Skype And Fring At Video War?

Skype And Fring At Video War http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/
VoIP Watch is reporting (You can read more about the issue there) that Fring and Skype are at war. Both sides are sending accusations to each other and wonder where all these end. Fring says Skype blocked them and Skype tells us that Fring violated the API terms.
VoIP Watch.

Fring Brings Video Calling To iPhone

iPhone Video With Fring, snapvoip.blogspot.com
Had the Apple positioned the camera on iPhone 3GS differently, people may been able to do video conferencing easily. But Apple decided to make the camera unique for taking photos and videos. So it is next to impossible to have a meaningful video conversation in two iphones, unless you are next to each other and pointing the iPhones at each other.
But you always find resourceful developers like Fring who decided to not to be hampered by the camera position on the iPhone. Fring has enabled only incoming video-stream only on new Fring for iPhone / iPod Touch. But you can have two way video conversations on S60 based phones like Nokia N series.

This video feature is embedded within the fring application that enables free voice calls from the iPhone and iPod Touch to other fring users, Skype and GTalk buddies as well as friends on regular phone lines via Skype-Out and hundreds of popular SIP services. fring users can live chat, update profiles, share files and talk with friends from several Instant Messaging services like MSN, AIM, GoogleTalk and Skype, in addition to interacting with popular online social networks like Twitter, all from one integrated fring contact list
“Leveraging excellent video capabilities on the iPhone and iPod touch together with our open internet and social environment, we’re bringing together families and friends these holidays, wherever they are…We were the first to bring mobile voice over internet (VoIP) to mobile devices, the first to bring iPhone/ iPod touch users the choice to make free Internet calls, the first to enable cost-saving mobile twitter over internet, and now we’re proud to continue leading the field of rich mobile-internet communication by bringing users the world’s first fring video calls over internet for the iPhone and iPod touch.”said Avi Shechter, Co-Founder & CEO of fring on the occasion.
The new fring version with video calls support is currently available to users with iPhone/ iPod touch OS 3.0. Fring also supports many devices on multiple platforms including Symbian S60, Android, Windows Mobile, J2ME and Linux devices.
 

Press Release
Download the new fring version

Layoffs At Fring?

http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/
Even though the company is said to be doing well, Fring has about 20%(all 10 of them) go according to TechCrunch. But these layoffs might keep the company afloat throughout 2009 according to company CEO Avi Schecter.
I like the service what fring provides me and recent deals like joint effort with Mobilkom, should have pushed the company in the upward direction on charts that investors and bankers look at. But I have a feeling that Fring has not problem, coming up with solutions, like it did with our mobile problems!
Mobile is on the up.
GigaOm and ever inquisitive Ken Camp has also written on the issue.

Tags: VoIP business, fring, mobile Voip

Mobilkom Joins Fring To Provide Moblie VoIP And More

http://snapvoip.blogspot.com
Telekom Austria's mobile arm, Mobilkom, who provides A1 over IP service product, has partnered with Fring, to provide what they called first ever mobile VoIP and Social services by tier one network operator. As the news published here and from experience, we know that Fring is going places but this is another good if not strategic move as it proves to mobile network providers, that there are other players than Skype. Skype has already partnered with Three network that is present in the country.

Initially, Mobilkom's A1 Over IP service will be integrated with fring's SIP service. Mobilkom Austria will provide a custom mobile fring client to its customers opening up fring’s entire open-platform, feature-rich suite of internet based mobile communications & community services, enabling users to talk, chat and interact with each other & all of their online communities, and access fun mobile web applications, using the internet connection capability of their mobile device.
"Avi Shechter, fring’s co-founder and CEO commented: “Today’s announcement by fring and its new partner, mobilkom Austria, represents just the beginning of a sea change in the relationship between mobile VoIP and traditional mobile carriers.

Dr. Hannes Ametsreiter, CMO mobilkom austria and CMO Telekom Austria TA said: “Internet services and mobile communications will increasingly grow together in the future. We were very early to adopt the international SIP standard. Through the partnership with fring we can demonstrate today how the two worlds will merge in the future." "

Tags: fring, mobile Voip, skype, A1 over IP service, Mobilkom, VoIP, SIP

Free Calls On iPhone With Fring!

Fring has released fring for iPhone and I think many people are excited like me. Tom Keating is one, who actually pointed me to this news via his blog.
I use fring more than my partners but I am sure the value lies in fring's ability to communicate with many VoIP / IM providers.
The fring for iPhone is available from Apple App Store and once downloaded you can make free calls with other fringsters™ or via fring using Skype, Skype-out or any SIP providers you choose.



Free calls with iPhone

Tags: fring, iphone

Fringing Olympics!

As all of us are currently involved in Olympics in one way or the other (I sleep less in nights and work less during the days as I am spending a lot of time watching Olympics. Two of my good friends are over in China getting ready to bring USA two or more gold medals!). In the meantime, Fring has managed to get some Olympic contenders to Fring on during the 2008 Olympic Games. I am not sure about the idea of fringing the Olympic rings! I just remembered a song from Rob Zombie, Sacrilage!
But once subscribed, you will be able to receive live fringcasts or fringfeeds from;

• Alexander Rusakov – Gold medal contender these games! This Russian trampoline champion is going to be fringing away when not focusing on the gold medal he is tipped to win!
• Oleg Zaporozhchenko Jr. – The Russian Olympics team coach & international category judge!
• Fei Wen – Malaysian Olympic volunteer and coordinating the onsite fring effort – thanks!!!
• Tania Teoh – Malaysian Olympic volunteer and avid fan of lots of sports including swimming, volleyball, badminton and more!
• Udi Moshel – Israeli sports obsessive… I mean, enthusiast… will be keeping us all updated with sports and social updates across the board from the fields and other online circuits!
• Agus Jose – Our Spanish sports and travel devotee will micro-blog about both with the added insight only a professional psychologist can offer!

All you have to do is to choose the fringAdd-on from our in-client catalog by: restarting fring –> click Options –> settings– > manage add-ons select one or more. Russians will be micro-blogging in Russian (beginning Aug. 13), Malaysians & Israeli in English and Spanish in… Spanish (beginning Aug. 15).
Enjoy. Here is the link to Fring Blog article.

Tags: fring, Olympics 2008, fringAdd-on, fringcasts, fringfeeds