Phone New Update: March 2009

Download Skype Voip iPhone Application : Launched

As we mentioned in our last post about Skype going to launch its iPhone application, the news was true and Skype has now released its iPhone Voip application.

Skype, owned by eBay is already the leader in voip phone calls, will capture more market share with this iPhone voip application launch. Mobile versions of Skype are already available for Nokia, Windows Mobile, and Google Android phones. Though it has been a latecomer to the App Store, which features several other VoIP applications, but I am sure this application will be most downloaded very soon.

You can make free Skype-to-Skype-user calls, or use SkypeOut credit, a paid service by which you can call landlines and mobiles via Skype. SkypeOut is also a very cheap service offering very low priced international and domestic phone calls.

Though the application is very good but I guess it has some drawbacks too, users won't be able to place calls over cellular networks, but only via WiFi. But yeah as many of you are always connected to a Wi-fi network, Skype will help you avoid your regular provider and make very cheap international calls using Skype.

Call phones and mobiles from your iPhone contacts at great rates.
See who’s online and send and receive instant messages on the move.

Skype also works equally good on your Ipod touch too. But they would require to purchase a microphone, or headphones with built-in microphones.

Overall, a must download for all iPhone users. Its Skype, its free, its easy to install, easy to use and yes it works great.

Nokia 7205 Intrigue

It's obvious that design was a main focus of Nokia 7205 Intrigue. The glossy black skin catches the light it's even somewhat reflective and the compact shape will endear it to slim phone enthusiasts. At 3.56 inches by 1.85 inches by 0.55 inch and 3.19 ounces, the 7205 travels well and it slips easily into a pocket or bag. Nokia 7205 Intrigue's sleek lines also are worth mentioning when the phone is open it takes the shape of a smooth arc.

It doesn't exactly cradle the head, but it's certainly a unique touch, and we like the silver trim. The 7205's external display is hidden behind the front face, which means it's invisible when the backlighting is off. Fortunately, you can control the backlighting time, but if it goes off, you can reactivate the display by flipping the volume rocker. In another uncommon touch, the display has a vertical orientation. Though that may not sit well with everyone, the arrangement allows the display to take almost full advantage of Nokia 7205 Intrigue's front face.

You'll find a clock and meters for the signal strength and battery life. The display also has touch controls for the music player. You can activate them by pressing the volume rocker. Though Nokia 7205 Intrigue is eye catching, the trendy design has its low points. The glossy skin attracts fingerprints and smudges to the point of being unsightly. Also, while the hinge is sturdy, the phone's plastic skin feels a tad cheap.

This is not a phone for the danger prone. You'll find a few other exterior features. On the left spine are the aforementioned volume rocker, a 2.5mm headset jack, and a micro-USB port. The latter also accommodates the charger. The microSD slot is located on the right spine while the camera lens and flash sit on the top end of the phone's back side. Unfortunately, that makes vanity shots difficult.

The 2.2 inch interior display supports 262,000 colors and 320x240 pixels. It's bright and vibrant with sharp colors and graphics. You can change the backlighting time, the clock format and the dialing font size. The menus have leftover hallmarks of Verizon's standardized interface, but they're intuitive and easy to use. The navigation array is mixed bag.

On the upside, it's quite spacious and you're offered a fair number of keys. But on the downside, it might be a little too stylish for its own good. The toggle ditches the usual square or circular shapes in favor of a cross. It's certainly unique, but it takes a bit of getting used to. What's more, it's almost flush with the surface of the phone. The remaining controls consist of two soft keys, Talk and End or power buttons, a speakerphone key, a back or clear control, and a camera shortcut.

All are flush with the surface of the phone. The keypad comes in two designs faded silver and faded pink. We reviewed the silver version, but the handsets are the same. Silver ridges separate the individual rows, but otherwise the keys are flat and a tad slippery. We didn't have any problems dialing or texting, however. The keys are lit by a bright backlighting, and the numbers and letters on the keys are standard size.

Nokia 6500 Classic

Nokia 6500 Classic blends classic Nokia design with current styles. One on hand, it has a basic candy bar shape with a durable metal skin. The phone feels great in the hand and we didn't worry about the occasional drop to the floor. On the other hand, it's got a thin profile. Nokia never jumped into the slim handset craze very deeply, but the effect works well here. At 4.32 inches tall by 1.77 inches wide by inches 0.37 inch deep, and weighing 3.31 ounces, the 6500 travels well.

The 2 inch display supports 16.7 million colors and 320x240 pixels. With such a high resolution, you can be sure that colors are bright and photos and graphics are sharp and vibrant. You can set the font color and size, but other options, like the brightness and backlighting time, are not customizable. The Series 40 fifth edition menus are intuitive and easy to use.

The spacious navigation array consists of a tactile toggle with a central OK button, two soft keys, and the Talk and End or power buttons. We had no trouble using the controls, though we'd prefer a dedicated speakerphone button and a back key. You can set the toggle as a shortcut to four user defined functions, and you can activate shortcut icons on the display. The keypad buttons were rather cramped, actually.

Though they're tactile thanks to silver ridges, the black keys may be too small for users with large hands. What's more, the backlit numbers and letters on the keys are tiny. Users with visual impairments should definitely test this phone before buying. We fumbled at first when trying to dial and text quickly. We were also disappointed that the 6500 Classic didn't have a dedicated volume rocker on its side.

That means you have to control the audio with the toggle when you're on a call, which is rather inconvenient. The only other exterior features are the camera lens and flash, on the phone's back side, and a micro-USB port on the top end. Since the latter is also used for the charger and the included wired headset, you can use only one peripheral at a time and you must have an adapter to use your own headset.

