Fringland Announces World's First Mobile VoIP Application

Crowning itself the first true mobile VoIP solution for Apple's dream phone,Fringland Ltd claimed that it has launched the world's first mobile VoIP application to be made publicly available for the Apple iPhone.

With this new application, users of iPhone can talk, chat and interact with other Fring users, known as Fringsters, and participate in online social communities by using their Apple iPhone WiFi connection.It enables users to place VoIP calls in place of their plan minutes, giving people a cheap international calling alternative to their carrier's expensive per-minute charges.

This special pre-release version of fring has been developed in conjunction with the Holon Institute of Technology academic research labs in Isreal. According to Fring," the pre-release version in response to iPhone users urging us to let them join the growing community of fringsters in over 180 countries worldwide. During the R&D period, we'll be listening to feedback, so we can fine tune the final version and create a truly kicking user experience for iPhone users."
The one caveat (besides the need for a "jailbroken" handset) is that it requires the thick river of data only available over Wi-Fi, which means you won't be able to make or receive VoIP calls without being in range of a hotspot.

Besides VoIP, the app excels in instant messaging. You can live text chat with buddies on MSN Live Messenger, ICQ, Google Talk, AIM, Yahoo, as well as post and read messages to and from Twitter. Fring also lets you do voice chat with MSN, Google Talk, and ICQ.

To instigate a call, you simply have to hit a large green call button after hitting a buddy's name on the Fring contact list (see photo below). There's no minute counter, hold button, or anything else you might be used to with a regular phone--it's just a quick and dirty call that with a good connection sounds downright decent.