Acrobits Softphone and Ustream
Well, finally got an iPhone. As always, I will extract every Yottabytes out of it. For a start, nobody should leave home without a SIP account and a VoIP Softphone. It just does not make sense to be victimized by roaming and long distance charges on any given business trip.
I recently installed Acrobits’ Softphone (a Prague based company) and it really delivers the goods.
The interface is intuitive (like most iPhone Apps, what an OS!) and it installs in a jiffy. I just joined their Beta testing group and will have a sneak preview at upcoming features. When it comes to VoIP, we never have enough features and options.
First, aside from the obvious advantage of extracting calls out of one’s data plan with a WiFi connection, there is also a conversation record feature and push notification. You can put yourself and the other party on separate audio tracks on the .wav saved file. You can access your conversations through Safari and Bonjour by specifying the listening port and allowing web access in the application’s settings.
On top of that, there is a keep alive function that allows you to close the application and receive calls nonetheless. Finally, you can set up multiple SIP accounts. Can’t wait to be on the road again, working off a cyber café’s WiFi aroma. I learned that Apple may soon lift the ban on softphones’ ability to access 3G networks. That would be awesome, carrying everywhere multiple phone lines at all times on one device in uninterrupted bliss (unless your parking space is three floors down).
And, I also installed what I think is a glimpse at the future—Ustream or the individual as a live witness or participant. Broadcast yourself. It’s far from being perfect but portability and instantaneity overshadows the set backs. You create an account and you broadcast live from your iPhone. Hey James, time to update Q.