Features
Each contact in the 6500 Classic's phone book holds five phone numbers, an email address, a URL, a company name and job title, a formal name and nickname, a birthday, a street address, and notes (the SIM card holds an additional 250 names). You can save callers to groups and you can pair them with one of 26 available 64 chords polyphonic ringtones. You also can pair contacts with a photo or video for caller ID.

Other 6500 Classic essentials include text and multimedia messaging, a vibrate mode, an alarm clock, a calendar, a to do list, a notepad, a calculator, a speaker phone, a world clock, a voice recorder, a countdown timer, and a stopwatch. Higher end options are respectable you'll find stereo Bluetooth, voice commands, audio messaging, USB mass storage, an internal search app, PC syncing, a currency and unit converter, and Web based email.

The 6500 also supports Yahoo Go, for direct access to email and Yahoo content, and it is equipped for 850 and 2100 3G (UMTS) bands. If your carrier supports the service, you can watch streaming video on the 6500.

Skype for iPhone Coming soon : May be next week

Skype is the most popular voip providers in the world, with so many people all around the globe using Skype. Yeah Skype prices are not too high, voice quality is also good, good customer support, a brand name, being the oldest voip service there is every reason you can get connected to Skype.

Skype can be used for making free and cheap international, domestic calls. It can be used via the Pc application, via Skype phones. And yes its a good news for iPhone users. Soon you will be able to use Skype directly from your iPhone. Skype is going to launch the iPhone version of the P2P voice and IM service that has now been downloaded more than 405 million times.

I read on some Voip magazine that Skype is almost ready to launch that iPhone version, perhaps as soon as next week.

A great news for all Skype and Iphone lovers.

Jaxtr On-The-Go Free calls from your Mobile

Jaxtr, which is one of the most popular voip providers, most innovative social community has launched its Jaxtr On the Go service.

Jaxtr On the go service allows users to make free calls to more than 50 countries (both landline and mobile phones) directly from their existing mobile or landline phone without having to go online.

Few months back, Jaxtr announced Jaxtr Free connect service. The service became quite popular with lot many people already using the free connect service. Jaxtr On the go service is targetted towards the people who find it difficult to remain connected to PC (online) all the time. It gives both new and existing customer the flexibility of making cheap calls from their mobile phone.

One need to dial the access numbers in order to make free jaxtr phone calls. Jaxtr On-The-Go is accessible by over 150 local numbers in most major metropolitan areas, which can be dialed by anyone, without the need to register with jaxtr, or buy any calling credits.

To make calls -:
1. Dial the local Jaxtr On-the-go access number.
2. You will be prompted to enter the destination number with country code.
3. If your destination is in the list of free 50 countries, then your call will be connected just free of charge, much similar to Freeconnect service.
4. If your destination is not free, then also you need not to worry as tou can make very very cheap phone to phone calls using Jaxtr.

This way Jaxtr Voip will enable you save a lot on your international and domestic phone to phone calls. Jaxtr works with any mobile or landline phone, and no download is required even if calls are initiated from a mobile phone.

Cheers to Jaxtr voip service.

Free Talktime to India : RelianceIndiaCall Gudi Padwa Ugadi offer

Reliance India Call has brought a new free talktime offers for its customers. The offer is special for the festival of Gudi Padwa and Ugadi.

Reliance is offering some free talktime to make cheap calls to India. Lets look at some features about this new offer.

RelianceIndiaCall Gudi Padwa offer is valid between 21st March to 6th April.
Talk for two hours (2 hrs) or more during the offer period and you will get 50% additional talktime on your usage during the same period, and that too absolutely free. So, if you talk for 3 hrs you will get additional free talktime worth 1.5 hrs.

If you are already a customer of RelianceIndiacall then you need not to do anything to avail this offer.

For post paid customers, they will get 25% discount on their usage during the offer but only when their monthly bill exceeds $30. You can sign up for a new account or recharge your account if you have run out of balance.

For more info, visit Relianceindiacall.com

ActionVoip lowers call rates to India : Cheapest calls

Few days back we blogged about ActionVoip, the latest launch by betamax. ActionVoip offered the lowest Pc to Phone calls and Phone to Phone calling rates to India.

In very short span of time, ActionVoip gained lot of popularity. As it is quite common for betamax to change its calling rates, but this time ActionVoip has lowered their call rates to India.

Old rate to India (A few days back wehn it was launched) -
To Indian Landline - 0.7 cents/min
To Indian Mobile - 1.3 cents/min

New rates of ActionVoip to Call India -
To Indian Landline - 0.5 cents/min ($ .005) (Half a cent uuuuhhh..!!)
To Indian Mobile - 1.0 cent/min

I have pasted a snippet below showing call rates to India.

Its really amazing that you can call India at half a cent (way cheaper than local calls in India lolz...). The price is even lower than what voip companies offer for calling USA, Canada.
I was thinking about those people who still are using their normal phones (not voip) for making international and domestic calls. Man they are loosing too much money.

Its high time one should switch to Voip for all their calling needs...!!

Apple iPhone 3G (16GB, Black, Refurbished)

Apple iPhone 3G (16GB, Black, Refurbished) appears to have fixed some call quality performance issues we had with the previous model in our initial tests, the volume is louder with less background buzz than before. The 3G reception could be improved, however. Music and video quality were largely unchanged, but we didn't have many complaints in that department to begin with. Price may well remain our largest concern.

New AT&T customers and most current AT&T customers can buy the iPhone 3G for $199 for the 8GB model and $299 for the 16GB model. If you don't qualify for that price check your AT&T account to find out you'll pay $399 and $499 respectively. Either way, you'll pay $15 more per month ($74.99 total) for a plan comparable with the original iPhone ($59 per month). So, while you'll pay less outright to buy the handset, you'll make it up over the course of a standard two year AT&T contract. So should you buy an iPhone 3G?

