The Truphone Blog

Smartphones make travel easier

 

An article in USA Today recently showed how people are becoming more and more reliant on their smartphone when away from home.

"Beyond online maps and travel guides, travelers are turning to their phones to look up aircraft seat configuration, track taxis, reply to early hotel check-in requests, order room service and locate nearby colleagues."

Read the full article here.

In the past, people have tended to leave their phone off as much as possible when overseas to avoid roaming charges. However, as more and more people see their phone as a vital tool when travelling, we realised a solution was needed to make sure you can keep the convenience of using your phone overseas without spending too much to do so. 

So if you are one of the "growing army of tech-savvy travelers whose smartphones are transforming their travel habits" don't forget to check out our new Truphone Local Anywhere service before you leave!

(image via USA Today)

Eric Schmidt's a fan of Truphone

Amid all the fanfare yesterday at Google's keynote speech at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, where Eric Schmidt talked about 'mobile first' and 'mobile technology being fundamental to human existence', one thing was missing from the reporting of the press conference which we wanted to highlight - Mr Schmidt's inclusion of Truphone in the video of applications for Android handsets that was shown as part of his presentation!!

iPod Touch is now also a phone

The 3 network in the UK has started selling an iPod Touch and a 3G Wi-Fi modem bundle (left, image courtesy of CNet). It’s on a £24 (about $40/26€) per month contract and you get the iPod Touch for free.

This provides iPod Touch with a constant Internet access and with some clever magic the almighty iPod can be easily turned into a (nearly) full-featured phone. And because iPod Touch will think it’s connected to a Wi-Fi hotspot, rather than a 3G network, most of the applications that are currently restricted on 3G should work, including Truphone, BBC iPlayer and others. 

Only thing that’s missing on an iPod Touch is a microphone so if you’re not a fan of one-way communication, you can get one of the iPod Touch microphone adaptors from our shop. It’s only a few pounds and we’ll also give you an extra £5/$5 calling credit when you top up £5/$5.

If you haven't downloaded Truphone for the iPod Touch yet, why not download it now for free.

Truphone - a first alternative to Skype or Gizmo5

 Yesterday we received a lovely review from Crenk.com, who had been looking at alternatives to Skype and Gizmo5. You can look at it here at Crenk Blog.

Only thing we’d like to add to this article is that our iPhone, iPod Touch and Android apps already support full Skype functionality, so anyone switching to Truphone neither lose any of the previous functionality, nor have to keep two apps installed. Smart stuff.

Keeping things simple

A poll conducted recently of UK consumers found that over half were confused and overwhelmed by their mobile phone charges (read the article here).

That is why at Truphone, we try to keep our pricing clear and simple.

• No lengthy contracts - just pay as you go
• The same call rates, wherever you are in the world
• No peak/off-peak rates - you pay the same great rate, any time of the day or night
• 3 great pricing options. Our TruStandard rates, our even-lower TruSaver rates, and TruUnlimited, our unlimited calling plan

And best of all, Truphone to Truphone calls, when you are both connected to Wi-Fi, are completely free.

Clear and simple!

Truphone on iPod given fantastic 8/10 review!

Smartphone & PDA Essentials magazine has just released a full-page review of our Truphone application on the iPod Touch.

And we are pleased to say that they liked it!

So much so that they gave it a score of 8 out of 10, saying that the app "integrates very impressively with the system", describing the app as an "all-round messaging system", and "found the call quality to be surprisingly good".

Read the full article here.

(Incidentally, the article mentioned that Truphone on the iPhone can be used over 3G, which may be a breach of network contracts. We would like to highlight that Truphone does not use data over 3G. It uses the GSM network to connect the call, which is not a breach of network contracts.)

Should Wi-Fi calls be allowed during flights?

Interesting article published in USA Today, talking about Roger Flessing, a man who recently used Truphone to make a Wi-Fi call while on an American Airlines flight to Seattle. The article raises the issue of whether Wi-Fi calls should be allowed on flights, considering Federal regulators in the USA currently prohibit in-flight cellphone use.

A recent New York Times article approaches the subject from a slightly different angle, saying that although it seems many people are against the use of mobile phones on planes, when it occurs many do not notice, and thus very few complaints are recorded.

One pro to allowing in flight calling might be that people can update friends and family during the flight if it is delayed, but cons include the potential disruption to flight controls from phone usage. Opinion is clearly divided, and we would love to know what you think on the subject, so we've set up the poll below for you to have your say.

Mobiles, VoIP continue to replace landlines

This article in the Telegraph in the UK talks about the continuing trend of people solely using their mobile phone for communication, rather than having a landline phone as well.

VoIP (what we do!) was also mentioned as it "allow(s) consumers to make international calls, easy-peasy and cheap as chips". Luckily for us, the author chose Truphone as their preferred VoIP calling option!

Read the full article here.

Internet on the mobile keeps growing

Nielsen Online has just released its first ever Mobile Media findings, which cover their research into the mobile phone internet usage behaviour of UK residents.

The most interesting figure to come out of it was that the number of people accessing the internet on their mobile phone is growing eight times faster than people accessing the internet on their PC.

Perhaps UK, and indeed the rest of the world, are heading the way of Japan, where way back in June 2007 it was revealed that almost as many people (53.6 million) access the internet on their mobile phone as people who access the internet on their PC (53.7 million).

For those interested in reading more, have a look at the Mobile Media findings or the Comscore report on Japanese internet usage.

Truphone on Plus-Minus programme

At the beginning of last week we were joined in Truphone Towers by a German TV crew, from the evening current affairs programme Plus-Minus. Here's CEO James Tagg, during filming.

The programme they made aired in Germany last night; watch it for yourself http://tinyurl.com/5dmhaj. People across the world are enjoying Truphone's low, low internet calling rates, which the programme was quick to identify and show its viewers: