Google Inc. has announced that it has placed a bid of $68 million for Global IP Solutions(GIPS). GIPS is based in San Francisco and offers both voice and video over IP Networks. The company's board has recommended the sale to it's shareholders, but it will not be finalized until approved by at least 90 percent.
If, or when, this deal is approved, it will be Google's third acquisition of a VoIP service provider since August of last year. That is when Google announced that it had purchased video compression technology developer, On2 for over $106 million. Then in November Google grabbed Gizmo5 for about $30 million. Gizmo5 was purchased to help improve Google Voice and help them better compete with Skype.
Google's internet in GIPS is most likely due the VoIP provider's technology that allows chatting on applications running Google's Android mobile operating system.
Google looks to be positioning itself to make a bigger splash in the VoIP market, and to make VoIP a more prominent factor in the mobile communication industry. With this announcement, and the fact that Apple and AT&T began allowing VoIP phone calls over their devices and network, it appears that mobile VoIP is the new direction of communications
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
What Should You Look For When Choosing The Best VoIP Provider?
There are many factors that will decide whom the best VoIP provider is, and a lot of it will be decided by what means the most to you, the customer. I have 8 top Internet Phone Service providers listed on VoIP Ranks, and that is mostly to give people options. I would personally only strongly recommend about 4 of them from my own experience. This can be skewed by my needs though, and don't set in stone what might be a great VoIP service provider for another person with different needs.
Obviously, everyone wants a reliable VoIP provider that makes sure their network is constantly updated, and an affordable VoIP provider that doesn't give you "what you paid for". These two factors can translate over to any Internet Phone service user, and the top VoIP providers listed on this site will indeed be able to provide those. However, you will need to check some other personal factors when choosing the best Internet Phone Service to fit your needs:
- "Do I make a lot of International Calls?" You want to make sure that you explore a provider such as Lingo if you are looking for a plan that includes your International calls in the monthly cost of the plan. Some other providers, such as VoIPo, will include 60 minutes of International calling each month if you spend a low number of minutes calling International destinations.
- "Do I use a ton of features, or just want to make cheap phone calls?" There are some top voip providers, like ViaTalk, that are constantly coming out with new features. In fact they released an iPhone app late last year that allows you to control you phone service directly from your iPhone. However, if you are looking for just the basic features and want a really solid, affordable VoIP service, I would recommend VoIPo over the rest.
- "Do I mind prepaying for an extended period of time to save some money?" Some of the VoIP providers offer more discounts with an extended plan term. For example, Phone Power will offer you a one year plan for just under $200, but will give you the next year of phone service free. That is a great deal, but you are locked into a two year deal with them. Other providers will also offer you a nice low month-to-month option, and will let you save a ton of money on your phone service, but won't lock you in.
- "I am new to VoIP, and want to try it out before fully committing." This is a huge deal since a lot of Internet Phone subscribers are new. Make sure to check out the providers trial period. I have noted all of the trial periods on my full VoIP review pages. This will allow you try out the VoIP service provider, and only be liable for a small portion, such as shipping, of the initial cost if it doesn't work out for you.
VoIP has become the buzz word in telecommunications, and it continues to grow. Everyone loves to save some money on their bills, and this will allow you to cut back on a normally high priced utility. However, if you choose the wrong provider out of the gate, than it may end up costing you in the long run. Take a look through this VoIP review site, and feel free to send in any questions you may have.
VoIPo Makes Many Great Announcements
Just reviewing the listed top VoIP Provider's Websites, and their forums, I came across VoIP Ranks featured Internet Phone Service Provider, VoIPo, and their "State of the Union". They are celebrating their 4th year providing reliable affordable Internet Phone Service, and seem to have a lot in the works. While many people probably don't see their Forum while browsing for a new phone service, I thought I would detail what VoIPo has in store for the rest of 2010:
New vPanel Design - vPanel is VoIPo's proprietary control panel that allows for it's customers to access their phone account online and adjust the calling features that are provided with each plan. They plan to make this easier to use and understand, which will be great for anyone new to VoIP, and don't have much experience with the many features that are included for free with each of VoIPo's calling plans.
Nationwide Network Expansion - VoIPo currently partners with Softlayer, and they are planning a some major network upgrades of their own. This will no doubt improve VoIPo's connectivity in many places they offer phone service, and will add to some major city's. While the quality of VoIPo's phone service is already top notch, this will make it even better.
Enhanced Redundancy and Reliability - VoIPo is adding redundancy points to their network, and adding more hardware. All Internet Phone Service provider's have some issues with network connectivity, but this will allow VoIPo to not have single point of failure, and if one of these connectivity issues does arise, it will limit the impact on your phone service.
Lower International Rates - VoIPo does not have the greatest International rates, but this looks to be changing. They are looking to add some more International partner carriers which will inturn pass savings off to the customer's.
Expanded Support Hours - VoIPo has great domestic support now, and later this year are planning ot extend those hours so more cusotmers have a better opportunity to call them instead of sending in support tickets. When this is done, it will take their level of support to a whole new level.
