Application Uses Wi-Fi To Turn Regular iPod Into A Phone
Owners of an iPod Touch can now download a freeware application that can turn the music player into a virtual mobile phone.
The application, called Truphone, allows users to make calls to other iPod Touch owners as well as Google Talk’s messaging service using the Touch’s wi-fi feature.
The new app springs from the technology Truphone developed for smartphones and iPhones. Eventually, Truphone’s developers plan to have the ability to make calls to and from landlines in place very soon.
The application works off of voice over Internet protocol (VoIP), alongside Unlicensed Mobile Access and proprietary protocols such as Skype.
Truphone’s CEO, Geraldine Wilson, said the company has ambitions to become a global Internet player.
"There are a slew of new features we’re rolling out for the iPod Touch that will let users call landlines, Skype users or send instant messages. We’re talking weeks, not months, before these go live."
The Truphone technology can, technically, work on any mobile device, but as of now the company is concentrating on devices that have an application store.
Wilson said they plan to focus on devices that are wi-fi enabled and have an apps-store. “For the consumer, there has to be an easy way of downloading an application.”
"Our focus on the consumer side – at least in the short term – is finding devices that fit that category," said Wilson.
However, for a wi-fi connection to work, users must be within adequate range of a wi-fi network.
James Tagg, the company’s founder, said the technology also worked on other mobile devices, but in a slightly different way.
"If you were using Truphone on a Blackberry, it will use cellular technology to log into the Truphone’s website. From here you can make an international call, call a user on VoIP, or send an instant message."
"Because the first leg of the call – from the user to our server – is charged at local rate, you’re talking a bill of pennies, rather than pounds, to call, say the United States."
Google’s Android operating system will be the next platform to receive the Truphone applications, he said.
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