Jajah Brings Free Mobile Calling to Facebook
By: Hillel Fuld
The mobile VOIP scene is pretty crowded nowadays. Of course this is not a new thing and VOIP technology has been threatening mobile operators and telecommunication companies for years, but now it is really starting to heat up. The smartphone user has so many choices when it comes to cheap or free global calling, the only challenge here is to pick one. Today, Jajah, a VOIP provider that was acquired by Telefónica in 2009, threw its hat into the mobile ring.
Before we discuss the new Jajah offering, which is now exclusive to Android devices, but coming to iPhone soon (interesting that the promo video is on iPhone), let’s talk about the competition. To name a few mobile apps that provide free or cheap VOIP calls, there is Skype, Vonage, Fring Out, Nimbuzz, NetTalk, Google Voice, Tango, Facetime (Facetime is actually a free global call), Viber, and that is just off the top of my head. So with all this competition, why does Jajah think they can leave a mark?
The answer is that the new Jajah Android app is actually VOIP with an important twist. You do not need to know the person’s phone number that you are calling, they do not need to install Skype, Vonage, or even Jajah. All they need is to be connected to you on Facebook. Now, let’s be honest, how many of your friends are not on Facebook?
Here is how it works. You open the app, and you can see a list of your friends that are now logged into Facebook Chat. You then call one and that person gets a notification in their chat box that you are calling them. If they accept, the link opens a window on their computer and allows them to talk to you using their computer’s microphone and speakers. That is pretty much it. It doesn’t get much easier than that. To be honest, I am not sure why none of the companies mentioned above thought of this. What Jajah just did was it brought down the major barrier that so many communication apps possess. For apps like Skype, WhatsApp, and Kik to work, the other side has to install the app. Not Jajah. This truly brings free calls to everyone. Well to at least 200 million Mobile Facebook users.
