Adobe Flash

GizmoCall - VoIP a la Adobe Flash

Doug Mohney — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 11:58:57 -0500

GizmoCall joins a steadily growing crowd of Adobe Flash-based VoIP tools, as it launched a web-based VoIP app on Monday.

Created by (who else?) Gizmo5, GizmoCall provides a quick online registration setup, and you're in business to make calls. Toll free (800-category) calls are free, as are calls to SIP addresses, other GizmoCall users and Gizmo5 users. GizmoCall can also accept inbound calls to the login user name, so long as the app is running in a window or browser tab (foreground or background). You can also drop one line onto a webpage to do inbound calling from GizmoCall.

A cool feature is a Firefox add on/plug in to enable any phone number on a web page to be clickable and called through GizmoCall. However, to make outbound calls, that's where having a Gizmo5 GizmoCall account comes in handy, with outbound calls starting at 1.9 cents per minute after forking over $10 for initial credits.

The Adobe Flash client should work on Mac, Windows and Linux platforms.

Adobe Flash 10 has been at the heart of sky-high IP controversy for VoIP calls, with Adobe Flash VoIP apps initially being able to work around firewall blocks for in-flight broadband services such as Gogo. GizmoCall may end up on a short list of blocked sites and/or apps by the airlines.

For more:
- A blog on the new GizmoCall.

SPOTLIGHT ON: Adobe adds new AIR VoIP application

Pete Wylie — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 12:02:23 -0400

Adobe's new AIR app will be more convenient to flashphone users who do not want their VoIP program to be browser-based. After downloading AIR, they can use the softphone, but also downsize it to the system tray to receive incoming calls while browsing other things. This process ensures users can verify their online status while keeping the softphone open. Adobe opened up a comment page on its website, and put an open call out to users to suggest improvements and give feedback to improve the new offering.

For more:
- see the tmc.net blog post

Flash gets its VoIP due

Doug Mohney — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 22:23:23 -0400

Phweet is the most infamous example of Flash bringing VoIP into web-based applications, but there are a number of other sites using Adobe's technology to incorporate telephony into the web.

Raketu is one of the newer companies, as it uses Adobe Flash in its recently released RakOut WebPhone service, says a VoIP News piece conducting inventory. Previously, Raketu had used a PC-based client for VoIP-based services, but a browser-based solution opens up the world of Mac (and iPhone) and Linux users to Raketu's network for lower cost VoIP calls.

Other companies tapping into the power of Flash include Ribbit and Adobe themselves for its free ConnectNow web conferencing services. Ribbit built VoIP into their services using Flash as a foundation block while Adobe's web conferencing services delivers both voice and video communication through Flash.

Of course, Phweet has generated more than its share of attention over the past week by using Flash to conduct VoIP calls as an end-around for call filtering conducted by Aircell's Gogo in-flight broadband service. In theory, any VoIP-incorporating Flash-based app should be able to get around Gogo's filtering as of last week; needless to say, Aircell is working on countermeasures to keep American Airlines cabins quiet and calm.

For more:
- VoIP News gives Flash its due. Article

Related articles
The power of VoIP in Adobe Flash 10
SPOTLIGHT: A Phweet conspiracy? - FierceVoIP