If you haven't bought an iPhone yet, and have been holding out for a new model, now is the time. If you're a current iPhone owner and you're yearning for a faster cellular network, then you should take the plunge. But if you're an iPhone owner who won't use 3G (or can't check your coverage at AT&T), then you should stick with your current model. The iPhone 2.0 software update provides Exchange server support, third party apps support, and many new features without the added cost.

Design
You'd be hard pressed to notice any design differences on the front of the iPhone 3G. The minor changes the silver rim is thinner and the silver mesh behind the speaker are so minimal we didn't notice them for a few hours after picking up the device. Turn the phone on its side, however, and you'll see more changes. Apple has replaced the aluminum silver back with a plastic face in either white or black.

The black version (our review model) is attractive, but we admit that we miss the original silver, which shows fewer fingerprints and smudges than the shiny black version. The white model is not our cup of tea. The iPhone 3G's edges are slightly tapered to accommodate the curved back, making the device thinner around its perimeter than its predecessor, but a hair thicker (0.48 inch versus 0.46 inch) in the gut.

Unfortunately, the curved back makes the iPhone 3G wobble slightly if you use it while resting on a table which quickly becomes annoying. The phone's height and width measurements (5.5 inches by 2.4 inches) remain the same, though it weighs just a tiny bit less (4.7 ounces versus 4.8 ounces).

Free credit on refering friends : Mo-Call

This is another very interesting and cool offer by Mobile Voip provider named Mo-Call. Mo-call has always been very popular among the mobile voip users, simply because of their good voice quality, extended features and good support. Many have rated Mo-Call as the best way to make cheap international mobile phone calls.

Thanks to our regular reader Mr Vijay Chand for forwarding this news (offer) to us.

A lot many times you share some good offers with your friends, and they do join them. But what do you get ? How about you get some free credit everytime you refer your friend to Mo-Call. This way your friend get introduced to new service and you get free credit to make free calls. Now Mo-Call will reward its users for telling others how great service Mo-Call is.

Till the end of April, if you refer a friends who joins Mo-call and make his/her first top-up, your Mo-Call account will be credited with $7.50 credit.

Remember, this offer is for limited time only. It is valid till 30th April 2009. For each friend you refer, you will get Mo-Call credit worth $7.50 but you will be able to make only phone calls/SMs etc using tis credit. This credit will not be refunded in terms of cash.

Anyway, a great deal for people having lot of friends who in turn are looking for cheap calls. Mo-Call (Mobile Voip) is the answer for you.

AirtelCallhome : Spring Celebrations free minutes to India

Airtelcallhome has always been known for its attractive promotions. They have a offer for every festival, every season. This time AirtelCallhome has launched its Spring celebration.

Spring Celebration (Promotion) by AirtelCallhome
Sign up offer : Get 1630 mins free on Local access buy purchasing credit worth $100.

Actually as usual they are offering some additional free minutes once you buy some credit. The price for calling India ranges from 4.4 cents to 2.9cents/min.

Though there are very cheap options now available in the market like ActionVoip, Nymgo, Mediaringtalk but if you like to be associated with brand name, get good voice quality, prefer Phone to Phone calls over Pc to Phone calls then AirtelCallhome is for you.

I would suggest you to buy minimum credit worth $5 in which you will get 91 regular minutes and 23 free minutes. Your effective call rate will be 4.4 cents/min.

To remind our readers, AirtelCallhome also has a refer a friend policy. If you invite your friend and he joins then both of you will get some additional free talktime.

Enjoy cheap and free calls to India.

FriendCaller Talk to your friends on Internet or on iPhone/iPod touch for free

Another voip provider has entered the market. FriendCaller.com, a website powered by C²Call. FriendCaller is a web phone which can also work on your Iphone/Ipod touch. It will be easy for you talking to all your friends on the Internet or on iPhone/iPod touch for free.

If you are already a member of C2Call.com then you can use the same username and password with FriendCaller. It will enable you to make cheap international calls directly from your mobile.

In order to use FriendCaller, you need not to download any application. It will work directly from your browser and offcourse you can use it on your Iphone and Ipod Touch. Since FriendCaller does not require any installation, you can use it wherever you have access to the Internet.

They say "You can send a call invite-link to anybody you want to talk with. Since FriendCaller does not require any software installation, the recipient of your call-invite can call you immediately, even without registration." This means that you can put this Click to call me on your website and let your readers connect with you.

Some other features of FriendCaller.com

1. Free calls over internet to other friendcaller users.
2. Instant messaging and Call-me links
3. Call phone numbers at very cheap rate.
4. Call me link for all OS (Windows/Linux)
5. Contact list with showing who is online.

ActionVoip : Actionvoip.com SIP Calls to India

The calling rates to India have reached a rock bottom price. The price war for calling India began when Nymgo, Mediaringtalk lowered their call rates to India. Nymgo offered a price of 1.3cents/min in comparison with Mediaringtalk 1.7 cents/min. And now we talk about even lower calling rate to India by ActionVoip. ActionVoip rates are way lower offering Sip Calls, Pc to Phone Calls.

Betamax has entered this Price war for India calling, launching their newest service named ActionVoip. As the name suggest it has surely brought a Action in this voip industry. Betamax has always been known to provide some of the cheapest rates, good voice quality but they sometimes increase their calling rates without any notice. Anyways a lot many people prefer Betamax service for their calling needs, and if you are among them then ActionVoip is worth trying.

