Vonage, the popular voice over Internet protocol (Voip) service is using the world’s largest social network to bring you free calling on mobile handsets.
Vonage Mobile for Facebook lets users chat with Facebook friends any time, anywhere and it works on both 3G and WiFi. The user interface provides access to Facebook contacts and a call log.
By running the app in the background you’ll be able to accept and engage phone calls with Facebook friends as you normally do. The only requirement is you and your friend must both have the Vonage for Facebook app on your Apple device or Android phone. However, if all you want to do is send a text message to a Facebook friend the recipient does not need the app installed on their device.
All of your Facebook friends who have a Facebook app on their mobile appear in your contact list. When friends are online, their icon appears in blue. Anyone offline appears in black and white. Friends who have the Vonage app installed have a “V” beside their name.
Overall, call quality is decent but not perfect. The experience may vary dramatically depending on the device you’re using and if you’re connected to WiFI or 3G.
After testing the app on the iPhone 3GS and two Android devices (Nexus One & Samsung Galaxy S), there were noticeable differences in quality, even on WiFi. While the iPhone produced really solid results, sadly both of the Android handsets seemed to fade out every other word.
However, free calling (over WiFi, of course -- using the app over 3G will still count against your data usage) and free long distance makes this app a no-brainer. The challenge now is getting all of your friends and family on Facebook.
Here’s a Vonage promo video that explains it further.
Head to Head: Productivity Apps
“The existence of forgetting has never been proved: we only know that some things do not come to our mind when we want them to” - F. Nietzsche
Note-taking app Evernote is ideal for managing everything from random bursts of genius to mundane daily tasks. Whether it’s a text note, a picture, audio recording or web page, Evernote helps you organize your thoughts by categorizing and indexing information and then syncing with your online account. Let’s say you wanted to prepare for an upcoming meeting. You can dictate an audio note of things you want to cover, maybe jot down a list of attendees and then clip some online news articles as reference material. File everything under one heading and, after Evernote syncs with online servers, all of that information is now available to you from a PC or Mac, all Apple devices and Android devices. Because Evernote is so accessible, it’s also a great collaboration tool, especially since you can integrate what are known as notebooks with other Evernote users. There are also an impressive number of mobile apps that let you “save to Evernote.”
SpringPad is an ambitious app that combines memo taking with semantic technology to enhance the notes you take. You can record a thought as an audio or text note as well as snap a picture from your phone and upload it. You can categorize notes with labels and tags. Where SpringPad differs from something like Evernote is in its ability to add extra layers to notes you take. If you clip the name of a movie, SpringPad will display show times and other related links and information. On an iPhone, you can scan a product’s bar code, save a restaurant near your current location with GPS or snap a picture of something. SpringPad connects to product databases and services such as Yelp, which lets users search for price comparisons and reviews. One great feature in SpringPad in creating a to-do lists. When you use that function for your grocery list, SpringPad will post printable coupons for any related product you mention within its web service.
The Bottom Line:
Evernote is a fantastic note-taking service. However, SpringPad’s added bells and whistles gives it an edge in this match up.
