Call anyone in the US from anywhere in the world absolutely FREE on your iPad

I just installe Whistle on my iPad and it works great! I made a 16 minute call connected to the WiFi at my house and the call was almost flawless. only had two instances where the the audio broke up for a few seconds during the call. I have yet to try a call over 3G. Hopefully it works just as well.

Hi John - for those of us who are finally just now figuring out Skype...could you either simply explain to me the real differences between Skype, This app, and Google Voice? It seems they all do the same thing, but I'm sure I'm missing something.

Right now I use Skype on my computer and I have a Google Voice number that forwards to my cell.

Any clarity on this would be appreciated. OR just send me to some 101 discussion somewhere.

Thanks!

Jeff,

Keep us posted, I'm not expecting this app to be perfect right out of the gate because it's such a big step on the iPad with it having been out such a short time, but I'm starting to get excited.

Hi Phillis,

 

They're all related, using Voice over internet Protocol (VoiP).  Vonage and Skype being two of the best known and oldest versions, while Google Voice (if it ever really gets rolled out for iPhone it's web based) being just another variation.  They all work by converting your voice to digital signal for transmission over the internet, this is different from the analog transmission of a traditional land line.  Though pretty much if you've ever called over seas with a land line you've actually used VoiP since even the traditional phone companies use their own VoiP for long distance calls.  

Personally I love Vonage.  it has been my phone carrier now since 2005, why?  Because it's $38/mo flat rate and we can talk to family in Hungary as long as we want.

Skype, is great for video conferencing and computer to computer calls, but you have to pay a fee to call to a landline or cell phone without Skype running.

Google Voice... is... well.. not my cup of tea.  The app isn't really an iPhone app it's web based, that's how they circumvent the app store.  As you know the app prompts you to call one of Google's local numbers, even for international calls, that's how you get the lower rates by paying through Google, and the person your calling sees your Google Voice number.  Add to that all the random numbers in your call history and, I don't like it.   The one positive for GV is you're able to utilize call waiting and background usage, though iPhone 4.0 multitasking will make that moot. 

Right now Whistle is still bumpy in call quality, and cost for people calling you is problematic, but they're onto something and the app is a real App Store app.  Right now it works by having you listen to a brief ad, that covers the cost of the out going call (a caller to you doesn't have to listen to an ad), though I've been told that they'll soon be offering an ad free version for a minimum cost, possibly more local area codes too.  This is an important issue for people calling in to you on Whistle because they might be making a toll call since they're only using a Nebraska area code right now.

 

 

I actually love Skype. It's only 2.95 /mo for unlimited calling to numbers other than a computer. Anytime I have to listen in on a conference call I always use Skype on my iPhone. Also worked great on my iPad. No listening to ads either

I like Skype too, we actually use it at work to video conferencing between offices when we don't need to have a confidential connection.  I also use it at home when I want to video conference.  At home, I don't use a "traditional" land line any more, I switched to Vonage back in 2005, it's pretty hard to beat the reliability, cost, call quality, and customizability of Vonage.

What caught my attention with Whistle was that it's ad supported so that calls are free and that it works on the iPad.  I really don't want to pay any more fees, and in this recession even though I invested in an iPad I really don't want to incur any more monthly bills - I bought my iPad with cash.

Free phone calls on iPhone, iPad, Touch with Whistle app on 12seconds.tv

I guess what I'm interested in is just how far can we drive the cost of living down with some of this technology.  For me, I think if I can drive some of these costs which should really be pennies not dollars now that will free up capital for more innovation.  So while I like Skype and Vonage, I also think the business model for Whistle is an interesting proposition in this recession - who knows I might even find out about a good bug spray from those ads!  ; )

I live in an area where cell coverage is pretty bad. I'm really surprised that the cell companies don't provide a Wifi connection such as this Whistle or Skype as part of their monthly charge for data connection. I could then just dial through my Wifi or any of the many free Wifi sites and have the call authenticated by my cell carrier and routed through to the receiving phone. Makes sense to me and it would cut down the need for further cell towers.

Do you mean like T-mobile "hot spots"? I don't think Whistle or Skype offer hot spots, if they do let me know. Or do you mean cell phone carriers should offer only phones which are wifi capable? I agree with that for the most part, I mean the cost of smart phones is really low. You can pick up an unlocked, very good condition iPhone 2G on eBay for around $150 or a 3G for around $200. But if you shop hard on eBay you can likey snag either for even less. I'm not into Android phones (but they are great too) and they run about the same as an iPhone. I think it's fairly a safe bet things are going in the direction like you're suggesting, basically, cellular data. But there's a lot of infrastructure needed, and we don't even have decent broad band in most of the US. This is not the case in Europe and especially Asia. Personally I'd like to see the US go for it and build coast to coast 100% coverage wireless broad band, I think think building the infrastructure would help the economy move in the right direction and lay the new "roadway" we need to be competitive in the 21st century. But what do I know. Good post, thanks!

I am in the process of reviewing this iPad app and am wondering, since you have had some time now to "play" with it... Have you seen it evolve? Connections? Overall impression?

It works quite well on my iPad using the internal speaker and microphone, no need for a separate headphone that the initially advised... Cell phone without the cost... Seems like a great way to keep the number of minutes down for a lot of users! In today's economy that's always a good thing!

since it's free, and it works, shouldn't be bothered by such minor issues, it's a great tip, and i hope you don't mind if i translate to french it and put it on my blog :

<strong><a href="http://comment-devenir-riche-fr.blogspot.com/" title="comment devenir riche">comment devenir riche</a></strong>

something went wrong on my previous post, sorry to bother

comment devenir riche

I tried Line2 which is clear as a bell on both ends. But, the cost is $9.95 a month which is great for business but there are so many out there, Viber, Tango (video for iphone), G-Voice, Talkatone, Freephoo. Is Whistler free or do you have to pay after so many minutes?  Which is better or worse then Whistler? Thank you.