AfterDawn: News

Free mobile calls to Skype users?

Skype has become a hugely popular free service on the Internet that allows you to make free VoIP phone calls all over the world. However one company, Vendex International Ltd, has tackled one major problem with this free service. It requires its users to be sitting at a computer to make the calls (usually). Vendex International Ltd has now released its free software that will allow people to make free calls (or low cost) from their mobile phones to users of Skype.

It achieves all this simply through a standard Bluetooth connection. This is the first time such a service has hit the mobile communications business. "Skype users are not satisfied with sitting at their computers and, in this rapidly developing globalised world, there’s a growing demand for low cost mobile calls across international borders," explains Michael Patrick Dwen, CEO EpyxMobile. "Our software does exactly that; free or low cost calls from your mobile phone to people all over the world."



The new software is also compatible with a pay service offered by Skype. "Furthermore, the software is compatible with SkypeOut, which means that the 1.2 million SkypeOut users will now be able to make their calls from their mobile instead of their PC and continue to benefit from low cost rates." Dwen said. Skype currently offers the SkypeIn and SkypeOut pay services.

SkypeIn gives users three phone numbers that can be reached by normal phones, fixed or mobile. SkypeOut allows its users to make low cost calls to other phones around the world. It is a pre-paid service.

Source:
Light Reading

Written by: James Delahunty @ 11 Jul 2005 18:07

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• 6 comments

• duckNrun

  hmmm teaming up Skype with Kazaa isn't my idea of a terribly smart move. For one, every one knows Kazaa is full of spyware and contains mostly crap files (I think the latest stats say 60% of kazaa files are sh!t) So this just makes Skype (which seems good enough in it's own right) appear to be guilty by association. There certainly had to be a better pairing than this.

  12.7.2005 10:19 #1

• Buik

  DuckNrun,
  
  Yes, Kazaa is (or was full) of spyware, Skype is not. The devlopers of KaZaa have only used their P2P programming to make this free service available.
  
  I do believe that KaZaa, as a service and program are now defunct. Someone correct me if I am wrong, please. I never engaged in file sharing, centralized or not so am not too current on the subject.
  
  Now I know that KaZaa is mentioned in many reviews of Skype because it's developers were pioneers in the P2P revolution.
  
  Instead of adware & spyware, Skype appears to be relying more on revenue from their Skypein & Skypeout programs. Maybe some from popup ads.
  
  Bottom line, this is not a teaming up of Skype & Kazaa. Totally different venture and ethics.
  
  TC

  12.7.2005 17:43 #2

• riphack

  
  Ducknrun
  
  As far as I know the guy who started Kazaa also started Skype. It was an obvious move to get free advertising and links to Skype from his own P2P network.(good move there is more profit from telephone services than dowloading ripped music etc).I use Skype the system works well, I don't get spyware probs.
  
  R

  12.7.2005 22:02 #3

• adachan

  I can already do this with my pocket pc using Skype. I just need a coffee shop/McDonalds with open 802.11b/g and away I go with free calls using my pocket pc. It has a built in mic and I can use standard headphones. Its free and sounds better than my cell phone!

  15.7.2005 13:12 #4

• duckNrun

  Not being a Skype user, I defer to all of your guys' obvios knowledge and experience with Skype :o)
  
  I however stand by my opinion that a better teaming up could have been arranged (e.g the Skype plugin for FireFox or an IM program or something lol), if for no other reason than to give Skype a better association.
  (i.e I may not be a criminal, but I certainly should expect to have the possibility of that perception pop up when I'm hanging out at 3 a.m in an area known for it's criminal activity and surrounded by known criminals.)
  
  However I am glad to hear that you all haven't had any issues or problems with the service, it seemed full of possibilities.

  15.7.2005 14:43 #5

• mr4top

  FREE MOBILE CALLS
  
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  http://erpegypt.com/freecalls/

  26.7.2008 07:08 #6