ActionVoip is now the cheapest voip provider to offer calls to India. Action Voip is offering 0.07 cents/min to Indian landline...!! Yeah its even lower than 1 cent. ActionVoip calling rate to Indian mobile is 1.3 cents/min.

Who imagined that voip price to India will reach below a cent, but this is reality now. Apart from those free calling options (limited calling like Tuitalk), I am not able to think of any cheaper service than ActionVoip. I am sure this price will force other voip providers to lower their call rates to India. Its time for voip providers like Nymgo, Pingo, Mediaringtalk, Rebtel to give a thought on their call rates to India. ActionVoip is giving a run to these voip providers.

Days are gone when you were forced to cut short your calls because of higher rates. At just .07 cents you can talk for as long as you like.

This price is even lower than what we pay for making local calls in India... (I pay about Rs 1 for local calls.. I guess Idea, vodafone, Airtel are making too much money). And this ActionVoip is offering .07 cents (35 paisa - Rs 0.35). I guess it is high time people should start using Voip for making phone calls. Its even time for people in India to use Voip for making local and STD calls (man my STD calls rates are even higher - I am paying Rs 1 extra for every call as compared to those offered by Voip).

Regarding the voice quality, Betamax voice quality has always been good (I have never experienced problems regarding voice quality offered by ActionVoip).

You can make either PC to Phone calls using ActionVoip. Just download their Voip application (softphone). You can also use your SIP phone/SIP settings in your Mobile for making voip phone calls.

SIP settings of ActionVoip : ActionVoip.com SIP Settings

SIP port : 5060
Registrar : sip.actionvoip.com
Proxy server : sip.actionvoip.com
Outbound proxy server : leave empty
Account name : your Actionvoip username
Password : your Actionvoip password
Display name/number : your Actionvoip username or voipnumber
Stunserver (option) : stun.actionvoip.com

In my opinion, ActionVoip is surely worth trying. Just buy the minimum credit and test ActionVoip service (voice quality n all..). So what's your opinions about ActionVoip, please share your feedback.

CallBollywood : Cheap calling card to India

Indians are really experiencing the taste of Voip. Voip calling rate to India has reached to a very low level. With so many calling cards, Pc to Phone voip providers offering cheap rates to India, it has made NRI's to talk to their home for hours.

Latest entrant in the voip market is CallBollywood. Named after the world greatest movie industry Bollywood, callbollywood is a calling card offering cheap rates for calling India.

Callbollywood uses State-of-the-Art switching platforms that are 100% redundant that assures that customers are buying a reliable product. Whether you are making calls to India or anywhere else in the world, you can count on Callbollywood to deliver your calls with the best quality.

First lets talk about their Calling rates.
Callbollywood is offering calls to India at just 2.5 cents/min. Though the calling ards are available in many denominations but I would suggest you to go for $5 calling card. First test their service (voice quality, ease of dialing) and of you like them, then you can opt for more credit.

Some other features of CallBollywood.
100% Money Back Guarantee!
No Fees. 100% Delivered Minutes.
No Expiration. (There is no expiration date for your calling plan, you don't have to worry about lossing your cal credit because of time.)

CallBollyWood.com offers local access numbers through the United States and Canada for you to make calls to India or anywhere else in the world. So, I guess this service is good only for people living in USA and Canada.

Callbollywood also offers a referal system (tell a friend)-
Refer your friends to callbollywood.com and earn $5 each time one of them becomes a Callbollywood customer.

To make calls to India please dial 011 + 91 + City Code + Number.
To make calls to other international countries Dial 011 + Country Code + City Code + Number.

Overall a good calling card for making cheap calls to India. Do give it a try.

Dial91 Cheap Virtual Calling Card to India

Calling card is one of the major way used by people for making calls to India. We have already covered about lot many calling card provider which offer cheap calls to India.

Though the Pc to Phone calling rates to India are very cheap these days so for them Virtual Calling card is a good option (for making Phone to Phone calls).

Dial91 was earlier offering calls to India at 3.9cents/min but the competition has made them to lower their price to just 2.8cents/min.

You can buy as low as a $2 calling card and you will be receiving 72 minutes. Dial91 can also prove to be a good calling option for making cheap calls to Pakistan, there rate being just 10cents/min to Pakistan.

Some features of Dial91 are -:
Instant Sign Up
Recharge Instantly
PIN-FREE Dialing
Speed Dial/Address Book
Superior Quality
No Connection Fee
Call any numbers In India
Pulse rounding is of 60 seconds.
Best Rates To Most of the Countries

I would suggest you to try out their service buying this minimum $2 credit and if you like then you may continue with them.

Google Voip Service : Google Voice to grandcentral users.

A good news to all voip users. Google Voice, a voip service by Google has been launched though its in beta phase. Actually Google made many improvements to Grandcentral voip service and have relaunched this service in the name of Google Voice.

However this service is not available to all, but Google Voice can be used by Grandcentral users. So, if you are customer of Grandcentral then you can try Google Voice. Apart from Grandcentral default features like One number, screening etc Google Voice has added many other features like SMS support, Conference Calls, low cost calling, Block calls, GOOG-411, Manage groups, Forwarding phones, Voicemail transcripts, Listen to voicemail, Notifications, Personalize greeting and many more.

All Grandcentral users will receive mail about upgrading your voip service to Google Voice. I guess with the launch of Voip service by Google, it will lead to more competition among voip providers. I am sure this will lead to more cheaper calls and voip calls will be free to many countries.

Google has though not mentioned anything about Google Talk service. It is still a confusion, what will happen to Google Talk. Will Google Talk merge with Google Voice or will it remain a seperate service. It may be possible that Google Voice feature be added to Gtalk (Google Talk is already very popular an used by millions).

