We’ve covered fring before, but the latest version of the client has a new feature; add-ons. This allows connections and data from systems to be integrated into the one application. The key add-ons so far are facebook, Orkut and a GMail notifier, with more due over time. This facility could make fring even more appealing to new customers; not just the ability for free chat and calls, but now the ability to interact with those same friends through a variety of online social networking sites.

If you want to try these add-ons out, get the latest fring client, and then select Options / Select / Manage add-ons.

fring have updated their S60 VOIP client (to v3.35), which now offers improved stability, less interruptions, less logouts, improved voice quailty and they have added a speakerphone option. They’ve also added a file transfer capability via Yahoo! or Skype. More details here, with the download here.

Truphone have updated their mobile phone VOIP S60 client to v4.0, and included Truphone Anywhere. This allows you to route as many of your calls as possible over the Internet, which will reduce your costs. Clever logic in the program means it will offer a variety of options from a local area number, Call Back and true VOIP calls. If you have included bundled minutes, then Truphone reckon their service will still save you money on your international calls. Head over to the Truphone website for more information and a download link.

T-Mobile now offers it’s USB Modem on PAYG for £99.99 with a £4 per day offering. It’s advertised as unlimited, but it’s Web’n'Walk Plus, which doesn’t offer all services (VOIP is not allowed on this tariff, for example), and compared to 3’s £10 for the whole month doesn’t sound such good value if you would use it more than twice a month. Also, we could not find out whether T-Mobile actually meant unlimited, or had a fair usage policy on this service.

So, O2, T-Mobile, 3, and Vodafone all openly promote good data deals (although some of them could do with keeping their web sites up to dates with their latest deals and T&Cs), Orange stand out as only promoting their pay monthly service, and not a PAYG service.

BT has announced that it will be helping it’s BT Business Total Broadband customers to turn their premises into WiFi Hotspots, allowing visitors to be able to access the Internet without having access to the business customer’s network. The press release mentions the BT FON community, and we wonder whether they are planning to offer the BT FON community offering currently only available to home users. Interestingly, the press release even makes mention of these visitors being able to make VOIP calls, an interesting statement from a company historically reliant upon call revenue…

More information as we can obtain it.

Thanks to Mark at Automated Home for alerting us to this article.

After a long wait, Skype have released a beta version of their mobile client. This is a Java app, which gives them a good range of compatibility across many handsets, but does not provide an integrated solution for Symbian or Windows Mobile users that many would like. Also, although it uses the internet data connection for presence and IM messaging, it makes a traditional phone call to connect into the Skype infrastructure to get VOIP connectivity, so there is still a real cost to these calls (if only that they will come out of your inclusive minutes). Skype even advertise it as “no WiFi needed”, but fail to mention that it really can’t take true advantage of a WiFi connection, even if you have one. Overall, Skype themselves hint that the 3 SkypePhone might be a better solution for many, and right now, I think I agree.

More details direct from Skype.

Although you’ll need a jailbroken iPhone (until we get the formal SDK and new firmware), fring is now available for the iPhone, bringing support for VOIP calls (Skype), and IM (MSN Messenger, ICQ, GTalk, AIM, and Yahoo!). More details, including how to setup the pre-release version, are available from fring.

If you are using the Nokia Beta Labs Gizmo client, Nokia have updated it again, and believe it’s now ready for mainstream users to use. As with the last version, it can only install to the device’s internal memory, and needs you to fully uninstall the previous version first. More details here.

Gizmo, the VOIP service provider has launched a new service in the US, called Backdoor calling. Gizmo have discovered that a whole range of standard landlines and mobile phones are directly accessible via VOIP (ie without the call going over traditional phone lines). As such, Gizmo offers free calling to these numbers. Even better, the called party can use the Caller ID number to return a call back to the Gizmo user too.

Gizmo are looking to extend this to other countries, so we’ll keep you informed if and when the UK gets included, and which UK providers are included.

If you are using the Nokia Beta Labs Gizmo client, last week Nokia updated it. They’ve added a few extra features (eg multiple location support - so you can remain logged in on your PC too, and choose which device to use to answer a call). You have to fully uninstall the previous version first though, and it can still only be installed to the main memory, not a memory card. More details here.

We’ve managed to find some more information on the Everex side panel accessories. These side panel accessories may eventually include:

• Bluetooth VOIP phone
• GPS
• DVB
• 3G / CDMA phone
• World Clock

Picture courtesy of jkOnTheRun.

TUAW (The Unofficial Apple Weblog) has information on the first SIP VOIP phone call for the iPod Touch. Although it’s still early days in the application, it’s looking interesting.