Fring just one-upped their biggest competitor Skype by offering a new Video calling feature for Android and iOS users. Users who have the app can initiate video conferences over WiFi or 3G that accepts up to four participants. However, it’s not quite available to the public just yet. The video call feature is part of Fring Beta, and you can only get the app if you request it. The iPhone Beta request is over, but Android users can still ask for their Beta invite here. Enjoy!

Who says only Gmail users can make free Google Voice calls? Talkatone gives your iPhone, iPod, or iPad free VoIP calls over WiFi or 3G through Google Voice. This free download does a couple of neat tricks with your Gmail account – simply double tap your Contacts header, and you’ll see the option to make a Google Voice call. Simply dial a number or select your friend, and the call will be put through. If it doesn’t work on your first try, you might need to set up Google Voice integration first as described by CyberNet News. Otherwise, the Talkatone app makes it remarkably easy to make a free Google Voice call outside Gmail.

The Talkatone App requires an iOS 4 or later to work. Download for free on iTunes.

For the longest time, Apple has refused the Google Voice app to come to the iPhone because it duplicates the phone’s built-in SMS and dialing features, and because the VoIP app will directly compete against their telecom partner, AT&T. But after a probe from the FTC, Apple had to back down from banning third-party app-authoring tools, as well as their ban on Google Voice. Now, the Google Voice app for the iPhone allows users to route their phone calls using an assigned Google number, giving them access to various features like cheap overseas calls, free text messaging, text translatiosn of voicemail, and per-contact call-routing rules. Unlike the Skype VoIP app, Google Voice, uses a traditional phone channel instead of a data plan. You can download the app here.

Have any of you tried Google Voice for the iPhone yet? For those who have, what do you think?

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When Apple App Store rejected the Google Voice app several weeks ago, it seemed as if Apple was completely resistant to VoIP apps for the iPhone. However, San Francisco-based company Toktumi’s Line2 VoIP app was recently added to the App Store three months after it was submitted. Like Google Voice, Line 2 also lets users have two numbers: one that they can give to friends and family, and another that can be used for business, with features like a professional voicemail system and call filtering. However, Toktumi’s Line2 is also different from Google Voice in many ways. Whereas Google Voice was marketed to everyone and anyone who wanted VoIP on their iPhone, Toktumi is trying to reach small business owners and employees who’d like to use two numbers in the same phone. The Google Voice App was also to be provided for free, whereas Toktumi’s Line2 costs $14.95/month to use. And unlike the Google Voice App, Toktumi has no support for SMS.

Check out Line2.Com to try out Toktumi for yourself. The first 200 US-based users to sign up with the promo code 743623718 can access 3 months of unlimited US/Canada calling and cheap international calls. You can download the iPhone app here.

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Apple may have made a bad move rejecting the Google Voice application, but that doesn’t mean you can’t integrate Google Voice with the iPhone. The Google Voice Speed Dial Bookmarklet generator allows you use your Google Voice number to make calls. Just head over to http://www.ironicsans.com/gv/ and follow the instructions, then enter your Google Voice code, your iPhone number, and the number of the contact you’re calling.

Once you’ve entered all those numbers you’ll hit Generate, and the tool will give you more instructions to follow. In the end, you’ll end up with a quick-dial bookmark in your mobile Safari that you can use to speed-dial specific contacts, making it faster to call people than going to the mobile Google Voice site.

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Skype in my iPhone has really been useful. I once called my daughter as I sat on a bench in Orchard Road in Singapore. There was a strong wifi signal that I picked up. You can’t use the Skype in Iphone if you are connected to a 3G network though. The calls are just as clear when I called using the wifi connection.

So what are the new features of Skype 1.1 for iPhone and iPod Touch?

1. Send low-cost text messages (SMS) to friends and family around the world using Skype credit

2. Allows users to listen to their Skype voicemail while on the move

3. Improved look and feel using the dial pad, while calling phones

4. Supports Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Swedish, Traditional Chinese and English languages

The latest updated Skype 1.1 for iPhone and iPod touch is now available for download through iTunes App Store on your device.

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It hasn’t even been two weeks since the Skype iPhone application first appeared in the Apple App Store on March 31, but it has already reached a staggering 2 million downloads!

The Skype for iPhone Application allows iPhone users to make cheap VoIP calls over WiFi. Yes, that means you’ll have to go to a WiFi zone before you can place a Skype call. Apple prohibits third party VoIP applications to use 3G networks to make calls, which is a little bit of a hassle, but if you’re in a city with a lot of WiFi hotspots then it shouldn’t be a problem.

The Skype for iPhone app is part of Skype’s plan to go mobile; there is already a Skype for Windows Mobile phones and soon, Skype Lite for the Blackberry. Watch out for an improved version of the Skype for iPhone app coming out very soon! In the meantime, you can download the existing application here.

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CES 2009 and MacWorld didn’t have much on iPhone news and VoIP, but there is this one tidbit which indicates that cheap communication will get better on the iPhone. Truphone announced that they’re going to have Skype calling on the iPhone. According to Truphone, they just launched an Instant Messaging service for the iPod Touch app, allowing users to have two-way IM conversations with Yahoo Messenger, MSN, and Google Talk, with support for Google Talk calls. And as if that’s not good enough, Truphone will also be launching Skype calling on both the iPhone and the iPod Touch!

But it gets even better. Skype says they’re finally FINALLY developing their own native client for the iPhone! At CES, Skype’s Chief Operating Officer Scott Durschlag says that the Skype iPhone app is currently under development, but he didn’t give an exact date as to when the app will be available at the Apple Store. But this is definitely good news for those who rely on VoIP to make cheap international calls through the iPhone.

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In case you don’t know what Fring is, it’s an application that brings VoIP to the iPhone and other devices like Symbian, Windows Mobile, and certain Nokia smartphones. Fring allows users to access Yahoo Messenger, AIM, MSN, Gtalk, Twitter, and Skype on their mobile phones, though a WiFi connection is needed for Skype and other VoIP softwares to work. Despite its limitations, Fring is still the best VoIP app for mobile devices.

Fring for the iPhone and iPod touch has left its pre-release stage and is now available in the Apple AppStore. They’ve fixed many of the known bugs and added new features to this version, including privacy settings, a history tab, and easy dialing from the main buddy list. Except for slight satellite delays on Skype, the audio quality on the new Fring is excellent, and I haven’t experienced any problems connected to Y!M.

Leave your comments, suggestions, and bug reports over at the Fring blog!

A lot of people have been complaining about the exhorbitant price Globe slapped on the iPhone 3G, but did you know that if you’ve been a Globe subscriber for years, you can get your iPhone 3G at a discounted price through Globe Loyalty Rewards? Dial 211 on your cellphone or visit the Globe Business Office at the mall nearest you. The discount you’ll be receiving depends on how long you’ve been a subscriber and how heavily you’ve used the service. My mom has been a Globe subscriber since the year 1999, and she’s getting her iPhone 3G for less than 20k. I thought that was already a great deal, until I found out that a girl at the Philmug forums is getting hers for a mere Php 2,400!

Reservations for the iPhone 3G ends tomorrow! Call Globe now and ask if you’re eligible for the Globe Loyalty Rewards.

For Existing Postpaid Subscribers
Please call 211 using your Globe handyphone to inquire about iPhone 3G offers available to you.