Reseller Program - This will be great for anyone looking to enter the VoIP market, and anyone that is tech savvy and wants to save some money on large telecom infrastructures. This will be a great, and long desired, addition to VoIPo's product offering. Well other VoIP service provider's offer this, I am confident that VoIPo has spent the time and money to make sure this well above the norm.
Well, that seems to be the gist of their announcement. There are a lot fo new things coming down the pipe for VoIPo and their customers. These are just some of the reasons that VoIPo is our featured provider, and will probably remain there well into the future. If you are new to Internet Phone Service, or looking for a new top Internet Phone Service Provider, do not hesitate to make the leap to VoIPo. You will not be disappointed withtheir current offerings, and by these latest updates, you will be very happy in the days to come.
New vPanel Design - vPanel is VoIPo's proprietary control panel that allows for it's customers to access their phone account online and adjust the calling features that are provided with each plan. They plan to make this easier to use and understand, which will be great for anyone new to VoIP, and don't have much experience with the many features that are included for free with each of VoIPo's calling plans.
Nationwide Network Expansion - VoIPo currently partners with Softlayer, and they are planning a some major network upgrades of their own. This will no doubt improve VoIPo's connectivity in many places they offer phone service, and will add to some major city's. While the quality of VoIPo's phone service is already top notch, this will make it even better.
Enhanced Redundancy and Reliability - VoIPo is adding redundancy points to their network, and adding more hardware. All Internet Phone Service provider's have some issues with network connectivity, but this will allow VoIPo to not have single point of failure, and if one of these connectivity issues does arise, it will limit the impact on your phone service.
Lower International Rates - VoIPo does not have the greatest International rates, but this looks to be changing. They are looking to add some more International partner carriers which will inturn pass savings off to the customer's.
Expanded Support Hours - VoIPo has great domestic support now, and later this year are planning ot extend those hours so more cusotmers have a better opportunity to call them instead of sending in support tickets. When this is done, it will take their level of support to a whole new level.
Reseller Program - This will be great for anyone looking to enter the VoIP market, and anyone that is tech savvy and wants to save some money on large telecom infrastructures. This will be a great, and long desired, addition to VoIPo's product offering. Well other VoIP service provider's offer this, I am confident that VoIPo has spent the time and money to make sure this well above the norm.
Well, that seems to be the gist of their announcement. There are a lot fo new things coming down the pipe for VoIPo and their customers. These are just some of the reasons that VoIPo is our featured provider, and will probably remain there well into the future. If you are new to Internet Phone Service, or looking for a new top Internet Phone Service Provider, do not hesitate to make the leap to VoIPo. You will not be disappointed withtheir current offerings, and by these latest updates, you will be very happy in the days to come.
VoIPRanks Revamp Is Finally Done
I know this has been a long time coming, but the new VoIPRanks.com has finally arrived. There have been some great new additions to the VoIP review site. You are looking at the biggest addition, the VoIPRanks Blog, right now. Also, you will find that we now have a Twitter and Facebook page for you to follow and keep up with the most current VoIP news and available promotions. You can now stop searching multiple sites for the latest information regarding your current or future Internet Phone Service provider. I am also glad to announce a partnership with RankMyVoIP.com(in development at the moment), so that you can read customer reviews regarding their experience.
Feel free to take a look around the new layout and email me with any questions or suggestions. Thanks for stopping by, we look forward to you stopping by again. Make sure to forward this site to anyone you know that may be in the market for Internet Phone Service.
Customer VoIP Provider Reviews Soon Available on RankMyVoIP.com
As mentioned before, VoIPRanks.com will be partnering with RankMyVoIP.com for customer reviews on the Top VoIP Providers. While this site will remain strictly my VoIP reviews and ratings based on my experiences with them, RankMyVoIP will be solely based on a colleciton of reviews gathered from Internet Phone Service users. At this time, as Rank My VoIP is being developed, anyone will be able to visit the site and leave a detailed review of their individual experience with any VoIP provider in the market today.
I am hoping that it will not be long before RankMyVoIP.com is completed. This will add a lot to the experience of anyone visitng VoIP Ranks, and make it one step closer to reaching the goal of becoming a one-stop shop relating to anything VoIP. If you have had any experiences with Internet Phone Service, please stop by RankMYVoIP.com, or simply go to the contact page here and send in a message to the editors. All customer experiences that are submitted will be placed on the new site once it is launched.
Please do not forget to visit our Twitter and Facebook pages to follow all the VoIP news, and and specials being offered from the featured Internet Phone Service providers.
VoIP: Providing Cheap International Calling for many
While everyone is trying to cut costs these days, many of the top VoIP providers offer a way to lower your monthly International calling bill. The most recent turn in VoIP service is offering International minutes with their standard Unlimited calling plans. This has made Internet Phone Service even more valuable for users looking to get away from the heavy costs of POTS(plain-old-telephone-service) like Verizon or AT&T.
Users now have the option to choose from many of the listed Top VoIP Providers. The following are the listed cheap VoIP Providers that offer International Calling minutes with their plans:
VoIPo - 60 Free International calling minutes included each month to landlines in select countries. The 60 minutes it accrued per month, and not per destination. The select countries include China, Italy, Mexico City, Moscow, and UK.
