In May 2011 Microsoft announced that they would pay $8.5 billion in cash to acquire internet phone and chat provider Skype and less than one month later the FTC has approved that acquisition.

While concerns began to arise that Microsoft would begin to restrict Skype services on other platforms, providing the company with an unfair advantage in the VoIP market, FTC officials said that there did not appear to be any anti-trust issues with the deal and would therefore allow it to proceed. Microsoft has said repeatedly that Skype would continue to run as it’s own division.

The acquisition of Skype is important as Microsoft needs to compete successfully with Google and Apple video calling options so they can control brand recognition within the international market that Skype currently controls.[via]

FTC Approves Microsoft Acquisition Of Skype is a post from: The Inquisitr

Under the $55/month plan users will be able to make unlimited VoIP to Mobile Phone calls and unlimited VoIP to landline calls.

The plan also offers unlimited local and long distance service between U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico customers.

To use the service customers must have a touch tone phone that’s hooked up to a Vonage adapter and a high speed internet connection.

According to Mike Tempora, senior vice president of product management for Vonage:

“World Premium provides these callers with the peace of mind to call any landline or mobile number in 42 countries including Brazil, Costa Rica, Japan, Australia, France, Spain and the UK for one flat price. Customers who use World Premium Unlimited to call as little as one hour a week to mobile phones in countries like Mexico and the UK will save over $400 a year versus the best pay per minute rates from major phone companies.”

Is that enough for you to give Vonage a first or second try?

Vonage Now Offers Free VoIP to Mobile Phone Calls In 42 Countries is a post from: The Inquisitr

I am a big user of Skype especially over on WinExtra for our daily video news show and while I have tried the beta of Skype 5.0 I ended up having to roll back to the previous version 4 so I was kind of glad to see this announcement show up on the Skype blog, even though the news isn’t all roses.

With the release of version 5 Skype has moved the new group video chat, and live support, to a subscription model. From their announce on the Skype blog:

Group video calling has shed its ‘beta’ label and officially joined our product line-up with the introduction of the new version of Skype for Windows.

It’s available as part of the new Premium package which offers group video calling together with access to live chat customer support.

You can buy a day pass for $4.99/€3.49/£2.99* or a monthly subscription for just $8.99/€5.99/£4.99† per month.

If you sign up for group video calling in the first month, you’ll receive a 33% discount on 3 and 12 month subscriptions. In addition, you’ll get a 25% discount off an HD webcam.

The new version of Skype for Windows also includes a number of improvements to video stability and quality, and we recommend that you download it now.

Here’s hoping that whatever problem with the software that cause the service to go down for an extended period of time has been fixed.

Skype 5.0 comes out of beta, Group video chat gets price tag is a post from: The Inquisitr

Lifehacker is reporting that long-awaited Google Voice invites have finally been sent.

For the uninitiated, Google Voice was spawned from what used to be Grand Central. Google snatched up the “one ring to rule them all” service a few years back, and let everyone think they forgot about it. The service stayed closed to all but existing Grand Central users. All the while, Google elves have been toiling away tirelessly, adding to the already feature rich list of perks.

In March, Google Voice emerged from the years-long private beta of Grand Central, but remained closed to new registrations. Google recently piqued everyone’s curiousity and sparked imminent launch rumors by purchasing a million phone numbers from Level 3 Communications, but stayed frustratingly mum on when the service would be available to new users, tweeting coyly as recently as the 22nd:

Lots of rumors, coverage, etc., about when Google Voice opens again. Trust me we’re cranking away at it 24/7. Nothing to report yet…

Now it appears that the service will finally be available shortly for everyone who didn’t get in on it way back in 2007. Wikipedia lists some of the cool features offered by Grand Central/Google Voice:

• A single Google number for all user’s phones.
• Free calls and SMS in the contiguous US.
• Calling International phone numbers for as low as 0.02 USD per minute.
• Call screening.
• Listen in on someone recording a voicemail before taking a call.
• Block calls.
• Send, receive, and store SMS online.
• Answer an incoming call on any of your phones.
• Phone routing. Particular phones can ring based on who calls.
• Voicemail transcripts. Read voicemails online.
• Listen to voicemail online or from a phone.
• Receive notifications of voicemails via email or SMS.
• The ability to forward or download voicemails.
• Conference calling.
• Record calls and store them online.
• Switch phones during a call.

