MOBIVOX rocks: Phoning Service's 'VoxGirl' power sets you free

Chicago Sun Times, Illinois USA
Sunday, October 21, 2007

MOBIVOX rocks: Phoning Service's 'VoxGirl' power sets you free

By HOWARD WOLINSKY hwolinsky@xxxxxxxxxxxx 

Riding on the Metra south bound, I called an access number in Chicago on the 
cell phone, and a perky voice -- from a digital assistant -- answered, said 
hell-o and asked who I wanted to call.

I said, "Ted." Moments later, the "VoxGirl," as the digital attendant is known, 
announced that my free call via Skype, the no- and low-cost online phone 
service I use for domestic and international long distance, was going through 
to Ted, a friend and distant relation. Ted lives in Tucson, but as far as this 
service, MOBIVOX, is concerned, he could just as easily live in London, Rio or 
Sydney.

Ted said before the call went through, he heard a brief announcement that I was 
calling via MOBIVOX.

MOBIVOX is a slick new service that offers free or cheap calling. The calls can 
be put through to other MOBIVOX subscribers. But wisely, MOBIVOX works with 
Skype, which has members in the millions.

MOBIVOX creates new opportunities for Skype users.

With Skype, you're typically tied to your computer. Or possibly you use a 
special Wi-Fi phone for Skype. MOBIVOX cuts those links.

You still need a computer to sign up at mobivox.com, but after that you can use 
an old-fashioned landline or a cell phone to make computer-free Skype calls. 

When you register, you list the numbers you typically use so VoxGirl knows who 
you are. You also provide access to your Skype contact list.

To reach the system, you call an access number. MOBIVOX has nearly 400 access 
numbers in 38 countries, including more than 100 in the United States. I used 
one in Dublin recently. When I visited Lithuania and Latvia in early September, 
there were no access numbers, but that has just been remedied.

The voice recognition was excellent, though not perfect. I found it worked best 
when I just mentioned the first name, rather than first and last names of the 
people I wanted to reach. Should VoxGirl identify more than one potential 
match, "she" asks before she dials.

MOBIVOX suggests that "non-fluent" English speakers use the keypad to punch in 
numbers. So VoxGirl may have some trouble identifying people if the user has a 
heavy accent or identifying foreign names in contact lists.

Like Skype, MOBIVOX offers the option of conference calling. By pressing the * 
key, you can have up to nine people in a conference call.

If the person you're calling isn't on your MOBIVOX or Skype lists, then you 
have to pay, typically less than two cents per minute.

http://www.mobivox.com/countries/

The only other charge is whatever it costs you to make a call to a local access 
number.


http://www.suntimes.com/business/612784,CST-FIN-tech21.article
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