Anyways, I see the growth of Voip and its surely good for all. Cheers...!!

Samsung Delve SCH-r800

As we said in our earlier Delve review, the handset looks like a Samsung Instinct but with a few physical buttons added below the display. Both phones are exactly the same size (4.57 inches tall by 2.17 inches wide by 0.49 inch deep), though the Delve weighs slightly less (3.63 ounces). You'll also recognize the silver and black color scheme, the rounded corners, and the comfortable, sturdy feel in the hand.

The 3 inch display is smaller than the Instinct's. Though it should be big enough for most users, we felt it doesn't take full advantage of the Delve's real estate.

Yet, it is bright and vibrant with support for 262,000 colors (240x400 pixels). You can change the brightness, the backlighting time, and the intensity of the vibrating feedback. The U.S. Cellular Delve also comes with a stylus, but there's no slot for storing it on the handset.

In all respects the touch screen is fast and responsive. We didn't notice a lag when selecting commands or scrolling through a long list. The menu system shows a variation of Samsung's nifty TouchWiz interface (see our Samsung Behold review for a full description of TouchWiz).

You must drag widgets out of the sidebar to activate the relevant feature, but U.S. Cellular adds widgets for mobile versions of Facebook and MySpace, a Tone Room application for purchasing ringtones, and a help menu. You'll also find widgets for standard features such as the calendar, the music player, the Web browser, and the notepad. The intuitive main menu comes in an icon or list design while on the top of the home screen is a collapsible shortcut bar for your messaging inbox, the Web browser, the music player, and the Bluetooth menu.

The U.S. Cellular Delve also offers the second shortcut bar at the bottom of the display with touch controls for the phone dialer, the contacts menu, the messaging menu, and the main menu. With separate keyboards for letters, numbers, and symbols, the Delve's virtual keyboard is almost indistinguishable from those on other Samsung touch screen handsets. The keyboards are responsive, but people with larger hands may find them a bit cramped.

Yet, the Delve also offers a handwriting recognition tool in either a full or half screen mode. It works quite well, but we still preferred to use the QWERTY keyboard. Of course, you also can use a standard alphanumeric to type your messages, but we can't imagine a good reason for doing so. On the downside, however, this Delve doesn't have an accelerometer. Among other things, that means you can't switch keyboards simply by rotating the phone bummer. Instead, you have to press an on screen prompt.

Voip Service Termination : Aim Call Out and Gorilla Mobile

Its time for change, we have seen that a lot of new voip providers growing in the recent past. Nymgo came with a bang and it has really made big in this calling industry in such short period of time.

However, a few voip providers are closing down. With calling rates decreasing, free calls to India being offered it will be wrong to say that closing down of these voip providers will affect the growth the voip industry, instead I guess Voip is growing.

Aim Call Out voip service is closing down, they will shut down their service on 25th March 2009. Though Aim Call out has sent email to all their users about their voip service termination, but this post is to make all the users aware if they missed the mail. If you have any balance remaining with Aim-Call-Out then its better to use this money as soon as possible (just use them up). I guess Aimcallout will refund your money after 25th march but I guess it may take time so its better to use your remaining voip credit.

Next voip service which is no longer available (closed their service on 4th March) is Gorillamobile. GorillaMobile was a post paid calling service, so you need not to be worried about any remaining credit. You will receive your last bill accordingly. If you want to know anything about your account with them, then just your account details on GorillaMobile website.

If you have not tried any of these closed voip service, then you need not to worry about them. Just visit this blog to find the right free calling deal for you.

Nymgo Second Price reduction in a week

No, this is not repeat of my previous post about Nymgo lowering call rates to India. Yes, Nymgo has once again lowered its price to make calls to India.

Nymgo is surely keeping its promise by providing the lowest price everyday. Thanks to Mr. Alpesh Vyas for informing us about this news.

Nymgo India rates have been further decreased for the Pay As You Go service. This is the second price reduction within a week. Below are the new rates:

Destination New Rates ($)
Ahmedabad 0.016
Bangalore 0.016
Calcutta 0.016
Chennai 0.016
Ernakulam 0.016
Hydrabad 0.016
Mumbai 0.016
Jallandhar 0.017
Pune 0.017
Agra 0.018
Ambala 0.018
Bhopal 0.018
Coimbatore 0.018
Cuttak 0.018
Guwahati 0.018
Haryana 0.018
Jaipur 0.018
Kerala 0.018
Lucknow 0.018
Ludhinana 0.018
Magalore 0.018
Mysore 0.018
Nagpur 0.018
Patna 0.018
Punjab 0.018
Raipur 0.018
Rajkot 0.018
Gujarat 0.02
Tamil Nadu 0.02
Andhra Pradesh 0.023
Karnataka 0.023
Maharashtra 0.023
India Other 0.023

Calling rate to Indian Mobile remain the same of 1.3 cents/minute (which is already very cheap). I guess Nymgo is really taking on other voip providers and it will be difficult for other voip services to match Nymgo in regard of making cheap calls to India. Anyways, users are really benefitted by such a offer and I am sure Nymgo will attract a lot of new customers offering such a cheap calling rate.

Nymgo has again promised to lower its calling rates to India and other destination. (This surely makes Nymgo the cheapest Pc to Phone calling service for calling India).

Reliance India Call : Holi and EID offer , Cheap calls to India Pakistan

Festival of Holi and EID are near and call volumes to India and Pakistan have increased. Voip providers have also geared up to bring Holi and EID offer, offering cheap calls to India and Pakistan.

Reliance India call has started Holi and EID promotion, bringing its exclusive festival rates so that you can wish your loved ones back home.

