Techistan » ring2skype

Skype Appears to Say No to Popular Third Party Apps Who Do Not Accept the Dinner Invitation

omar shaikh — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 17:50:14 +0000

Skype is popular for many reasons, but one of them is the third party applications such as PrettyMay voice recording software Pamela video recording software, Rich Mood Editor, Last.fm radio and Chess. Millions of downloads have assisted some of the world’s most interesting, innovative and empowering entrepreneurs and organizations to make available really practical but innovative solutions. Most of these SMB and individual Skype users buy Skype Out especially and some Skype IN. But some third party applications like fring a few years ago and most recently the popular Nimbuzz have been invited to leave. On the other hand, Skype does welcome Facebook integration recently.

Nimbuzz aggregates users to connect from among different applications on the Internet allowing individuals to connect to friends through voIP calls and chat on AIM, Facebook, Gadu-Gadu, GoogleTalk, Hyves, ICQ, MySpace Skype, Windows Live Messenger, and Yahoo IM, much like Jeff Pulver’s FreeWorldDialup solution used to pull together several platforms into one window.

“It looks like with the latest move to drop Nimbuzz and its previous falling out with Fring, Skype is dropping players that hook in through their API in favor of making deals over the boardroom table with companies who want to work with Skype and share profits–and Nimbuzz didn’t come to the table.” From FierceVoIP…

Word is everywhere also that Skype is in the midst of their Internet public offering, and obviously there are legal matters to follow to the “T.”

A Techistan reader asks to be quoted anonymously, “I like all three services for different reasons: Skype, fring, and Nimbuzz. I think fring and Nimbuzz should talk about merging if they both believe in giving clients a choice instead of keeping them inside some kind of a walled garden. Even ivy can be cut down.”

Nimbuzz can be downloaded to many mobile phones to start sharing location, mood, chat and voice. Read more at http://www.nimbuzz.com/en/mobile/download. fring, which enables video calls, voice calls and live chat, can be downloaded to iPhone, Android devices, and via WAP and SMS. Visit http://www.fring.com/download/.

For VoIP calling on Android:

Visit other sites that bring the best of all worlds together with Skype.

Skype Attracts SMBs with Connect 1.0 and Dedicated Customer Support

omar shaikh — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 17:39:29 +0000

Rumor says that Skype is planning an IPO and Cisco is interested. Over 70 comments, 300 likes and over 1500 RTs have been added regarding the original TechCrunch article. Time will tell. Connect 1.0 was previously called Skype for SIP and is newly available, out of the beta stage. The company says it’s a working business solution that enables IP PBXs and Unified Communications Platforms to connect with Skype.

Businesses can make outbound calls from desktop phones to landline phones and mobile phones to many global destinations. Skype charges outgoing per minute call rates. How do the businesses receive the inbound calls? What Techistan wants to know is … if Skype connected users place Skype’s Click & Call buttons on their websites which is very cool, and that is how they receive the calls, what about the people with landline phones and mobile phone who want to dial IN to the users of the Connect 1.0 IP PBX? Is that possible also?

Answer: Skype Connect offers the feature of incoming calls also from landline phones or mobile phones to the IP PBX with a choice among Skype’s online numbers, called SkypeIN. Additional features will include auto-attendant, automatic call distribution, call detail records, call recording, call routing, conferencing, and voicemail.

“Since its inception, Skype has been used by many businesses wanting to reduce communications costs. In fact, based on internal research, in the first quarter of 2010, approximately 37 percent of Skype users reported that they use Skype for some business or business-related purposes,” said David Gurlé, vice president and general manager of Skype for Business (also a Microsoft veteran) in a statement.

“Our team’s goal is to empower businesses of all sizes and types with rich communications tools to unleash their productivity, while reducing their telecommunications costs. Following Skype Manager’s launch in May, we are very proud to add Skype Connect to our list of specially designed enterprise solutions. Skype Connect seeks to enable our customers to reduce their phone bills, while protecting their investment in existing telecommunications equipment.”

Since the beta stage Skype for SIP and now … Connect 1.0 was made available, over 2400 IP entities are taking advantage. It works with many traditional TDM PBXs and Key Systems which can add Skype capabilities through IP gateways like AudioCodes, Grandstream and VoSKY. It is certified to work with PBX and UC products from Avaya, Cisco, SIPfoundry, ShoreTel, and other original equipment manufacturers.

The Skype Manager is a web-based platform that enable entities to create employee accounts, allocate Skype Credit and assign features. Something new from Skype is dedicated customer support offered. The lack of that in the past has kept many companies and organizations from taking advantage. This includes real-time chat and is available through Skype Manager.

Other services, platforms, applications and companies (but not all inclusive) that have leveraged, built upon or enhanced Skype tools successfully include Asus, ClearOne, DIDX, freeSWITCH, Grandstream, PrettyMay, RIM, Ring2Skype, and Verizon.

Popular Online Instant Messenger Users Receive Calls from Cell Phones

omar shaikh — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 19:08:23 +0000

Suzanne Bowen interviews Federico Szekely, posts to www.didx.net/podcast which feeds to an iTunes’ IP communications channel…

and the world that is online …

finds a new and exciting way to let those offline stay in touch!

One Ring2Skype frequently asked question is: Can I get a number in a different country (from where I reside)?

Yes, it is possible to have online numbers in more than one of the available countries regardless of where you are currently living. As a matter of fact, that is the beauty of this service: you can live in India or Buenos Aires, and have your clients in NYC call you to a NYC local number. You just answer their calls at home or anywhere that you are online, from your Skype. Free local call for them, free for you.

