VoIP startup TringMe has launched a Facebook application that lets users make calls from the social network using its Flash-based web phone for browsers. The app also lets you embed widgets to your profile for your Facebook friends to call or SMS you.
The app has much of the functionality that a regular VoIP app like Skype has. TringMe’s app lets users set up caller-id, send SMS messages from Facebook, lets callers leave voicemails that the users can access and lets you add TringMe widgets to your profile that let friends and visitors call or SMS you from that page, which seems to be the most appealing feature of the app.
And if you have a TringMe account, you can integrate your account with Facebook. Of course, you have to buy credits to use the application, which range from $5 to $100 worth of credits, bought via PayPal. Facebook also has a similar Skype-based app called SkypeMe. that lets you Skype your friends.
TringMe also recently launched a demo of a widget that now allows a user the ability to make a VoIP call from Microsoft Silverlight applications. Silverlight doesn’t allow access to a microphone, thus restricting VoIP calls, so TringMe used a backdoor Flash widget to access the microphone.
Just Seems like the perfect app i was looking for!
Too bad Facebook is RIDDEN with bugs and problems lately – at least on Firefox up in BC.
Driving us Canadians nuts I tell ya…
Wow, that’s awesome.
Hate to sound like a broken record, but there’s absolutely nothing novel here. But it does prove again that developers will soon figure out an intelligent way to incorporate voice into online experiences.
The interesting question for ALL these companies is revenue model. I believe many consumers will want this service, yet few will pay. So how to make money?
Lastly, telephony is a scale business. One must survive on fractions of a cent on billions of transactions.
Pretty cool, but I’ll stick with Skype – just love it. But the best thing is I won’t need any of both that much anymore! I often have to schedule meetings for the company I work for – that’s a huge hassle and I’m always callinf forth and back.
Tools like http://tymelie.com fortunately solved that problem for me.And the remaining calls I’ll have to do are not so many that it would hurt my wallet…
this is a great idea…..but they need to come out with their freemium model to gain widespread adoption. Whoever starts owning the free, easy to use VoIP app that connects with your social platforms is going to make huge $$$. Just look at ebay – their almost making a $1B rev per year before their spinoff….
Looks good. The developers will have to fight it out with focus without dilution. Low cost calling out of the box with address book etc. using facebook account seems interesting.
LOL WORST FACEBOOK APP EVER!!!
People use facebook to have fun. No one wants to shop, make phone calls, or do their taxes on Facebook.
LOL @ “do their taxes”
I bet you have not seen their widgets then. You can add them to your profile and your friends can reach you anywhere. To me, perfectly fits the facebook world. Top of that calling from facebook is certainly a bonus
Wow, cool app. It seems Facebook is taking the lead, I should catch soon.
What’s that old saying? “The future has a way of arriving unannounced.” (George Will) Soon you will see… this app is a glimpse of a revolution in communication. Soon linked in will be doing this if they aren’t already, others will follow. Soon you will see how people fit into your social graph before you talk to them. In the future people will laugh at us for ever picking up the phone without knowing exactly who we are talking to, even if we have never spoken to them before. Think of it like caller ID +++++++++
Yeah, with all the social things going on, why should telephony be left back? Apps like this can be huge. caller ID+++ indeed it can be: “your facebook friend Joe is calling you”.
Is tringme offering any free service?
Stephen, voicemail is free. We are giving complementary credits for next 2 days, refer to my comment below.
Bruce Timm
Team TringMe
99.9% of the people on Facebook do not know what a social graph is. 99.9% of people are just figuring out how to send a text message. There is no way in hell they are capable of logging into Facebook to make a phone call.
The app has 65 DAU. It is a huge failure.
Dude, aren’t you completely unbiased
? Are you guys “c0py”ing this app to comment so aggressively without any real name? This seems like a nice application.
Technology changes faster and so does its adoption – beyond our vision sometimes. Remember famous quote from Thomas Watson of IBM, “I think there is a world market for maybe five computers.”
Sweet! something I was looking for. Caller id feature looks neat but can it be abused?
Facebook is taking the lead. Should focu on it.
It’s a very interesting app. Let’s see if it will become an interesting business too…
has anyone tried this out for themselves yet? would love to read a first-hand experience on how well it works!
