Damn Line2 does exists, for one moment while reading the article, I thought the author was joking and talking about that imaginary VoIP app of everyone's dream. Then I searched in iTunes and it's a reality.
An iPhone App to Sidestep AT&T
21–30 of 37 posts
Re: An iPhone App to Sidestep AT&T
#22Re: An iPhone App to Sidestep AT&T
#23Earlier quoted context omitted.
Good thing Apple also rejected Google Maps.
I know you're being sarcastic, but I'm not sure what you're getting at.
If Apple was trying to spite Google, why is Google Maps in the default install? Why not Bing maps, or Yahoo! maps, or Mapquest maps, or ... ?
Re: An iPhone App to Sidestep AT&T
#24How is this substantively different from the Skype iPhone application, with an in-bound phone number? The major usability barrier to me there is the inability to have Skype run in the background on the phone (reasonably so, since it would kill battery life); does Line2 somehow work around this?
Edit: Never mind, I should have finished reading the article before posting. Line2 routes calls through the cellular network when the app isn't running.
Re: An iPhone App to Sidestep AT&T
#25Re: An iPhone App to Sidestep AT&T
#26Oh this will be interesting on the 3G iPad. $30/mo 3G VOIP?
Does the iPad have a microphone?
Yes. From " rel="nofollow">http://www.apple.com/ipad/specs/>:
Input and output
* Dock connector port
* 3.5-mm stereo headphone jack
* Built-in speaker
* Microphone
* Micro SIM card tray (Wi-Fi + 3G model only)
Re: An iPhone App to Sidestep AT&T
#27Earlier quoted context omitted.
There was a well publicized policy change between the two events.
Which policy change?
Google Voice was rejected in July of 2009. In October of 2009 AT&T unilaterally (maybe after seeing how the FCC was thinking) amended their customer agreements to allow VOIP over the cellular network. Once that camel nose came under the tent the difference between VOIP phones and the builtin phone started to go away. Now in March of 2010 Line2 has been altered and accepted to deliver VOIP on the cellular network.
As submitted, Google Voice had several problems, including a massive privacy violation that would have held up any app. It is reasonable to think that they could have worked through those. The "duplicates the dialer, voicemail, and SMS" seems to be the key objection that Google could not, or chose not, to work around, but at least for voice calls that is changing as evidenced by Line2. I never saw SMS come up explicitly, but surely AT&T would not be happy to see that cash cow vanish. The question is if they had enough foresight and clout to get it protected in their agreement with Apple.
Re: An iPhone App to Sidestep AT&T
#28Earlier quoted context omitted.
I know you're being sarcastic, but I'm not sure what you're getting at.
If Apple was trying to spite Google, why is Google Maps in the default install? Why not Bing maps, or Yahoo! maps, or Mapquest maps, or ... ?
Well the decision on Google Maps was made when the iPhone first came out right? Before Android even existed, so before Apple even had any reason to fear Google. That doesn't explain why Apple hasn't now switched to something else though. Maybe cause Google Maps is just too good to leave out? I don't know.
What I do know is that Google Maps isn't attempting to commoditize smart phones like Google Voice is. So Apple has more reason to spite Google by rejecting Voice than Maps.
Re: An iPhone App to Sidestep AT&T
#29Oh this will be interesting on the 3G iPad. $30/mo 3G VOIP?
$45
Re: An iPhone App to Sidestep AT&T
#30Earlier quoted context omitted.
Which policy change?
Google Voice was rejected in July of 2009. In October of 2009 AT&T unilaterally (maybe after seeing how the FCC was thinking) amended their customer agreements to allow VOIP over the cellular network. Once that camel nose came under the tent the difference between VOIP phones and the builtin phone started to go away. Now in March of 2010 Line2 has been altered and accepted to deliver VOIP on the cellular network. As…
But Line2 was originally accepted, with all it's iPhone-duplicating functionality, in September 2009: http://techcrunch.com/2009/09/02/google-voice-alternative-li...
And, at least if you believe the statements to the FCC, AT&T has never had anything to do with the acceptance or rejection of the Google Voice app. So Apple ends up looking rather hypocritical here, when all of it's stated reasons for rejecting Google Voice also apply to Line2's app and yet that app was accepted.