Phone Power VoIP - Now includes 60 International
Minutes per month to select destinations with all new plans and all existing
plans with more than 500 minutes. There are over 80 countries included in this promotion.
ViaTalk VoIP - ViaTalk recently jumped on the bandwagon and added 60 minutes of International calls.
All calls to landline phones included in the 60 minutes. Calls to cell
phones may be included depending on destination. Also, for only $8.95/month, anyone can add the VT World to their plan, which includes 1200 minutes of International calls to destinations like India, China, Hong Kong, and Puerto Rico.
Lingo VoIP - Lingo has a very competitve International calling plan. For only $4.95 for the first month, and $21.95 each month after, you will receive Unlimited calling to the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico along with Unlimited minutes to over 30 Countries. Seperately, you will receive 1000 minutes to call India. This pricing, along with Free Activation and Equipment, makes this choice a good one if you make a lot of International calling.
As you can see, there are many options in VoIP today for both the casual and frequent International dialer. If you looking for cheap International calling, than it would make sense to look for one of the listed top VoIP providers that inlcuded International minutes with their plans. Most Internet Phone Service providers will provide a trial period as well, so you can give the service a try to see if it fits your needs.
VoIPo: The Featured Internet Phone Service Provider
After years of testing the listed VoIP providers, I have settled on listing VoIPo as the featured service for several reasons. First of all, they caught a lot of slack for having a very long Beta period in which they accepted new customers by invite only. During this time the CEO, Timothy Dick, was mkaing sure that VoIPo's service was going to be solid when it was released to general sign-ups. This decision was the right one.
After utilizing VoIPo's Internet Phone Service for over a year now, it is hands down the most reliable VoIP service I have experienced. With the price point of $99 per year of Unlimited calling, it is also the most affordable Internet Phone Service available. The feature set is great, and will cover what every household needs. The great thing is, these features are all included in the $99/year price tag.
As far as VoIPo's support, it is second to none. I hear a lot of people mention, "you get what you pay for", when describing a majority of the support received from VoIPo's competitors. However, for the low price, you do not have to worry about the level of support you will get from them...it has always been there and at a high level when I needed it.
If you are new to VoIP, or are unhappy with your current Internet Phone Service Provider, do not hesitate to sign up for VoIPo. You will not be disappointed.
More VoIP reviews to come in the coming days.
Phone Power Offers FREE 2nd Year with Yearly Unlimted Plan
Right now on PhonePower.com, they are running their BOGO promotion for the next 6 days. When you purchase the prepaid Yearly Unlimited Calling Plan for $199.95, you will receive a second Year of service FREE!!! This price breaks down to $8.33 per month. This is a great promotion if you don't mind putting the money upfront. If you order through VoIPRanks.com, you will receive Free Activation and Free equipment. To visit their site and get more info, Click Here.
I currently have Phone Power as my second pick, and would advise you not to hesitate to give them a try if you are looking to save money on your phone service, or are looking for an alternative to your current Internet phone Service provider. They have a rock solid VoIP service, and will include 60 International Calling minutes per month, over 30 calling features, and a Second Cloned phone line. As well, they offer a 30 Day Satisfaction Guarantee for all new sign-ups.
Like I said, don't hesitate to give Phone Power a shot. I have been using there VoIP phone service for nearly 2 years now and have no complaints
Choosing the Best VoIP Provider
If you have been looking around the Web, and reviewing various VoIP providers like VoIPo, Phone Power, and ViaTalk, you are probably having a tough time deciding which is the Best VoIP Provider for you. This is one reason I decided to develop VoIPRanks.com, and give honest reviews of the available Internet Phone Service Providers. While most review sites are set up based on a monetary bias, you can be assured that I am only recommending the Most Relaible VoIP Providers in the market today based on my actual experience.
There are several factors to think about when deciding which VoIP provider is best for you. Price is probably the initial factor in driving you to look for a new Internet Phone Service provider over your existing telecom choice. However, while in these tough economic times price should be a huge factor, many of the best providers have similar, if not the exact same price point. Because of this, in my opinion, VoIP Reliability and the Tech Support you receive from particular providers should take the upperhand. These two factors are paired because if the VoIP service is not as reliable, but the price point is what you are choosing, you are going to want a solid Tech support in case of any issues. Now, if you are tech savvy and have experience with VoIP, the tech support isn't as important, but you are going to want to look for the Most Reliable VoIP Provider available so you aren't spending all your time fixing the issues. These two factors, are the most important when I decided the VoIP Provider to feature on my site.
I have spent 6 years utilizing various Internet Phone Service providers, and want to make your decision easier. Rest assured, that if you chooes one VoIPRanks top providers, you will be making a solid choice and not worry about the trial periods. Each of these providers has been tried and tested by myself, so you are not just getting lip service, but you are getting a list of the very Best Internet Phone Service Providers in the VoIP market today. You simply need to make a decision on which listed VoIP provider has the right price, and the best VoIP features for your needs.
Thanks for visiting my VoIP review site, and I hope your search is made easier from the information provided.
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