Truphone have announced a version of their Truphone Anywhere client for the T-Mobile G1. The app, a free download from the Android Market, is available in the US, UK and, in preparation for the G1’s release in Germany come March 2009, in German. As well as free VoIP calls over WiFi between Truphone users, the service claims to offer lower-cost international calls.
There’s also IM functionality, with support for MSN, Yahoo!, Google Talk and Twitter, as well as the ability to make voice calls through Google Talk for the price of a local call. Next to be added, according to Truphone, will be Skype, with both voice calls and instant messaging supported.
However early testers of the software have been less than impressed, with particular complaint about the way VoIP calls are handled. Rather than being fully carried over the data connection, calls from Truphone to non-Truphone numbers involve dialling to a local number, at which point Truphone reroute over their servers:
“The Truephone portion of the app works the same way as the Skype client calling a Truephone Anywhere number and routing the call over the phone network then onto there severs and over the internet, so costs you minutes out of your contract. Uninstalled” liamw
We’d be interested to hear any more feedback users have about Truphone; let us know in the forums. The app is also available on the Apple iPhone, the Apple iPod touch, Blackberry and Nokia devices.
[Thanks Paul!]
