Babble (VoIP) Users Post Here

kazzer

Does anyone know how to add contacts? The interface is not very intuitive/bit buggy.

Mr-X

Was testing this out today works well, but i got an incoming call from my number (The Number I Rang) has this happened to anyone else? i checked my phone and there was no call being dialled out but yet it was rining through to my PC... the sound on pc was as if I was dailling out, and I did notice the number had 000353 instead 00353. ant thoughts?

Mr-X

kazzer wrote:

Does anyone know how to add contacts? The interface is not very intuitive/bit buggy.

Use out Look there is a button that brings you to your contacts.

kazzer

Thanks Mr-X unfortunately I havent got any contacts stored in outlook, any other way to do it manually? Thanks. Im still have a problem calling the UK, I get a 'dialling' sound, but the phone is not ringing at the other end.

dwayneburke

how the hell is this free?? im ringing mobiles and landlines no probs!! someone has to be losing out ???/

Or am i going to get stung for a mad bill? Or is it a very clever marketing ploy to get people to talk about babble rather than skype??

sirlinux

Just used ethereal on it, it's sip, registering with a SER sip proxy, sip proxy is sip.bon.net, someone might want to try another soft/hardware phone with it.

kazzer

Whats everyone using on it, handsets, headsets, mic/speakers? Im just using mic/speakers - cant seem to get the thing working! Is anyone trying Irish landlines?

Eurorunner

For anyone using USB phones, can you give us a quick review of what youve got ie. make/model/price/where you bought it and how you rate it.

Wonder if they have developed a wireless phone for voip apps like this yet?

Mr-X

I just put the contacts in there dude, rang a couple of Irish landlines no prob, When you dialing your dialing from the UK so maybe put the number in as you would if you were over there leaving out the 0044. It seems V buggy sometimes it doesn't ring and you still get an answere and sometimes people cant here or its verydistorted like a bad mobile call.

Just using a mic and headphones myself, if it works out over the next while I might buy the handset.

Mr-X

Has anyone read this looks like there will be a membership fee from December....

3- Babble On, is our monthly subscription based service. As a result of the phenomenal feedback from customers who want a single, simple rate plan, we are discontinuing this scheme from December. The vast majority of customers have voted for a membership scheme to cover the free calling costs, which will be launched in 2005. Current subscribers will get this initial membership FREE of charge. Those who join Babble before 2005 will also get a significant discount on the membership fees so spread the word !

Kristok

Im using a headset its fine but somethimes gets a bit mad like a dodgy mobile call. There has to be something up they cant be making any money off this i mean doesnt it cost them to make the connection to the phone your ringing, they have to pay that phone company ie. eircom etc.

Does anyone know if they could be reversing charges on the person your ringing without their permission ?!?

Mr-X

Eurorunner wrote:

Wonder if they have developed a wireless phone for voip apps like this yet?

Just Found This
http://www.chat-cord.com/

kazzer

Quote:
Originally Posted by Eurorunner
Wonder if they have developed a wireless phone for voip apps like this yet?

Just Found This
http://www.chat-cord.com/

This looks sweet.

Eurorunner

Good find mr.x . Only £19 if it works.

fatherdougalmag

Mr-X wrote:

Has anyone read this looks like there will be a membership fee from December....

But that's only for existing subscribers to Babble On. That's their service which assigns you a phone number so people can ring you. I assume that's where they make their money. Still haven't seen any limitations on making outgoing calls.

kazzer

I managed to make a call to my home phone (Ire). I didnt hear the usual ringing tone, the person just answered. Anyone else get this?

November

The Babble service is provided by a company called BON.net Limited.

BON.net specialises in both Software Development and also Traditional Telephony services.

The current Babble Service does indeed offer free PC to PC based Telephony and also free PC to PSTN (fixed line services). At present even PC to mobile calls are free.

The intention is to keep all calls free to PSTN (fixed line) in Europe, USA, Canada, Australia and even New Zealand.

