Truphone will today give the first public demonstration of a Voice over Internet Protocol over Wi-Fi phone call on the Apple iPhone. Chief executive officer James Tagg will make the VoIP call in front of an audience of 350 delegates to DEMOfall 07 in San Diego, CA.
The company will also give a demonstration of an application that mashes up social networking site Facebook and traditional telephony. Any Facebook user will be able to click on a friend’s Truphone ‘Call Me’ button, and a free phone call will be initiated to whichever phone their friend has chosen. This will mean free calls to real phones for everyone in the Facebook community.
Altogether, Truphone will today demonstrate:
– VoIP on the Apple iPhone (SIP-SIP, SIP-Phone, Phone-SIP)
– VoIP from Facebook (to SIP and to PSTN)
– and, as an encore, Facebook-iPhone using SIP.
Truphone says, “Many people have called for true VoIP calling on Apple’s iPhone. Truphone will today prove that it is possible using the iPhone’s in-built Wi-Fi capability. Truphone’s demonstration will comprise two iPhones connected to Wi-Fi on the DEMOfall 07 stage. A VoIP call will be initiated from one handset, routed via Wi-Fi and the Internet to Truphone’s servers, and then back again to the access point and onwards to the destination handset – a 100% IP phone call. Today’s event will be a live demonstration only and is not a commercial launch of Truphone on the iPhone. Truphone does not need to unlock the SIM in order to operate its service for the iPhone.”
James Tagg, Truphone’s CEO, said in the press release, “Truphone is truly the mobile operator for the internet age and our aim is to see Truphone available on all cellular phones with the inherent functionality needed to make VoIP calls. The Apple iPhone is such a phone and we’re pleased to be able to show it working for real.”
Truphone demonstrates VoIP-over-WiFi on the Apple iPhone:
Source: Truphone
But how do they get the voice input? I didn’t think you could do that from Javascript or anything. So it must not be a Web 2.0 app, but a hack of the iPhone. Which means you have to have a hack installer, and it’s not supported by Apple.
I’d love to have VOIP on my iPhone. But if an iPhone software update can kill it (intentionally or not) at any moment, I certainly wouldn’t pay a penny for it.
“Truphone does not need to unlock the SIM in order to operate its service for the iPhone.”
SO they say… ok SUM JUNG GAI
Interesting concept, and great job integrating the app… but not very practical since the phone can already make and receive calls.
Not only that, but you have to be within range of a Wi-fi network to use it.
@ Jimithy
I respectfully disagree. As an example, my wife, a stay at home Mom, has a Verizon account and not only makes calls when out and about, but a ton while in the house. A bunch of her friends are with Verizon so her mobile-to-mobile covers that. If I switched her to an iPhone now (which she’d love) I’d have to buy a huge plan to cover her minutes or have to ask her to always call from the land-line when at home (a hassle). If she can call via Wifi when at home problem is solved and I would buy an iPhone for her tomorrow. Seriously. Plus, this eventually leads all her friends to buy an iPhone too so they would be on the same AT&T;network (and they’d obviously want one once they saw it). This would be a huge positive for Apple.
Folks, the iPhone is a mobile phone sold exclusively through AT&T;. I doubt Apple is allowed to have it used as a VOIP phone.
There are a lot more things a device like this could do, but you have to remember that Apple is in contract with AT&T;and cannot do everything they would like to do with this phone.
Didn’t Steve Jobs mention that there is a new product on the Horizon? Hmm… Now that the iPhone has wet our appetites perhaps its time to revisit the PDA??
-jl
This company will undoubtedly finish this product and develop some touch UI for it. However, until (and if) Apple opens up the device for third-party apps, the only way to install anything on it would be by jailbraking (hacking) the phone. While you don’t need to hack the SIMM lock, you still need to hack the phone to install this app. In the end, it’s a type of hassle that very few people are going to be willing to take.
As for the spirit of the initiative, it’s probably good. It demonstrates the sheer enormity of demand and popularity of the device. On the other hand, there is a strong chance that Apple might come knocking at the company’s door for violating EUL by hacking it and putting VoIP app on it.
This is great for people who travel over seas, being able to make calls without ATT 59 cent a min roaming plus long distance charges, with out having to unlock your phone.
I carry my vonage adapter hooked to my Mac Book Pro, but this is a lot better, good luck to them.
@Predrag
With all due respect, I think you’re vastly overestimating the complication associated with jailbreaking. It takes maybe 10 minutes for the jailbreak and another 15 for the SIM unlock, including all the time it takes to find and download the files. modmyiphone has the best step by step guides for both PC and Mac, including links to all the files. Just click on guides.
Apple’s also made it clear that this apparently big snafu that will allegedly permanently brick hacked iPhones when they update the firmware only applies to SIM unlocks. Regular jailbreakers should wait and see what happens before applying it and will probably need to run another jailbreak but their phones won’t be in any kind of permanent danger.
I for one am really looking forward to seeing this app come to fruition, if for no other reason than to use one device for all my calls. I already use Skype when I’m in front of my computer and have the calls forwarded to my cellphone when I’m not. If this works the way they claim, I can put my Skype phone back in the closet and just use the iPhone for everything. Not a huge deal but easily worth $20 or so in hassle, especially since I save about $1,000 a year by relying mostly on Skype.
that “demos”, doesn’t actually demo a thing! there’s no proof that that was actually working! pleeeeeeeeeeeeease! i’m not saying it can’t be done, or even that it hasn’t. i’m just saying this video is a waste of time. i’ve seen magic trics that are more revealing!!
@brindle
There is absolutely no need for a new device. Both the iPhone and the iPod Touch are full-fledged computers with full-fledged operating systems. All they need is more software.
If there is a PDA in the horizon, it would probably be in the form of software you install through iTunes updates.