The rumors from mid-Dec. were confirmed on January 9th (yeah, we’re a bit late on this one; this certainly isn’t where JAJAH news comes first). Anyway, from the JAJAH Blog:
We are announcing today that we are going to support the iPhone as soon as it becomes available in June 2007.
Like the rest of the known planet, we just watched Steve Job’s introduction of the Apple iPhone. The JAJAH office is buzzing with excitement. It might be one of the most beautiful products ever created. And if you are in the business of bringing mobile VoIP to everyday people like we are, this is exciting news.
It’s not every day that someone changes the landscape of an industry with a single product announcement, but Apple has become known for it. The iPhone promises to change the way we think of mobile computing and communication the same way the iPod changed the way we think about music.
We are going to bring JAJAH Mobile to the iPhone as soon as it becomes available. iPhone users will be able to make free or very low cost global JAJAH calls with a single click, without a special download, other equipment, wi-fi or broadband access. You’ll just need to be a registered JAJAH user – and registration is free.
If you’re a JAJAH fan, you already know we have an Mac Address Book Plugin and JAJAH user, Greg Smithies has recently pulled together a Mac OS X JAJAH Widget. The iPhone solution will further extend our commitment to the Mac community.
Many of us at JAJAH are long-time Mac fans and we couldn’t be happier that Apple is bringing their design and innovations to the world of telephony.
Thanks Apple, and welcome to the world of Voice 2.0.
Source here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “LinuxGuy and Mac Prodigal Son” for the heads up.]
MacDailyNews Notes: Back in December, we reported that German-language website “futureZone” had quoted Daniel Mattes, co-founder of JAJAH, as saying that JAJAH was in intense conversations with Apple over the use of JAJAH software for a mobile phone. We also mentioned that JAJAH has been described by some as a “Skype Killer.” (See related article below.)
JAJAH Mobile Web will allow you to make VoIP calls straight from the browser on your smartphone to anywhere in the world with no download, installation, or contract. Users just type in mobile.jajah.com into their mobile browser and enter their JAJAH user name and password. Then it’s just a 1-click call to any address in your JAJAH address book. That’s why you should be able to use that JAJAH offering on the Apple iPhone. If so, the iPhone becomes more valuable, but the price stays the same.
Now, the JAJAH blog post links to the JAJAH Mobile Plugin when they state, “We are going to bring JAJAH Mobile to the iPhone as soon as it becomes available.” The plugin would seem to require Apple’s blessing — which we haven’t heard Apple give, yet. Stay tuned.
JAJAH rates: http://www.jajah.com/info/rates/
Related article:
RUMOR: Apple ‘iPhone’ may include JAJAH VoIP software – December 15, 2006
hmmmm…… i doubt apple will let them develop as it would drive down minutes but you really never know
Wha ja?? What the faa?
No, I imagine that time online probably counts as “minutes” too. In one way or another
Being online is not minutes. It’s a monthly fee for data.
For EDGE, I’m assuming it’s either $15 a month unlimited, or subsidized completely ($180 per year). 3G is considerably more, so I’m okay with the cheaper option along with wifi.
Why in the hell does Apple care about the cost of minutes?
What about iChat?
It makes sense to be able to use iChat on iPhone with a broadband connection. Does anyone know if this will be possible?
No, time spent on Jajah won’t count towards minutes if the connection is made via the WiFi that the iPhone has built in.
It seems to me that Apple has a long-term strategy for screwing up Cingular. They’ll use the telco to enter the market and then later will take-off by themselves, letting Cingular eat dust.
I agree with Macula.
Steve would not make a dramatic introduction of a new product like the iPhone, suggesting it’s as revolutionary as 1984, if it isn’t going to have “unforseen,” long-term impact.
Obsolescence of the cellular industry is something of that magnitude.
Embrace and extinguish. Textbook.
From what I read, they are only talking about wanting to develope for the iPhone. No confirmed development platform available from Apple though.
I’d love to see this work out.
Seems to me that there will have to be some under the hood things that Apple needs to put in place to allow this.
On a computer, the sound is automatically routed to the speakers in the sound prefs. And the mic is also so chosen.
Not sure that the iPhone will automatically make this connection from its web browser to the phone’s speaker and mic circuitry. The basic phone will have to recognize that the audio in/out that normally is associated with the phone part should also be shared with the browser application.
