The most popular standalone voip provider and its customers have dodged a few bullets over the last few months but ...well ...if your phone suddenly goes dead, don't be surprised (that's what happened to the 200,000 SunRocket customers just this last July. No notice, no nothing.)Vonage lost again in court yesterday in its patent infringment case with Sprint. The monetary judgments are piling up to a critical point for a low-cost provider.
I've absolutely adored the service from my first day about 3 years ago. I don't think it can be beat.
There's a lot of other fans in the expat community. Anybody got an idea as to where we'll all go if the line goes dead?
7 comments:
Hello Yanqui Mike,
I've never had vonage, so i'm not sure if what i'm about to recommend is better or not, but I use skype, it seems to be alright, I have a number in the states that people can call me on, and it goes to my skype account on my computer, and if i'm not on the computer it forwards the call to my cell phone here in Buenos Aires.
From what I know... and I don't know much... Skype would probably be my replacement.
For Vonage you need to buy a proprietary "box" from Vonage that goes between your broadband cable and your computer. You plug a normal land-line phone into the "box".
The way cool thing is that I have a US phone number with the areacode of my choice. Anybody in Chicago can pick up the phone and dial as if I was in the same building... let alone the same city or state.
I can also just pick up my dingy, cheap old phone that I actually found lying around someplace... and get a US dialtone. Not only that, there is no long-distance charges for whatever US/Canada areacode I dial... and 800 numbers are not charged against my monthly minutes. Plus a load of other little bells and whistles. All for $21.79USD per month. If they go, I'm gonna miss 'em.
How does Skype compare on those things? Let us all know, we may need the info YA!
Vonage sounds pretty awesome! Skype is kind of the same way, I have a Richmond area code, that cost me I think 12 dollars for 3 months (it's cheaper if you get it for longer), and someone can call me for free to my computer, or if i'm not at my computer I set up skype forwarding and it goes to my cell phone at the skype out rate, which Argentina I think is 2 cents a minute (I think) It's free for them to call me though. Also to call the states it's 1 cent a minute. You can buy a skype phone, and use that instead of a computer, or even a skype cell phone and it works anywhere that has wi-fi. They have a lot of features but I only use the skype number and skype credit. Vonage sounds like a great choice, that's too bad there is a possiblity they might be going under!
I use skype as well, have for the last three years sin problema. No special equipment, gives me a number in NYC that friends and family can call to me here, and I can call them for an average of about 2 cents a minute, or if they have skype, free, of course.
Tremendous info. Thanks.
The alternatives bear looking into as there will no doubt be a load of confoosed expats in these parts should Vonage go (insert favorite bodypart here) up.
Hola yanqui mike -
I use Lingo. It's the same as Vonage - you need the "special box" - and I have a US dial tone (so I can call out and friends/family can call me with no intl charges). I also have a second US #, which comes free of charge, which is great as I think about possible business ideas that may require a second US phone #. And I also have an Argentine # so people can call me. It doesn't give me an Arg dial tone (but it was helpful when living in the US and Arg folks could call there at no charge).
Lingo! Tremendous.
I remember hearing a lot about them a few years ago.
Certainly bears looking into.
Thanks,
Mike
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