Mr-X

Some more equipment: http://www.pcphoneline.com/skype

fatherdougalmag

I posted about this service on another BBS and someone mailed BON asking where the catch is:

I can confirm that all fixed line calls, and mobile, are currently being offered free of charge. Indeed all calls will continue to be free of charge until 1st December 2004 whereupon it is our intention to keep all Zone 1 (Europe,USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand) fixed line calls free but charge an annual membership per individual user for the service circa £25. For other Zone destinations prices can be obtained at present only by typing individual numbers into the Pricing and Terms page under the Information tab on the babble.net website.

We have our own Telecom network/infrastructure which allows us to off-set any costs we incur along with other services we offer, see www.bon.net

In short - fill-ya-boots and spread the Babble word to your friends!!!

Once we implement the charging, no bills will be produced. It works on the basis, if you have credit on your account you can place a call. If you have zero credit or insufficient funds to place the call, no call can be made.


Just to say again, for now - ALL CALLS ARE FREE!!!

So indeed they'll be getting rid of the free service from December (apologies Mr-X) but £25 is a year is pretty good in my book.

Imposter

fatherdougalmag wrote:

So indeed they'll be getting rid of the free service from December (apologies Mr-X) but £25 is a year is pretty good in my book.

25 sterling seems a lot unless you are making a lot of calls as it costs less than 2c a min using Skype. The Skype interface is also much easier to use.

fatherdougalmag

I suppose mileage will vary but in our house €36 a year for free calls brings a smile to my face. Looking at the Skype rates for Ireland it says 2c a minute including VAT. That comes to 30 hours of telephony with Skype versus unlimited hours with Babble for €36. That is assuming they charge a straight GBP -> EUR conversion for their £25 which probably isn't likely here where they wouldn't have as many customers as in other countries. They'd probably have to charge more here. I suppose I could mail them and ask.

Kristok

i dont know 25 sterling is about 36 euro for unlimited land line calls. Even if you only use it for 1 hour a week thats gonna cost less than skype nearly half as much in fact. And if you use it more then your sorted. Im not saying skype isnt good but the kind of person willing to put up with dodgy sound to save money using a voip service will defo rather pay a smallish one off fee and use it as much as they want.

November

As I understand it, after speaking with the Babble staff the £25 fee applies to all countries incuding here.

All the existing subcribers will have their subs credited back to their Babble Balance IN FULL as a 'Thank You' for their faith in the service.

AND that's not all!!

The people that have subscribed or subcribe before 1st January 2005 will have the £25 membership reduced to just £10 in the first year.

fatherdougalmag

Great. I was getting a bit suspicious about the subscription rate and whether it was annual or montly but they appear to be sticking to annual.

Now all they need is to start advertising compatible devices which brings me on to my next question.

Would a bluetooth dongle/headset combination work for this, or indeed, any other VOIP application. My guess is that it would appear as another mic/speaker to the OS and you would use that rather than your soundcard. That's what I've gathered from the few google's that I've done on the topic. Anybody tried getting their mobile phone's bluetooth headset to talk to their PC?

kazzer

To be honest Im still not convinced about the Babble service. Calls to irish landlines seem ok, but call quality to the UK is poor at best. I find the interface to be a bit buggy too. Hopefully the service improves.

Eurorunner

I just got the cyberphone k usb phoneset to use with the babble service. I now have my mp3s and all sound playing through the phone - which is weird (but i'll sort that out in a minute).

The other problem which someone might know more about if you have this setup......


The phone works with babble - but i have to key in the numbers manually - it wont take them from the handset for some reason. I downloaded the additional drivers which should have sorted this out.

Anyone have any ideas?


EDIT ->

I find the interface to be a bit buggy too. Hopefully the service improves.

Yeah - it kicks me off the network for no apparent reason too.

Eurorunner

Looks like the problem i described above has disappeared.

November

£25/€35 per year for unlimited calling to landlines, so around 9 cents a day...

Sorry Imposter I've already converted! 5 minutes on Skype or unlimited hours on Babble... not a hard choice really.

rash

Signed up for babble a few days ago, had problems getting their client to work. I used their online contact form and was really impressed by their technical support - got a response within the hour.
My routers NAT was effecting the client - they got me to download a 3rd party client - X-lite and that resolved my problems.
Quality to irish landline and mobile was great.

kazzer

Hi rash,

Where did you get that X-lite client? I find Irish landlines are grand, but not that good to the UK.

Thanks

fatherdougalmag

Looks nice.