Google Voice invites sent! is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Star Trek Communicator from Dream Cheeky is a VoIP/Skype phone with 21 original sound effects. It has velcro on the back, so you can mount it where everyone can see it. With a simple flick of the wrist you are ready to receive any incoming signals from green female space slaves to your Star Wars-loving friends, who doesn’t have anything remotely as cool as this.

Personally I’m more of a Star Trek The Next Generation and beyond fan, so I’m still waiting for that Starfleet insignia badge. I just have to touch it and it instantly knows who I want to communicate with.

Star Trek USB Communicator – set phasers to nerdgasm is a post from: The Inquisitr

In registering, you give the site only your name, e-mail address, and the phone number you want to use. All of that information can be kept private. Your custom page shows only a box into which visitors type their own phone numbers. The service calls them, then calls you and connects.

What’s cool about the setup is that the call you receive shows the person’s actual caller ID info — both name and number. And since it actually calls them first to make the connection, they can’t put in fake info and can’t block the caller ID data. You, however, do have some blocking options. You can specify any numbers to the service that you don’t want to be able to call, and it’ll prevent them from dialing you.

LetsCall.me is free for unlimited use. As of now, the calls don’t even feature any pre-talk ads — something we assume will change over time as the startup grows and begins to focus on turning a profit. The call quality is generally good, though you do get an echo effect from time to time. Of course, when that happens, you can just initiate a new call from the Web site and you’re back in business.

The service suggests you use it for giving out contact information — i.e. rather than having to tell someone your digits, you could just direct them to your LetsCall.Me page. That could be useful when it comes to online contacts, particularly in an eBay or CraigsList-type scenario. It also, though, gives you an easy cost-free long distance calling tool to use with family and friends, particularly if you prefer to use a landline during times when mobile minutes aren’t unlimited. The one possible downside is the potential for misuse. One could imagine kids screwing around with the service and patching random people through to each other, which could theoretically become a nuisance if the wrong people were to get ahold of your URL.

LetsCall.me is registered to a company in San Diego.

New Free Anonymous Call Tool Debuts is a post from: The Inquisitr

We first wrote about the company’s Social Call tool earlier this month when its HTML-driven Craigslist application — now rebranded as Private Call — came out. The Facebook utility offers the same service, just specifically catered to Facebook profiles.

Basically, Social Call gives you anonymous VOIP capabilities. You give the company your phone number and put the app on your page. It then lets anyone click to call you, without ever having access to your number. The program also lets you set parameters for when you want to receive calls, so you could tell it to only patch people through between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., for example.

The thing we initially liked about this application is its versatility. Certainly the Facebook platform adds a social element, but its HTML-based brother program could also have interesting uses for business purposes, or even for letting visitors to a blog/web site contact you only during specific times and without having to publicly post your phone number.

Arzoola’s CEO swears to us the service will remain free, though he says it will likely feature pre-call ads and optional “premium” extras in the future.

Arzoola Launches Facebook Phone App is a post from: The Inquisitr

Arzoola’s Social Call lets you make and receive free VOIP-powered calls through social network-specific apps. What sets it apart from other services is the fact that it lets you do so anonymously: Users give out their phone numbers only to Arzoola, which then masks them from public view.

“We simply act as an intermediary, shielding the phone numbers from each party,” CEO Roie Edery explained to The Inquisitr. “Instead of posting your phone number online, you substitute it with our ‘Call Me’ link.”

The first application, launched Saturday, is designed with Craigslist in mind. You just go to Arzoola’s web site, enter your phone number, zip code, and an expiration time (i.e. only accept calls for two days) — then it gives you code to post within your listing. The code lets anyone click to call you without ever gaining access to your phone number. While the tool is being marketed specifically for use on Craigslist, it could be used anywhere you can post HTML embed code — on a MySpace profile, for example, or on a blog where you wanted to receive calls for a limited period of time without divulging your digits.

Next up is an app for Facebook, which Edery tells us will be launching “very soon” — likely within the next week or two, pending the network’s approval. It will add a “Call Me” button directly below your profile picture and will let you specify what days and times to let calls be patched through.

All the applications use a business-grade VOIP carrier. As of now, the calls are totally ad-free. Edery says that could change in the future — but end users will always be able to use the service free-of-charge.

“Our focus is to provide this service for free,” he said. “Once adoption picks up, it is our intent to enable our audio advertising platform. Basically, while a user is on hold waiting for us to call the other party, they will hear an ad.”

Arzoola’s Social Call will also eventually offer premium services such as voicemail and number-free text messaging, Edery tells us.

Arzoola: A New Voice In Social Network Communication is a post from: The Inquisitr