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IfbyPhone Launches Free Calling On Facebook

Now you can make free calls to your friends from your Facebook profile thanks to IfbyPhone, a Chicago-based telephone application platform company that has created Phone-Me-Now.

Phone-Me-Now gives Facebook friends free "click to call" functionality without disclosing their caller ID. I am not really sure if that is a good thing or not but I guess it depends on your objective. I would think it would play to the advantage of a telemarketer but I guess it could be nice to call your friends without disclosing your phone number in case you are trying to keep it private. The Phone-Me-Now application takes advantage of Ifbyphone technology to enable all types of phones (i.e. mobile, VoIP or rotary) to connect via the Web and enables inbound, outbound and click-to-call telephone applications with integrated interactive voice response dialogs.

With Skype 3.0: No More Free Calling :(

Apparently there is no such thing as a free lunch as Skype, the Internet calling service owned by eBay, which has offered unlimited calls to landline and mobile phones within the United States and Canada since last Spring. Skype is planning on charging an annual $30 fee for those same calls starting January 1, 2007 according to a recent NYTimes report. The report went on to say:

"The new annual fee for unlimited calling, while still nominal compared with other Internet calling plans, is part of a broader strategy by eBay to expand Skype’s product offerings and revenue."

I do not know how much $30 a year will affect people's decision to continue to use Skype since Skype is still going to be very inexpensive to the user. Personally, I probably will continue to use the Skype service or just limit myself to Skype to Skype calls. In a highly competitive web 2.0 world this could open the door for other services to take on Skype's current "free" calling model to differentiate itself from Skype when they do switch to a paid model. Interestingly, AOL offers a similar VOIP service to Skype called AIM Phoneline and also charges a fee for unlimited calling just like Skype's plans. It will be amusing to see if new services spring up with the free calling model. 

Blog Icons Unite on TalkCrunch Podcast

A meeting of the blogger minds has been unleashed on TalkCrunch today (September 24, 2006). The podcast, which is part of the CrunchNetwork, brings together Om Malik, Robert Scoble and Mike Arrington to discuss a number of topics ranging from the state of voice over IP (VoIP) to their favorite startups and the hot news this week in tech which include mentions of Digg, Facebook, Myspace, Skype, PicksPal, Techmeme, Jajah, Scrapblog, Rebtel, Hullo and GrandCentral. Surprisingly, they failed to mention one of the hottest startups on the web - TECH cocktail.   

These questions surfaced during this one hour podcast:

• Why is VoIP so complicating?
• Is Scrapblog the next MySpace?
• Can Digg kill local newspapers and/or disrupt Google News?

Listen in to these three don's of the blogosphere as they weigh in with their perspectives.

eBay Integrates Skype Into Listings

No surprise here, eBay has finally added a click to call link to its listings. This is a clear integration of Skype, the free Internet phone service provider, which they acquired back in September 2005. This could lead to a number of other sites (Amazon, Craigslist, Google Base) integrating similar services. The conversation has been plentiful about this move today on techmeme.

It's Tough To Argue With Free Skype Calls

Skype, voice over IP and instant messaging software company, is now free. I should restate that that, Skype has always been free to download to chat and make Skype-to-Skype calls but now it is free to call out to any US or Canada phone number. Wow, this is a big deal.

I just recently started to use Skype a few weeks ago and actually purchased a $10 credit to make outbound calls. Now you do not need credits to call US and Canada calls or Skype-to-Skype call.  I think it is a solid competitive move by Skype as Vonage prepares to IPO. it might make me re-think the usage of Vonage at all. In case you are unfamiliar, Vonage is a subscription-based voice over IP or VOIP phone service. It is tough to argue with free.

Yahoo Voice Duels Skype For Supremacy

Yahoo Voice has launched today (March 22, 2006) which gives users full inbound and outbound Voice Over IP or VOIP telephone calling capabilities. The product will directly compete with Skype which was gobbled up by eBay in 2005. Yahoo Voice should help squander the near domination in the space by Skype, though other services like Gizmo do exist.

Yahoo requires users to download the latest version of Yahoo Instant Messenger client and will compete by offering slightly cheaper service than Skype at $2.99 a month or $29.90 a year and then two cents a minute to place calls.

I am not a big Skype user since I pay for Vonage, another VOIP service that requires a little more hardware and setup than the PC based services. However, if I was not using Vonage, I am sure I would be using one of the other PC based VOIP options.

To better understand how Yahoo Voice works be sure to check out the How To Make Phone Calls Page. Also check out these reviews on TechCrunch and PC Magazine.