First lets look at the price for making voip calls to India from USA.

If you buy a calling card worth $5 then you will get 111 minutes, with effective rate being 4.5cents/min. You get more benefit on purchasing $50 credit making effective rate of 3.5cents/min and you get 1430 minutes.

Similarlt Reliance India call is offering cheap calls to Pakistan (call rates to Pakistan has increased in the recent past) from USA.

If you buy a calling card worth $5 you will get at 8.30 cents/min 60 minutes. Effective rates goes as low as 6.45cents/min on purchasing calling credit of $50 (you get 774 minutes).

Though voip providers like Mediaringtalk and Nymgo offer cheap calls but some people prefer using Phone to Phone calling service offered by calling cards. Reliance India Call is a good option for them as voice quality offered is good, good customer support and the associated Reliance name.

I guess its now turn for other calling card providers like AirtelCallhome, Trueroots to follow Reliance with some Holi offers and offer cheap calls.

Samsung Renown

In many ways the Renown looks a lot like the Verizon's Samsung Gleam. They have similar shapes, are about the same size (3.87 inches by 1.95 inches by 0.69 inch), and both have a glossy skin that catches the light. We haven't seen anything quite like the chocolate brown hue before and we suspect it will be a matter of personal taste. We like it, but we realize other people may not.

It's also worth noting that the phone tends to attract fingerprints and smudges. The Renown is a tad heavier than the Gleam at 4.04 ounces. It has a solid feel, even if much of its skin is plastic. The external display is a little small for the phone's size, but it supports 262.000 colors (96x96 pixels). It shows the date, time, battery life, signal strength, and photo caller ID. It also works as a viewfinder for the camera lens that sits above the screen.

Three touch controls for the music player sit just below the display they allow you to access the media player and control your tunes without opening the phone. On the left spine of the phone, there is a charger port and a volume rocker. The former uses a proprietary connection. On the right spine, there is a 2.5mm headset jack, a camera shutter, and a key that locks the touch controls.

The Renown's single speaker sits on its back. You must remove the battery cover to access the memory card slot. The internal display is a size able 2.25 inches. It supports 262.000 colors, which makes it bright, vibrant, and pleasing to the eye. The menus are easy to use and we're glad they represent Verizon's tweaked design. You can change the brightness, the menu font size, the back lighting time, the clock style, and the dialing font and size.

The Renown's navigation array is spacious and intuitive. There's a four way toggle with a central OK button, two soft keys, a voice command shortcut, a speaker phone control, a clear button, and the Talk and End and power keys. Though all buttons are flush, tactile ridges between the individual controls give them some definition.

You can set the toggle as a shortcut to four user defined functions. The keypad buttons have a similar design. Though they're also flat, they are spacious and separated from each other. We could dial and text quickly and comfortably. We could dial by feel and the back lighting helps in dim situations.

Samsung Memoir T929

The design of the Samsung Memoir certainly walks a very thin line between camera and phone. The ergonomics are uncanny the shutter button and zoom controls are on the top, the camera lens and flash are positioned in a way so that your fingers are unlikely to block them, and the touch screen interface acts as a giant view finder all like a regular camera. That small area where you would wrap your right hand fingers when taking a photo?

It's clad in faux leather separate from the rest of the phone, presumably for better grip. If it were not for the telltale call keys and the T-Mobile branding, we would've thought the Samsung Memoir was a camera and not a phone. Is it a camera or a phone? The Samsung Memoir mimics a camera very well. Be it camera or phone (or both), the Memoir is one svelte, elegant device.

Measuring 4.2 inches long by 2.1 inches wide by 0.6 inch thick, the Memoir is clad in black with silver on the sides, and it's one of the slimmest high end camera phones we've seen.

Dominating its entire front surface is a 262.000 colors 2.6 inch touch screen display that looks simply stunning. The display is vibrant with vivid colors and sharp looking graphics.

You can adjust the backlight time and brightness, and you can personalize the display with wallpaper and a greeting message.

While you can adjust the font type, you can't change the font size. Like other Samsung touch screen handsets, the Memoir has haptic feedback, meaning the phone vibrates to let you know your touch has registered. You can adjust the intensity of the vibrations if you want. The touch interface is pretty responsive and intuitive, but it did take us a little while to get used to the sensitivity of the screen, even after calibration. We would occasionally launch a program when all we wanted to do was scroll through the menu. We imagine this is something you learn to adapt to with time, but newcomers to touch screen handsets might find it frustrating.

Also, the Memoir has an internal accelerometer that automatically changes the display's orientation from portrait to landscape mode when you hold the phone horizontally. This only happens with certain applications like the Web browser and the messaging interface, and it only rotates clockwise by 90 degrees.

On the default standby page, you'll find four icons at the bottom row of the display. They represent the phone dialer, the phone book, the Web browser, and the main menu. The phone dialer has a virtual keypad with large alphanumeric keys, plus there are also shortcuts for the call log, voice mail, the messaging menu, and the phone book.

Unblock Voip in UAE Get behind hotspot shield

A lot of our readers from Middle East specially UAE (Dubai) have complained that they are not able to use voip softwares. Somedays back, we blogged about Tuitalk and how can it be used to make free calls to India.

Many people have been now successfully using Tuitalk for making free calls to India (I am one among them), however some are not able to Tuitalk even after trying various tricks.

For people of UAE, it might be possible that Tuitalk is blocked by your ISP. Our regular reader Mr. VijayKumar also pointed it out and told us about running Hotspotshield.

Its simply provides a VPN network (Virtual Private network), basically kind of coming between your ISP and the voip software (in this case). You will be assigned a USA IP address and your ISP will not be able to block those voip softwares (Tuitalk, nonoh, etc).

