14 DAY TRIAL // Voxofon, a provider of VoIP services, has just announced the release of a mobile client for Android-powered phones that enables users to make cheap international phone calls.
The application, which has run until now in beta, has been well received by the T-Mobile G1 handset owners, mainly because of its ease of use. After installing the software on the phone, whenever the user dials an international number, a window pops up, listing all calling options (Call via Local Number, Callback My Mobile, etc.) as well as the exact rate for each option. If the user is not logged in, it displays the number of free test minutes he has for each type of call.
The charges incurred for making an international call start at 1.3 cents per minute, with no additional fees, depending on the destination. The application can use both Wi-Fi at available hotspots, or the data connection of the phone (GPRS, EDGE, 3G, etc). After signing up for the service, users are given $0.50 credit to try out the service.
The application is especially useful when traveling abroad to avoid paying the expensive roaming charges of the mobile operator. The user can avoid this by purchasing a local SIM card in the country where he is and use the Voxofon application with it. Or, he can use the 'Callback Other' function to connect a local number in that country to the destination – in this case, he pays the mobile operator only for the roaming data usage during call setup, which amounts to a few KB of data.
"At present, most people who own mobile phones still make international calls via landlines, calling cards or computer VoIP services," said Alexey Goloshubin, president and CEO of Voxofon. "With inexpensive and easy-to-use options such as Voxofon's Android application, we expect an increasing number of people to use their mobile phones for calls abroad. It's much more convenient."
T-Mobile G1 handset owners can download the Voxofon application directly on the device from the Android Market. Besides the Android-powered phone, users can make calls via Voxofon using the computer, landline, iPhone and most handsets with an Internet connection.