Business News Holding

Tag: social-media

  • Fring Targets Mainstream Users With New Funding


    VoIP start-up fring has announced that it intends to accelerate its growth plans after completing a third round of funding.

    Avi Shechter, fring co-founder and CEO, said a key objective is to make the free VoIP and IM service easier to use for mainstream "fringsters".

    While no details on the level of funding were available, all previous fring investors participated in this round including US based North Bridge Venture Partners, Pitango Venture Capital, Veritas Venture Partners and VenFin Limited.

    Shechter said fring is already turning the mobile into the "ultimate social device" by mashing up people’s favourite forms and modes of communication.

    "We plan to add to the fring experience and make it an ever more central part of fringsters’ social lives," he said.

    fring users can currently share experiences with friends on facebook, Twitter, Last.fm, among others, while communicating via Skype, MSN Messenger, GoogleTalk TM, Yahoo!TM, AIM and ICQ.

    Shechter said the new capital would be used to make fring even more accessible to the rest of the mobile world.

  • C2Call Unveils Updated Browser-based Service


    C2Call has launched a second beta of its computer-to-computer service that allows free calls around the world.

    The German startup also introduced new APIs – software tools that enable social media sites to add browser-based voice calls to any Web site.

    Martin Feuerhahn, CEO of C2Call, said a major appeal of C2C was its simplicity and the fact calls were made direct from the browser.

    He said users no longer had to download, install, configure and update special software just to make VoIP calls or just to talk only to users on the same service.

    "Instead of tapping out messages to online friends on social media sites, C2Call gets people talking – which helps to increase use of the site," he said.

    For users, computer to landline and computer to mobile calls cost from two cents (Euro) per minute, depending on tariffs – and C2Call displays rates when they apply, as that call is made.

    There are no connection charges or set-up fees.

    C2Call is platform independent. It works by temporarily loading a Java widget into Internet Explorer, Safari and Firefox when running under the Windows, Mac or Linux operating systems.

    The widget establishes a peer-to-peer voice connection that works behind firewalls.