Gizmo Call brings VoIP to the browser

If downloading a whole entire app for making VoIP calls is just too much commitment, or perhaps you'd like to get in a few free phone calls on some random PC you don't quite have that kind of privilege with, SIPphone has quite a dealio for you. The builders of Gizmo Project have just unveiled Gizmo Call, which allows you to make phone calls from your browser, using a Flash-based mini-app. You get five minutes a day of free calls to any phone line, along with unlimited free calls to users of Google Talk, Windows Live, Gizmo Project and any other SIP service. There are fancy little "Call Me" links you can hand out to your friends, along with the ability to customize your CallerID to make your call look like it's coming from your mobile or landline. The service is live now, so start pranking your friends before they catch on!

[Daniel Eber @ Jan 30th 2007 6:00PM]

Can you just dump your cache and call more. I know i can do that w/ jajah

[Kyle @ Jan 30th 2007 6:49PM]

Probably malware. Makes you download a plugin and doesn't even work. I trusted the site because it was on Engadget but that teaches me! And there is no way they'd give out free outgoing calls to landlines and cellphone. That would cost them so much money.

[henrrrik @ Feb 1st 2007 7:20AM]

Well, you're wrong.

Gizmo Project is a Skype competitor started by Michael Robertson (of Linspire and MP3.com fame). Unlike Skype (which use a closed, proprietary protocol) they use the open SIP standard for VoIP and Jabber for instant messaging.

[obiwan @ Jan 30th 2007 8:56PM]

The plugin had a exception which launched win32 debugger. it isn't ready yet.

[danmcgill @ Jan 30th 2007 10:18PM]

So in the vein of strange coincidences.

Today I noticed a process on my machine for the first time "mdnsresponder.exe" Bonjour Service.

I never installed it. I have never heard of it. So I do a web search and it is an Apple provided service. OR, maybe not. It is something called "Gizmo Project". Or is it Apple? Very weird. Little network traffic, no big deal, it's Apple, I leave it alone for the time being.

Then I take a look at Endgadget & a fully -browser based- VOIP mini-App. (do you mean, like a widget thing?) called "Gizmo Project" announces free calling FOREVER to Landlines. All over the place. And "how can they monetize that?", and "if installing an APP is too much for ya." And Steve Jobs gives you WIFI, and a -full browser- and terms that floor the cingular people and everybody's complaining about how the iPhone isn't nearly the "game changer" they thought. And he gives you a -full browser- and won't let you install Apps? Wait, Gizmo thing interops with Google Talk(?) Windows Live(?!) (is yahoo in there?) & Bonjour, Apple, Gizmo monstrosity thing all bundled up installs with iTunes on my WinPC and every MAC and....

This is obviously *highly* (exrememly) speculative, but maybe the boy genius on stage in Cupertino said less than everything. And the Gizmo Project guys utterly disruptive game plan to stop the charging for (time * distance called) and bring on flat rate phone service is just the bugger that Jobs would dive in for.

PS: as a bonus, look at the "bonjour" apple page. What did Gates say ab out "getting there" on the Daily Show? If you can link all of this locally like Apple is stating, through Bonjour, and have "Bonjour running in your phone and everybody's phone and everybody's PC? does Jobs statement about bringing down "Cingular's whole west coast operation" start to make (some) sense?

[henrrrik @ Feb 1st 2007 7:53AM]

mdnsresponder.exe is part of Bonjour which is installed with iTunes. It's what iTunes uses to discover other computers running iTunes on your LAN.

[Calvin Gorriaran @ Jan 31st 2007 12:20AM]

Remember DialPad?

[catchespam @ Jan 31st 2007 4:46AM]

I do! DialPad was awesome. Too bad it blew up with the rest of the .com's back in 2000 :(

[Undead @ Jan 31st 2007 6:39AM]

Whoa this is amazing you can use your 10 free min a day to call international too!!! I just got off with Pakistan!

[Surya @ Jan 31st 2007 10:42AM]

LOl thanks to engadget looks like the site got DOS'd

i made my calls today afternoon... now 7 hrs later i get a cool "Internet Explorer cannot display the webpage" haha

[Scott @ Jan 31st 2007 2:38PM]

Welcome to 1998.

I made VOIP phone calls using my browser so very long ago via DialPad. Granted, the quality wasn't as good as it is today... and only person could talk a time. But still! It hath be done before.

[henrrrik @ Feb 1st 2007 7:53AM]

danmcgill,

mdnsresponder.exe is part of Bonjour which is installed with iTunes.

[Vinay @ Feb 1st 2007 10:24AM]

I am trying to figure out a way to call after the 10 mins limit.
I will update my blog maybe tommorow about this hack. Hopefully i will be succesful. It basically stores the file as SOL extension file for cache info.

http://voipguides.blogspot.com/

[Vinay @ Feb 7th 2007 4:50AM]

Guys,

You can now use Gizmocall for more than 10 mins with this hack:http://voipguides.blogspot.com/2007/02/gizmocall-hack-to-make-20-minutes-calls.html