Just follow these simple steps.

1. Download Hotspot Shield.
2. Run Hotspot shield (the one you downloaded).
3. It will auto search and connect.

I hope after Running Hotspot shield you will be able to make free calls using Tuitalk.
Again I do not guarantee that this method will unblock all your voip providers (Tuitalk etc) to make free calls and I know many people have already got frustrated trying Tuitalk, but hey just give one more try to this one. (If it works, then you will be able to make unlimited free calls).
After all you can stop using Hotspot Shield at any point of time and uninstall it.

Do let us know if you are successful in making free calls.

Nymgo Call Rates : India Calling Rates at 1.3 cents/min

We have two news updates from Nymgo (one very good and one very bad) for our voip readers.
Thanks to our regular reader Mr. Vijay chand for informing about this Nymgo news to us.

First let me put the bad news to you -: Nymgo monthly unlimited calling package has expired. Under this monthly package, Nymgo was offering calls to India (1750 minutes at monthly price of $20 thereby making effective rate to India as 1.14 cents/min). I know a lot many people all over the world (a lot of this blog readers too) applied to this package and were using it each day for making cheap call to India. This news means they won't be able to use this plan any further. So from now on you wont be able to enjoy the unlimited nymgo calling rates. However the check out the good news about Nymgo Call rates!

If you have any queries, do contact Nymgo Customer customer support. (Nymgo has most probably mailed its customers about this information).

But Nymgo is in no mood to disappoint its users. Here is the good news from Nymgo -:

Nymgo has slashed its already cheap rates to India further more. Nymgo has decreased the calling rates to India for their Pay As You Go service. Below are the Nymgo new Call rates:

Nymgo Call Rates
Destination Old Rate($) New Rates ($)
India Mobile 0.02 0.013
India Mobile BSNL 0.025 0.016
India Ahmedabad 0.024 0.018
India Bangalore 0.024 0.018
India Chennai 0.024 0.018
India Mumbai 0.024 0.018
India New Delhi 0.024 0.018
India Calcutta 0.024 0.019
India Ernakulam 0.024 0.019
India Hydrabad 0.024 0.019
India Jallandhar 0.024 0.019
India Agra 0.027 0.02
India Ambala 0.027 0.02
India Bhopal 0.027 0.02
India Coimbatore 0.027 0.02
India Cuttak 0.027 0.02
India Guwahati 0.027 0.02
India Haryana 0.026 0.02
India Jaipur 0.027 0.02
India Kerala 0.026 0.02
India Lucknow 0.027 0.02
India Ludhinana 0.027 0.02
India Magalore 0.027 0.02
India Mysore 0.027 0.02
India Nagpur 0.027 0.02
India Patna 0.027 0.02
India Pune 0.027 0.02
India Punjab 0.026 0.02
India Raipur 0.027 0.02
India Rajkot 0.027 0.02
India Gujarat 0.028 0.023
India Karnataka 0.03 0.025
India Maharashtra 0.03 0.025

Earlier we saw that Mediaringtalk lowering its rates to India at 1.7cents/min and now Nymgo has further lowered this price offering lowest price in Pc to Phone calling market (I guess so, you any cheaper voip provider..?).

Nymgo has also promised that it will further lower its calling rate to India. Well we have already seen voip providers have started giving limited free talktime to India (tuitalk), I guess this has led to a price war among voip providers to offer cheaper rates to India (and the winner of this war is inedeed the customer).

So, cheers to Nymgo Calling cards and cheap voip calling..!!

Free calls to and from Pakistan : Connect2Pk

A lot has been discussed about making Free calls to India (tuitalk), however we have seen that rates to Pakistan have fluctuated (actually increased) in the past one year.

At present, call rates to Pakistan are very high (many voip providers offering rates greater than 10 cents). But we have found a solution so that one can make Free calls from Pakistan and yes by following some steps "Free calls to Pakistan" (actually you can connect to your friends in Pakistan).

Connect2Pk.com offers Free calls from Pakistan. Its a 'Phone to PC' & 'PC to PC' call solution. Connect2Pk offers local Pakistan phone numbers (Karachi, Islamabad etc) dialing which you can connect to the person on PC application. So, if you register with Pakistan phone number (your loved one) and ask them to dial the Pakistan local phone number (Connect2pk number) then this call will be forwarded to your PC application. (So your loved one is on Phone and you on your PC).

I know the above discussion seems very complicated, but let me try to put this in simple steps.

Assuming that you are living in USA and you want to talk to your Parents living in Pakistan.
Assuming that your Parents have either a landline phone or a mobile phone. And you have a PC with broadband phone.

Steps for free calls to Pakistan -:

1. Register with Connect2Pk.com

Enter Your name, email address (correct) and password.
Now in the Mapped number field (enter your Parents Pakistan number).

2. Download their PC application (it is nothing but x-lite). You can also configure fring to receive calls directly on your mobile phone. You will get SIP settings in your email.

SIP settings -:
Display Name - Connect2Pk
USername -: Your username
Password -: Your password
Domain -: connect2pk.com:5065

3. Now ask your parents to call local Pakistan Connect2pk numbers. Any one of the local access numbers which is cheap or free for your parents in Pakistan. Any of following numbers.

• 021-7016586 (Karachi)
• 041-5529224 (Faisalabad)
• 042-2008625 (Lahore)
• 051-7185152 (Islamabad) new!

4. Now the question is how will your parents know to call this number. (Hey you have to tell them...!! either fix daily time or adjust accordingly, I am sure this you can manage).

