Digital Nomads Network Skype and Grand Central with Click2Voice
(Archived in: Nomad Resources Telephony Voip)
Digital Nomads around the globe were recently left Skypless with almost 3 days without service. Is Skype familiar with redundancy? You would think this might be kind of embarrassing. It may be that the problems all started a few days ago with scheduled maintenance on August 15th. For a blow-by-blow account, read the company posts at The Skype Blog.
I reported on The Sovereign Journey about a new and free "skype-like" service called Click2Voice. Digital Nomads will like this service, too. These new API telephony solutions keep popping up all around the world. Evidently, this is a small startup that is eating the initial cost of US and Canadian long distance to attract a user base.
Digital Nomads has tested the service and it operates similar to JAJAH, but with a much simpler online UI. There are limits of only 10 to 15 minutes per call (like GizmoCall, but without the download) depending on whether or not you register. So, there is definitely some viral marketing bait going on here. The owner tells me that this will remain a free service and supported by advertising on the website, possibly a short advert message prior to connecting calls in the future.
Nothing free lasts forever, so jump on board. The most recent post on the Click2Voice Blog gives a run down on using this service with a Skype account to make free international calls. Digital Nomads can combine this with a Google Grand Central number and have a truly mobile office for even extreme telecommuting around the globe.
Update: Check the November 2007 blog posts for updates on using this service with Skype and a Grand Central number.
Resources for Portable Professionals and Extreme Telecommuting™
7 comments:
My friend in China has been using skypeIn coupled with click2voice for the last 5 months. Blows calling cards out of the water. Plus, the other functionality most people miss is the ability to provide people with a way to call you without disclosing your real phone number. If you register, your username maps to your phone number and people can call you by clicking on a link that you can embed in your myspace or facebook etc which click2voice provides. Plus you can change your number without ever changing your username. And the free international calls are really sweet.
BTW, my captcha word was jitjk. i thought that was kind of funny.
Nick-
Thanks for the confirmation on the free international calls. I like the anonymous aspect as well.
I have used click2voice many times calling friends over seas but even in the US as well. When I first stumbled on to it I was a little hesitant but after I used it a couple times I was hooked. I also sell a lot of things on craigslist and you cant beat the HTML call me button they configure for you. I also like the Phuri add-on for click2voice too, it makes using the internet to find numbers and make calls a lot easier. I am a "click2voicer" 100%!
So far I would have to agree. Let's hope it does not get priced out the the voip arena, when it is no longer free.
The Phuri add-on has some problems, if you use Skype, Jajah or other services that recognize phone numbers too.
A Grand Central number is a great combo with this service.
That explains the strange behaviour of Skype a little while back! I may well check out click2voice but I'm finding it a bit of a drag signing up to so many services and then trying to persuade my friends to sign up as well. Most people seem to know Skype so it's the one I'm likely to stay with by default.
To YMO -
That's the beauty of Click2Voice. You not have to sign up, and neither do your friends.
Nothing to download either. You better visit the website again.
YMO digital nomad is correct with click2voice i didnt sign up when I first starting using it and neither did the people i was calling. I have become a member afterwards for the added functions but there is no absolute need to become a member to send or receive calls.
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