GizmoCall tries making VoIP cheap and easy
Correction : An other version of this story failed to reasonably credit the image used. Tom Keating from TMCnet had taken the screen shot of the GizmoCall dial pad. Keating also reviewed the GizmoCall service here. A new image from GizmoCall has been added to this story. Just like other VoIP services, the attract of GizmoCall is that it provides free and low-cost calling. Free calls can be made to other GizmoCall users and to Gizmo5 users. Gizmo5 is a version of the same service that needs a software customer and also provides other features, for example instant messaging.
But what’s cool about GizmoCall is that it also permits users to make free calls to toll-free numbers and Session Initiation Custom addresses. SIP is used to enable phone calls to be made over the web.
GizmoCall also permits folk to call normal telephones and cell telephones for low rates. And for a fee, users can also accept calls. But users need to be signed into the service to accept calls.
The service works on all browsers running on Mac, Windows, or Linux operating systems. I attempted the service on Tues. to see how it compares to other services, for example Skype. For the main part, the call quality was similar to Skype. I sort of made a quick free call employing a toll-free number, and it was fine. But adding cash to my GizmoCall account so I could call regular telephones wasn’t so simple. I followed the instructions to add $10 to my account using my card.
2 hours later, my account was still at nil, though the service had accepted my Mastercard. I was told by one VoIP company that there’s a lot of crime related to these services, so most are extraordinarily careful to determine orders. But as a bonafide user making an attempt to use the service, it was just irritating. But I did not actually find the service or any feature forcing enough to dump Skype. The holy grail of VoIP services is ultimately making a service that enables free calls to any one, including standard telephones and cell telephones. Till that occurs, many of these services appear the same to me.