5. You will receive a phone call directly to x-lite configured phone or your mobile (if you configures fring).

Few more points to be noticed here are -:

20min/call, round the clock!
4-10am, 45min/call

So, this way you can connect to your loved ones in Pakistan for free. The only cost being your friends/relatives(living in Pakistan) calling to Pakistan local number (this charge will most probably very cheap or it may be free (mobile cap minutes)).

For more info, you may refer to Connect2pk (do check their FAQ section). You may also post their queries in comment section of this blog.

PS: The above calling procedure ain't mentioned on their website, however the one I mentioned should work good for you. If anyone of you have used connect2pk before, then please post your reviews and correct me if I am wrong in giving calling procedure details.

Toshiba U405D

Toshiba refers to the current Satellite design as a "Horizon" pattern in a "Fusion" finish, which basically means silver gray and black pinstripes that combine for a distinct metallic sheen. It's a smart look that will work in both casual and professional settings, but the lid is far too fingerprint prone, as are the glossy keyboard keys. We did, however, like that the touch pad is totally flush with the wrist rest using a different, matte surface material for the touch pad, so you can still easily discern the active area.

The most interesting feature is something called Sleep and Charge, which means you can plug in and charge USB devices (iPods, mobile phones, and so on) even if the laptop is in sleep or hibernate mode (and even if it is unplugged, though it will drain the battery). And you can power USB devices when the laptop is totally powered off, too, as long as it's plugged into an outlet. Most laptops provide power to USB ports only while they're turned on.

Note that this feature is turned off by default for some reason, and you'll have to hunt around to figure out how to turn it on, as it's buried in a series of submenus.

The 13 inch wide screen LCD offers a 1,280x800 pixel native resolution, which is standard for a screen this size and larger 14 and 15 inch models.

We generally prefer matte finishes on laptops screens, but didn't mind the glossy display on the U405, (or Toshiba's other Satellites) as it seemed more resistant to excessive glare than other glossy screens.

Specification

Toshiba U405D-S2852 Average for category mainstream
Video VGA-out VGA-out, S-Video
Audio Stereo speakers, headphone or microphone jacks Stereo speakers, headphone and microphone jacks
Data 2 USB 2.0, mini-FireWire, SD card reader 4 USB 2.0, SD card reader
Expansion ExpressCard/54, eSATA ExpressCard/54
Networking Modem, Ethernet, 802.11 a/b/g Wi-Fi modem, Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, optional WWAN
Optical drive DVD burner DVD burner

As on the previous U405 we looked at, there's a labeled spot for an HDMI output, but it's plugged shut, leaving only the VGA output for video. There's no Bluetooth, but at least there's an eSATA port for connecting an external hard drive and an ExpressCard slot. In all the systems we've looked at in our Holiday Retail Laptop Roundup, those with AMD CPUs have consistently underperformed Intel powered laptops in the same price range.

This was also true of the U405, which had a 2.1GHz GHz AMD Turion 64 X2 Dual-Core RM-72. It was noticeably slower than the Dell Studio S1535-143B and the Asus X83VB-X1, both of which have Intel's midrange 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T5800 for roughly the same price.

Toshiba L355D

The Satellite L355D-S7825's lid is a glossy, solid indigo color (Toshiba calls it "onyx blue") and its interior is glossy black. The overall effect is subdued, but elegant the laptop looks far more expensive than its $699 price. Both the lid and the base feature rounded corners that help the laptop appear smaller than it is though its 7.1 pound weight places it in the mainstream category, the Satellite L355D-S7825 has a larger footprint than other mainstream laptops.

In exchange for taking up more space on your desk, the Satellite L355D-S7825 offers a broad, 17.1 inch wide screen display. With a 1.440x900 pixel native resolution, the screen is great for Web browsing and watching movies however, its glossy coating results in some distracting reflections when working in brightly lit environments. We like the keyboard on the Satellite L355D-S7825 it's roomy and provides a comfortable typing experience.

The laptop's broad case also provides space for a 10 key number pad, which can be useful for entering data or playing games. The touch pad is flush with the wrist rest but not so sensitive that you'll accidentally graze the pad while typing. Otherwise, the Satellite L355D-S7825's keyboard deck is an exercise in minimalism there's no fingerprint reader or application launch buttons, just a row of buttons across the top that control media playback and mute the sound. (Volume is adjusted with a handy wheel on the laptop's front edge.)

Specification

Toshiba Satellite L355-S7825 Average for mainstream category
Video VGA-out VGA-out, S-Video
Audio Stereo speakers, headphone or microphone jacks Stereo speakers, headphone or microphone jacks
Data Three USB 2.0, multiformat memory card reader Four USB 2.0, mini-FireWire, multiformat memory card reader
Expansion ExpressCard PC Card
Networking modem, Ethernet, 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi modem, Ethernet, 802.11 a/b/g Wi-Fi, optional Bluetooth
Optical drive DVD burner with Labelflash DVD burner

The Satellite L355D-S7825 offers a rather basic feature set that's acceptable for a budget system. Toshiba does omit the mini FireWire and S-Video connectors we'd expect to see on a laptop of this size, but neither omission is glaring. However, we were disappointed in the laptop's stereo speakers, which emit just muddled sound headphones are pretty much required for enjoying music or movies on this system.

Follow Free Pc to Phone Calls on Twitter

Hi Guys,

This is not any free calling trick. This is all about Free Pc to Phone calls blog and Twitter. Twitter gained lot of popularity and is it all over the web these days. So, I thought to join Twitter and kinda liked it.

You can follow me on Twitter at - : http://twitter.com/freepctophone

I will try to be active on Twitter posting latest free calling ways and also find updates of this blog on Twitter.

Cheers to Twitter..!!

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