Talk about strange – while Google Voice can’t get so much as their foot in the App Store’s door, Vonage has just done a pirouette and waltzed right through. According to a recent release from the Jersey-based VOIP giant, their new Vonage mobile application has been approved for inclusion into Apple’s App Store as soon as it comes out of beta.
Details at this point are still lacking: we have no idea when it will actually release, nor do we know how much it’ll cost for all you Vonage-faithful out there. The press release doesn’t even go into what kind of services the app will provide, but we can certainly hazard a few guesses.
Given Vonage’s position in the VOIP industry, it seems likely that we may soon have a Google Voice-esque app that allows users to make and receive calls that tie into an existing Vonage phone number, but right now your guess is as good as ours. For all we know, we could be looking at something as lackluster as an extension of Vonage’s existing Visual Voicemail service, but hopefully the app won’t stop short of what it should be.
Of course, given the ease of Vonage’s app approval, one question in particular is bound to come up. Apple claims that the deciding factor in holding up Google Voice’s approval was that it “[replaced] the iPhone’s core mobile telephone functionality and Apple user interface with its own user interface for telephone calls, text messaging and voicemail”. It’ll be interesting to dig in and see how Vonage adapts to Apple formula, but it looks like it will be a while before we can judge for ourselves.
I hope it works on the iPod Touch. That will be so awesome.
How do you expect to speak thro ipod touch – if vonage app provides the ability to make a call
$10 microphone plugs into the headphone jack. Makes a decent voip phone.
google voice isnt voip
Everything about this post is rediculous. You don’t know anything about the vonage app, yet declare it could be like google voice, and whine about it being approved despite google voice rejection. TechCrunch has become pathetic, like a pouty little spoiled brat, “I want google voice now mommy”. Apples explanation on goole voice rejection is very clear and reasonable, stop crying about it and open your ears, even a child can understand this situation.
While I certainly don’t agree that Apple’s reasoning was fair, I do think Tech Crunch has been writing some poor articles as of late.
I can’t say I’m entirely surprised. It was pretty obvious from the beginning that the Google Voice app store debacle was a shot across the bow at Google, not at VOIP services.
i think it was pretty obvious despite the apple legal talk. any decent bullshitter can smell apple bs in a milisecond.
Given the ease with which the app is being included in the app store, I am doubtful it has the VoIP capabilities. Maybe just account management and
voicemail handling?
OR maybe its Apple’s way to get back to Google, and will have full VoIP functionalities.
Who knows?
…if so google will push out uma android sevices with tmo. Then crush both vonage and att
I read on the Vonage press realese that it work (whatever it is) on the iPod Touch. So enjoy its awesomeness…
Love Vonage. Been a customer for 6 years. Service has improved leaps and bounds.
Huh? There are already several VOIP apps. They are restricted to WiFi. Simple. How is this anything like GV or surprising at all? Especially when you have NO DETAILS whatsoever. Odd.
The Call Global app works outside of WIFI zones. It is the only app in the app store that does this.
If you read the explanation of the GV rejection it is pretty clear that the issue was Google itself, nor VOIP, but rather, that the GV app created a completely different UI experience from the iPhone’s basic UI experience. If Google had stayed “within the lines” instead of taking the route they did, it would have been easily approved too. The bigger issue with GV was the refusal to use the built in apps for messages, addressbook, etc.
Not sure why TechCrunch is always so anti-iPhone.
what?
how is this app any different than the Skype app?
I am asking myself the same question.
Skype works and Vonage has one of the worst customer service records. Past that no there isn’t much of a difference!
that’s the first question i asked when i saw the headline to this story.
don’t think it’ll be any different. however, people like me who already have vonage are not forced to subscribe to skype just to have out of country voip capabilities on the iphone. i was going to sign up for skype this week until i saw this. with this, i now have the ability to use vonage on the iphone to have unlimited overseas calls.
also, never had any problems with customer service… saying that, i have only called in once because i almost never have any problems with the service. think it is like any other customer service dept, you have the good and the bad..l. you were just unlucky enough to get a bad customer service rep.
Vonage already offers “use your account from your computer” access for an extra $10/month . . . my guess is that they will have a similar price here (it’s just a software client, you know!). So the question would become: can you use the $10 extra option from your choice of devices using your choice of clients?
Jeff Yablon
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Virtual VIP Business Coaching and Virtual Assistant Services
Vonage represents the worst product & service experience of my life. Only second to their billing department and their shady practices. My recommendation would be stay as far away from this company as possible. Odd to see them on the iPhone!
I second that!
You people who pay for VoIP are quite an enigma.
Here’s a great article showing you how to hack your iphone into a Vonage softphone. You can make SIP – Vonage calls from your Iphone over the net.
http://networkjew.com/2009/08/29/hack-your-iphone-itouch-into-a-vonage-softphone/
when the post title includes “Iphone/ iTouch” you know the blog is a keeper!
I love the google voice service but having used it on the iphone I’m not as sure the app rejection was as much of a conspiracy as everyone thinks.
It’s functional and all, but still a far cry from having the kind of polish that most of the apps seem to have. (every screen requires a “refresh” to see new data, imagine if all the core functions were browser pages.. it’s annoying and feels hacky)
just saying…
That’s not Google’s app that you’ve been using. It’s one made from a 3rd party developer.
> “we have no idea when it will actually release, nor do we know how much it’ll cost for all you Vonage-faithful out there. The press release doesn’t even go into what kind of services the app will provide, but we can certainly hazard a few guesses.”
> “it seems likely that …”
> “your guess is as good as ours”
What a brilliant piece of reporting… This feels like total link-bait-sensationalism. Maybe you could have kept this one in the oven until you had actual details.
Google must be upset when hearing about this news.
For me .. google voice is not even a voip application. you go to the interface, make a call, and then wait to receive a call from google voice, and answer, then it starts dialing the original caller. This is not voip in the same way skype or I imagine vonage will be. In google voice, you are still using you’re anytime minutes. With skype or vonage you’ll be using you data plan.
I read on about that it work on the iPod Touch. Its awesome
Who is evil now?
Hello
If we can call long distance via Vonage that will be awesome. I have Vonage World Plan and call unlimited to 60 countries including India, Australia. :)
http://www.vonage.com/residential_calling_plans/vonage_world/?refer_id=WEBHB090201002W1
http://blogs.barrons.com/techtraderdaily/2009/09/02/att-buy-vonage-get-serious/?mod=yahoobarrons
It is great to see Vonage join in on revolutionizing the telecom industry.
But i want to know why the hell no one in the tech community is talking about the Call Global app. The app is the only VOiP app that works outside of WIFI zones. They are cheaper than Skype. They have HD call quality. And unlike Google and Vonage. They are already in the app store.
The tech community needs to open their eyes and look beyond the household names like Skype, Vonage, and Google. Because they are overlooking great innovations.
Here is an interesting review from the International Business Times
http://www.ibtimes.com/blogs/articles/9216/20090827/call-global-app.htm
Call Global is AT&T’s biggest threat, and in my opinion they are the biggest story in the VOiP revolution. Its just that no one has really told the story yet.
there is one thing that makes google voice radically different from all the other VOIP services providing connection to the PSTN network. that one thing: its FREE!!! and that is HUGE!!!
That is a big coo for Vonage.