VoIP on an iPhone/Touch
 

Has anyone tried the new application Fring? It's free from the iTunes store, but many of the comments say that it's a little rough around the edges.

I did a few SkypeOut test calls. The sound quality wasn't too bad. It sometimes disconnects right after you hit the SkypeOut button (no record in my Skype history). VOIP only works over WiFi (no big surprise there, I guess).

The UI is a bit rough in that it merges all contacts from your assorted messenger accounts into one long list.

Installed it last night. Initial impressions are that if they can make it stable it will be a wonderful app.

Crashed many, many times on me though last night, both in configuring and using.

Sound quality on SkypeOut not bad, didn't have a long enough conversation to really test the delay, which I'd heard is quite poor.

Really annoying duplication of contacts brought in from various add-ons.

So, lots of promise, hoping for a new version soon-ish, as along with Slingbox, this was the key missing app for me.

With respect to the Touch, last I heard it didn't have a Microphone which seems to be a deal breaker for VOIP. I saw some hacks involving active disassembly of the Touch and soldering in an iPhone replacement mike into the Touch.

The new version of the Touch works with the microphone/earplug supplied with the iPhone. Not quite as easy as holding the Touch to your ear, but it's better than nothing. There's also a rumor that the Touch has the hardware for Bluetooth, but the software isn't there yet.

in addition to fring, there are two more voip apps: pennytel and truphone.

I tried it, have used fring on Winmo. It was hard to get the skype account to login, as well as the fring account. Call quality was pretty poor, not sure if it was the hotspot or other.

If Skype ever comes out with a voip client for iphone WIFI, it will be game over for Fring.

Updates?
 

Did a search for fring and truphone here - found lots of threads but nothing with any details. Both have been out for sometime now and I was wondering what experiences anyone's had?

I'm was thinking of using for my first gen iPhone.....

Why don't you use just voipbuster with local access numbers?
Access numbers are available in a host of countries, including UK, US, CA, DE, JP, ES, CH, IT, NZ, AU, AR, BR...

Nimbuzz
 

I'm actually more interested in occasional use of iPhone when connected to wifi, both here at home and when I'm in Asia. I understand from doing some reading at howardchui.com that nimbuzz seems to be the better alternative...it works with skype account.

If I signed up with voipbuster, would be another separate account that I would need to activate, etc.

Rumors abound on the Mac-centric tech blogs that Skype on iPhone is coming out next week. Stay tuned.

Downloaded nimbuzz and it works with skype - however contacts and address books absolutely useless as all dialed numbers need to be in "+ country code area code number" format. Manual dialpad works fine though and tested a couple of local USA calls on my iPhone using wifi connection (with no sim card installed).

If skype does come out, i see iTouch sales taking off :D

For jailbroken iPhones, I've seen (personally) a program that allows you to connect wifi only applications to your 3g network by making the 3g node into a virtual wifi access point. I saw the program for three seconds and don't know much about it.

Cool. Look forward to that. ^

Here is a You Tube on the process.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7P92oKmSan4