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Tag: google-talk

  • Imo Pairs VoIP Capabilities With Its IM App

    Imo has been widely used for years now by fans of instant messaging looking to bring all their various accounts under one umbrella. The company recently announced that it is expanding its free VoIP calling service from an Android-only option to users on iOS devices as well.

    The Imo app can aggregate the eleven top IM applications into one easy service. And while Android clients have enjoyed free VoIP calling on top of all of that, any Apple users running iOS 3.1 or later who also have a 3G or better wireless connection will now be able to make their own VoIP calls.

    Users should take note that calls made while on your own 3G or 4G service will sap your data plan, and could be costly if you’re not too careful. Simply switching to an available Wi-Fi service will remove that concern.

    According to Imo representatives, the quality of the calling service should stand up to any traditional phone. Add that to the app’s voice-based IM service, photo sharing capability, and group messaging through Google Talk, Skype, Facebook Chat and many others, and you’ve got one powerful tool on your mobile device.

    The proof is in the numbers. To date, Imo has been downloaded more than four million times. And people are really using it as well. They average more than fifty million messages delivered each and every day, from over 700,000 regular users. Imo added VoIP calling to their Android app in February of this year, and it is a bit odd that it took them so long to figure it out for iOS customers. That delay may cost them some users, as there are now several other VoIP service apps for iOS devices that have already gained traction.

  • Logitech's HDTV Webcam Enables Home Theater Skype Connection

    Logitech has long led the industry in wireless technology, with a mouse and keyboard sure to be found in most offices and homes in America. Now they’re launching pushing into new wireless territory with the TV Cam HD, a webcam that can be mounted on your home theater system.

    The TV Cam HD is a fully standalone device that comes stock with Skype built in. You place it on top of your current HDTV and log on to your Skype account wirelessly through your home network. And with the remote control, you can take care of the whole process from the comfort of your couch.

    Logitech didn’t rush this latest device, and the details prove that out. The wide-angle lens is a Carl Zeiss, and you’ll find four internal microphones to allow for group conversations. The inclusion of Skype on the TV Cam HD sets this release apart from prior Logitech releases such as the standard TV Cam., which required an HDTV set that was compatible with the camera and already installed with Skype. That became a problem, as many of the biggest HDTV brands, such as Samsung, Panasonic and LG, offer sets that do not support webcams on their own.

    Other popular integrated video conferencing units include the Biscotti and the Tely Labs TelyHD. The former works with Google Talk, and the latter with Skype. But Logitech’s version integrates so seamlessly with HDTV units that it may give those competitors some serious fits moving forward.

    Consumers can grab the TV Cam HD starting this month for $199, making it middle-of-the-pack as far as pricing. But if you spend a great deal of time on Skype and want to experience it in full HDTV quality, the purchase will be more than worth it.

  • Obi202 VoIP Adapter Allows for Free Local Calls

    A company called Obihai Technology has created the Obi202, a VoIP adapter that, when used in conjunction with Google Talk gives consumers the ability to make unlimited free local calls. Google will allow the service to run free of charge through the end of the year, and the Obi202 can be bought for a mere $75 on Amazon.com.

    The crux of the Obi202’s visibility comes through their partnership with Google Talk. There are many other VoIP adapters on the market, but with the Obi202, a user doesn’t even need a computer to make or receive calls. In addition, it will work with any standard telephone. You plug the device into your router, and you’re basically ready to use the service.

    VoIP-List.com: extensive catalog of voip providers, available software and hardware resources

    Google has allowed free local calls with Google Talk since the summer of 2010, and they’ll continue to do so through the end of the year. At the end of each year they made an announcement about continued free service. So users will have to take a wait and see approach, as Google may end up offering another year of free local calls in the eleventh hour.

    Basic calling isn’t the only thing the Obi202 can do. Hop on your Android or iOs-powered device and download the OBiON app. It’s free as well, and will give you a fantastic additional service, the ability to bridge calls from your cell phone. That means even if you have a tablet or an iPod device with network service, you could then use it to make calls. And with a bit of extra code work, you could even receive incoming calls as well.

    Reviewers have been more than pleased with the latest version of the Obi202. The voice quality is impeccable, the router they ship is solid, and you can connect two different phone handsets and set up as many as four different VoIP accounts. It plugs right into a USB port, and can be connected to a hard drive that will then link into the router. Basically, it allows you to create your own cloud storage service, and you can link it up with Google Drive or Dropbox for added features.

  • Users Complain of Spotty Google Talk Services

    Google spends an awful lot of time and money advertising some of their services, and Google Talk, featured on Gmail and Google+, receives a large percentage of that attention. Yet any users who attempted to use Google Talk on the east coast of the United States and around the world during one day last week disappointedly met only dead air.

    The service drop occurred just before 7AM EST, and continued for the next six hours. During that time, none of Google Talk’s VoIP services or video conferencing capabilities were available. Google hopped on their sites to report that they were aware of the problem, and that it was impacting a majority of their users. They promised swift action, which then took much of the day to materialize.

    Issues like these are one of the only things keeping VoIP companies from expanding their dominance even further. People need reliable telephone service, and many Google customers are businesses. Losing voice, chat and video services for more than half a day could be devastating if the timing is poor.

    VoIP-List.com: extensive catalog of voip providers, available software and hardware resources.

    The timing of the Google Voice crash was also quite strange in that it occurred on the same day that Twitter crashed for several hours. Of course they couldn’t be related, but that’s millions upon millions of dissatisfied users.

    Before Twitter went down, reports were surfacing there that the Google Talk delays were seen not only in the United States and the UK, but actually all around the world. Google did not give a reason for the issue, only promising to resolve it expediently. Hours later, they were able to solve the problem.