We are still a small company and hence providing free telephony to our million plus TringMe users would bankrupt us
. But for anyone who wants to try it out, just post your facebook-ID here and we will give you complimentary credits to try it out for the next 2 days (exlusively for TechCrunch readers).
@Eden, while some user may give you his/her feedback, nothing better than trying it out yourself. Just post your facebook-ID here and we will add complimentary credits for you to give this application a spin.
Thanks for the great feedback.
Bruce Timm
Team TringMe
According to facebook statistics, over 6 billion mins are spent amongst the 300+ million users. Skype’s cross-border traffic grew approximately 41% in 2008, to 33 billion minutes. I can just imagine that someone who can marry facebook with the right kind of calling solution can really hit it off well! Millions of users, spending billions of mins is a very prime market and these guys have a solution that looks really appealing.
In general, I think voice is finally hitting big on the web now. Any website with social element could use voice. I would love to converse with my social circle right from facebook and this application is a good start. If I had a dating application, could be mighty neat to flirt or talk from that application. I develop applications can think of many ways to use voice for my facebook applications.
So, all the best. I have added this app already .. looking forwards to trying it out.
I tried skypeme but it asks for skype installation. This app is better, look at my facebook profile.
@bruce, my facebook id is 1849792047. Thanks for the complimentary credits offer.
Aren’t they just cooking up old news?
TringMe has launched its first Flash based Facebook app for phone calls TWO YEARS ago. I have used it since November 2007.
http://www.goeb...th-tringme.html
http://demogirl...sitors-a-voice/
Could somebody from TringMe please comment on what’s new now?
Are you sure you have been using old facebook app for making calls
?
To clarify, the old app only had basic push-n-talk widgets. The new app is completely revamped and includes most functionality offered by TringMe website – complete call and messaging console.
And some new neat features planned in coming days are …well, let me not disclose now
terrible solution… cheaty app… asks for money just to validate your mobile number! ih?!?!?!?!
It’s amazing. I really like this new app. But i want to know that calling features are available to every person who will join this application?
Thanks for the nice words. We are giving away complimentary credits for next 2 days. Please refer to my first comment above.
Bruce Timm
Team TringMe
This is bloody awesome, even rates are better than skype.
It’s exciting to see how voice and social networking are merging. Tomorrow may be I will just call and leave my status update on Facebook. Voice is the future.
Way to go!
I don’t get it. I have a cell phone sitting beside me when I’m on Facebook. Why would I want to pay more money to use this app. when I have the cell phone I’m already paying money for?
Ok, but what about dealing with someone that is specialized in telecommunications for 10 years and does own a patented Unified Communication Platform ?
Digitrad’s latest product -OrganIP- makes it possible to speak anyone’s name and call them using voice over IP (VoIP) technology. We developed the service by combining its Yes.tel unified identity technology and its messaging services — just as we say we want to destroy the business card with Yes.tel, wz now say you may never have to remember a phone number again.
We presented at last month’s DEMO conference how to turn social networks into giant phone books.
Basically, OrganIP requires users only to know the name of the person they’re trying to call. Once they type it into the OrganIP Web interface, the service will look the person up in Facebook and other places. If the person is logged into Facebook at the time, it will pop up a screen. Clicking will let recipients accept the calls via headsets or computer speakers and microphones, or send it to voice mail. They can also choose to have voice mail messages transcribed and sent to them as text. OrganIP uses Flash technology, which is built into almost every browser in the world, to deliver the audio streams. Calls can also reach recipients on landline or mobile phones through PSTN gateways.
Users can initiate OrganIP calls in one of two ways. The first is by accessing the service’s Website through their own browsers.
The second is through mobile client software running on smart phones.
The software is currently available for Android, with BlackBerry, iPhone, PalmPre, Symbian and Windows Mobile versions to come. If the user is connected to the Internet via Wi-Fi, OrganIP provides a SIP URI for them to access. Otherwise, it gives them a temporary local phone number to ring to make the connection.
Besides Facebook, OrganIP currently looks up names in Google contacts, as well as via the open .tel directory system.
>> The service will soon search LinkedIn, Plaxo and MSN as well.
–> The goal is to provide instant access to over 700 million social network users !
–> do not forget to registrer for a invitation to the trial to come (november 19th) : http://organip.digitrad.com/#
Is there anything you can’t do with Facebook these days!
@kris – voice status updates *rolls eyes*