifi! It's just a start but it's basically the death knell for cellphones and paid phones in general.

[ContinentalOp]

2. Sweet, this is what I've been waiting for. Now if only more places would wake up...

and offer free wi-fi.

[Ichingcarpenter]

8. Obama has a free iTunes iPhone app also for your iPhone

Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign launched an iPhone application on Thursday that turns the vaunted device into a political recruiting tool.

The most notable feature "organizes and prioritizes your contacts by key battleground states, making it easy to reach out and make an impact quickly," according to the software.

On my phone, the application ranked contacts in Colorado, Michigan, and New Mexico at the top; at the bottom was a friend whose cell phone has a Texas number, though she actually lives in California.

The application anonymously reports back the number of calls made this way: "Your privacy is important: no personal data or contacts will be uploaded or stored. Only the total number of calls you make is uploaded anonymously."


The Obama for America iPhone application is available for download through Apple's iTunes store, said Raven Zachary, an iPhone consultant who's directing the launch effort.

A "get involved" feature uses the phone's GPS-based location sensing to find the nearest Obama campaign headquarters, and "local events" likewise pulls up a list of activities sorted by proximity.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10056519-38.html?tag=mncol;txt