Am I just an idiot here? (Yes, I’m an asshole, but can be right once in a while)
How about voice memos? Do people still use those, or is it all text entry?
That requires the microphone routed into an application.
Of course it’s supported. Any device with an html browser can use jajah.
1.Go to their website
2.Sign in
3.Make a call
The lack of program to download is what makes jajah so great.
Yes. Yes. I’ve seen this done before.
Wal Mart did it to Tom Thumb before there were Supercenters.
It’s all becoming clear…
This is the greatest of news!!!!!!!!
for me and alot of people who do not live in the States,
I travel from Mexico to the States 4-5 times a year, and was getting an iPhone for the cell part when in the States, and just to play with the rest of the time, cingular charges 59 cents a minute in Mexico.
I am angered and terrified.
Skype Killer?
Skype Video calls to family in US from Japan- Free
Skype calls to US landline and cell phones from Japan .02 cents
JAJAH: 5.5 yen to 18 yen / 5 cents / 16 cents
Still a little expensive.
From what I can tell, jajah still depends on the cellular, not the wifi connection. Its servers call your cellphone and the party you want to call. This means — airtime. So I think this is still going to cost you minutes.
Skype, on the other hand, if built in, would use data traffic not airtime. So, no wonder that Apple & Cingular/ATT went with the airtime-using ‘solution’?
I do wish this is wrong, and that one day, there will be an iphone with true voip capability.
In sum, I think macula and madmac are confusing the way jajah works with the way skype works.
on the other hand:
1. jajah does work with any modern mobile that has internet capability as long as you have a GPRS connection.
2. on yr mobile: you go to the jajah website via GPRS. yr login account info is uploaded to jajah along with the number you want to call. any number in the world, land line, mobile line, anywhere.
3. GPRS connection closes (therefore no web/data/packet charges other than the brief GPRS session listed in number 2)
4. jajah rings yr mobile fon. you answer and you are talking to the other party.
rates: not as low as skype. but then again, i cant get skype to work on my fon, can you?
if you are roaming in a foreign country, this jajah solution is the way to go.
advantage is simplyt you are able to use yr own mobile, not yr computer to call at reduced rates.
apple chose jajah since it is mobile handset based. simple.
on the other hand:
1. jajah does work with any modern mobile that has internet capability as long as you have a GPRS connection.
2. on yr mobile: you go to the jajah website via GPRS. yr login account info is uploaded to jajah along with the number you want to call. any number in the world, land line, mobile line, anywhere.
3. GPRS connection closes (therefore no web/data/packet charges other than the brief GPRS session listed in number 2)
4. jajah rings yr mobile fon. you answer and you are talking to the other party.
rates: not as low as skype. but then again, i cant get skype to work on my fon, can you?
if you are roaming in a foreign country, this jajah solution is the way to go.
advantage is simplyt you are able to use yr own mobile, not yr computer to call at reduced rates.
apple chose jajah since it is mobile handset based. simple.
their prices are too high. 24 cents for mobile to mobile (us to italy)? rip off. Skype is 2.1 cents regardless if it’s a landline or mobile to mobile (us to Italy)
I’m happy, calls between Mexico and States 5.2 cents a minute vs cingular 59 cents a minute roaming
http://blog.jajah.com/index.php?/archives/158-JAJAH-Kills-Roaming.html
Forgive me if I’m confused. Doesn’t seem like it’s true VOIP the way I’m used to it. You call a number, then JaJah calls your phone, then they call number you want to contact. You answer, then wait to be connected, then you talk. Can you use this for purely computer to computer talking? Must you have a cell connection or a landline number to use this service? That’s not very convenient if you’re traveling overseas. Seems to work differently from Skype. I think I’d rather have a Skype widget and avoid the Cingular side altogether. I went to their website–it’s not very clear how it works. Can anyone explain it like I’m in kindergarten? VOIP on the iPhone would be awesome.
Jajah is not VOIP but rather internet telephony. Jajah works with any regular land-based or cellular telephone. For cell phones air time is a factor for Jajah calls just like any other call. It won’t be any different for the iPhone other than you’ll be able to initiate a Jajah call from the iPhone rather from a computer.