Andrés Bzurovski and Sergio Fogel are the founders of Ring2Skype. Skype was launched in June 2009 with the realization of a very simple idea: eliminate long-distance fees and make it possible for everyone to communicate over the phone, regardless of where in the world they are.

The company is headquartered in Miami, has a development center in Uruguay, and clients in more than one hundred countries.

Suzanne Bowen: Today we have with us Federico Szekely. He is the project leader of Ring2skype.com. I discovered Ring2skype when I was researching the net for services that hope those who are using Instant Messengers such as Skype to be able to make available incoming calls from their friends, family and business. These callers to the IM user may be in their car, at the mall and all they have is their cell phone or landline.

I found that Ring2skype makes it available where Skype users can buy phone numbers from all over the world, currently at least 25 countries with a potential of up to 70. They give them out to their friends, family and business. Now, those people can use their cell or landline phone from anywhere they are, dial the number, and it rings the Skype user (who bought the numbers for every to call them) on their Skype ID. Now, that’s cool.

So, Federico, welcome to DIDX podcasts.

Federico Szekely: Thank you, Suzanne. How are you?

Suzanne Bowen: It’s Monday, a beautiful day. How did Ring2Skype even get started, maybe some history?

Federico Szekely: We were looking to provide services that no one does. Of course, Skype offers different services like Skype IN, but they charge for it. Ours is free. We had the technology and we wanted to help people to communicate.

So, we decided about one year ago… to start the service. We have more than 100,000 users and growing every day.

Suzanne Bowen: That’s impressive. That number will grow exponentially after this podcast, Federico.

Would you share some interesting examples or stories about how Ring2Skype has helped your customers?

Federico Szekely: We receive many emails about who go to study abroad in Europe, USA, etc. They keep in touch with everyone back home through this service. Not everyone has a computer device or even Internet all the time, so those people can just go anywhere. Let us say you are studying in New York, but you are from Spain. Now, you can call locally in New York with your cell phone and have the calls ring to the important people back home in Spain.

Some small businesses are also empowered by Ring2Skype to provide phone numbers from around the world, so their clients can call them for free, or almost free, less than usual. These types thank us.

Suzanne Bowen: So when students leave their families to study abroad, they can get a new phone number that is local to where they are studying, or they can buy their parents a local phone number. One person (Daughter maybe in NYC) is using Skype usually online all the time. The other person (Mom) calls the local number in Spain which rings to Daughter;s Skype and talk as much as they want.

Same as with any kind of business. Maybe they are using Skype to provide customer service, but now they need phone numbers that are local to the areas where their customers are.

Federico Szekely: Some companies don’t want to just give their Skype ID because of reasons such as maybe the caller is not using Skype, a local phone number feels more local, and both the Skype ID and the phone number can be listed on their CONTACT web page, business card, etc.

Suzanne Bowen: How exactly does Ring2Skype work? Would you explain in English and Spanish?

Federico Szekely: Sure. First in English… go to www.ring2skype.com. Log in with your Skype user ID. Example… you are from New York. We give you a New York number with an extension. Maybe you travel to Florida. Take your NYC phone number with you in your Skype, so anyone in NYC no matter what their own calling plan can dial that number local them and it rings on your Skype ID.

You can have more than one phone number also. Go everywhere with your Skype number. Is that clear enough?

Suzanne Bowen: Would you describe this again in Spanish?

Federico Szekely: Una … se en la pagina … por ejemplo .. Espana … Italia … localmente. (Listen to the podcast.)

Suzanne Bowen: I appreciate that. My Spanish is un poquito.

Many wholesale service providers (telco, etc.) around the world use www.didx.net to buy and resell or just sell on wholesale. What do you think of this concept and what can DIDX improve on?

Federico Szekely: Yes. We love DIDX. We use it a lot for wholesale phone numbers. We get like many extensions with the numbers. Very good quality. For the moment, we have no complaints. We wish that more local companies would join DIDX like from Africa and Asia and Latin America. We more numbers from all over now.

Suzanne Bowen: I am glad that you mention that. Wireless operators, CLECs, incumbents… should join DIDX to sell phone numbers. Even though we offer DID phone numbers in the Americas, Europe, Asia, Australia, Middle East and Africa, we have several missing areas within them. Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, South Africa … Honduras, Colombia, Mexico, Turkey, UK, etc. we have but …

Excellent companies like Ring2Skype really need phone numbers from all over…. get requests from customers needing the missing areas in Latin America, Asia, and Africa. This is business that Ring2Skype misses, DIDX misses and the potential L.A., Asia, or Africa wireless operator or other telco misses.

We are actually helping companies see how they can make money, from wholesale to wholesale on DIDX, from there… from wholesale to individuals and organizations. DIDX provides a win-win (outdated term but works). To enable this whole idea of DID, direct inward dialing … such as on www.ring2skype.com.

How can listeners get in touch with Ring2Skype?

Federico Szeleky: Go to http://www.ring2skype.com. Email support@ring2skype.com or email me at federico@ring2skype.com. We have a support ID on Skype which is r2s.support.

Suzanne Bowen: It is good to have met with you again today to share the empowerment, features, and the exciting opportunities that Ring2Skype can bring to the listeners. We look forward to hearing from everyone to help you have a local presence all over the world, to have them call you on your Skype via incoming phone numbers. Regular phone to online device!!!

Thank you, Federico.

Federico Szeleky: Thank you.

Connect with Ring2Skype on Facebook or Twitter.