GoogleTalk to landline using GTalk2VoIP
By Vivek Puri | October 10th, 2006 at 10:24 pm ET
I had been planning to write about GTalk2VoIP.com for quite a few days now but never got the chance. On reading a post by Om Malik about Splinter.net providing similar service as GTalk2VoIP, I felt compelled to write about GTalk2VoIP.
GTalk2VoIP was founded by Ruslan Zalata and Eugeny Korolenko who are located in Tyumen, West Siberia, Russia. Inspired by the release of Libjingle by Google in December 2005 GTalk2VoIP team started development work in February and went live in March this year. In this short duration of time, GTalk2VoIP has an impressive feature set that enables Google Talk or Windows Live Messenger users to call any telephone number (PSTN) around the world. GTalk2VoIP also provides services including conference chat for Google Talk and Windows Live Messenger users, free outgoing/incoming calls to SIP phones, and free access to Google Talk and Windows Live Messenger from PSTN via SIPBroker.
To get started with GTalk2VoIP service you need add service@gtalk2voip.com to your buddy list in the Google Talk or Windows Live Messenger. After that you can type ‘help’ in the chat window to get all the commands you might need to access various features.
Currently GTalk2VoIP has more than 14000 users. GTalk2VoIP team is working on developing GoogleTalk-like J2ME client for mobiles with voice enabled features which might be similar to what Fring or Jajah are providing. Till now Ruslan and Eugeny have bootstrapped the company but are on lookout for venture deals. They are also in talks with few US based companies that are interested in integrating GTalk2VoIP technology into to their networks and services.
To checkout GTalk2VoIP PSTN calling rates, Click Here.
Links:
GTalk2VoIP.com
on October 24th, 2006 at 9:36 pm
[…] Talkster has a fresh outlook on providing cheap calls and reducing the complexities in contact list management. Talkster is coming into an area dominated by startups like Jajah, Rebtel, Mino, Fring, and Gtalk2VoIP, with each of them having their own unique ideas and implementation. Talkster’s own plan is to enable people to communicate using their existing devices in a much more efficient manner. Using Talkster people can call from their mobile phone to their instant messaging buddies on AOL, MSN, Google Talk, and Gizmo, for free. Talkster also enables call from mobile phones to PSTN, VoIP, and mobile numbers for cheap rates. […]
on January 4th, 2007 at 9:42 am
I have been using Gtalk2voip for several days now, both from within Google Talk, and using TalkoNaut on my Nokia E61 and 770 Tablet.
I was amazed by how easily it integrated my chat, phone and Gizmo contacts wherever these are used, i.e. iMac iChat with Gtalk account, XP Gtalk, Nokia 770 contacts/chat and E61 using IM+ and TalkoNaut..
The quality of service on one of my calls was awful, but Gtalk2voip allows you to ‘thumb down’ poor suppliers, and ‘thumb up’ good ones..
Service has been excellent! Queries were answered even during the Christmas break by IM..
For those worried by any Russian connection, payments are arranged via https://shopsecure.worldemail.com/
I personally would have liked a PayPal button, but that might not be available yet in Russia.
Definitely worth a try.
Mvh
PS. I tried Talkster too, but my experience was dismal to say the least. As yet it has been unable to establish a correct connection either to a Norwegian landline/mobile number, or to my Gizmo account.
I also had to run it from the E61’s Opera browser, there being no mobile app. yet.
on May 21st, 2007 at 1:47 pm
[…] Ruslan Zalata and his Russia based GTalk2VoIP team had been providing a similar functionality for the past year, but there is nothing like a service integrated into Google Talk itself. […]