Want to make free calls? Try this service

A team of engineers in Bangalore has a free voice calling service for any part of the world. 

BANGALORE: For those who do not mind the annoyance of advertisements right in the middle of a conversation, a team of engineers in Bangalore has a free voice calling service for any part of the world. Termed FreeKall, it brings voice-over-internet-like services to those without internet access.

The idea, which was thought up in the dorm of M S Ramaiah Institute of Technology in Bangalore, was launched as a service last Saturday. Still in beta, or testing phase, nearly four lakh FreeKalls have been made so far.

"The response has been phenomenal. Our servers crashed about seven times and we had to bring it back up," said Yashas Shekar, a 23-year-old who cofounded the company with college-mates Vijayakumar Umaluti and Sandesh Eshwarappa. "On the flip side Sandesh, and Vijayakumar have not slept since Saturday," chuckled Shekar, a former Godrej Interio employee who shut his first venture, a web development firm, to concentrate on this startup.

The service, in some ways, is reminiscent of the trunk calls of the last century, except that the cloud infrastructure does the job instead of an operator. To make a FreeKall a user dials number 080-67683693 and the call is disconnected after just one ring. Following this, the system calls back the user, and an automated system prompts the user to dial the desired number. Lo and behold, the call is connected. The system can currently support 10,000 requests per second. If it goes beyond that, it will not be returned.

"I must say, someone has thought out of the box. This can be truly disruptive if it works out well," said Hemant Joshi, who oversees the telecom practice at consulting firm Deloitte.

FreeKall makes money by making people listen to advertisements. So, when the call is connected, the user hears an advertisement instead of a ringing tone. And at intervals of two minutes, the caller and the called party will have to pause the conversation and hear an advertisement for soaps, shampoos and the like.

For now, unregistered users can make calls that last three minutes. For those who register, the conversations can last 12 minutes. In about a month, there will be no limit on the amount of time a person can FreeKall. International calls will be possible in about a month, once legal clearances are obtained.

The company is aiming for 10 million calls a day in India and expects revenue of $30 million ( 185 crore) by the end of the next fiscal. It plans to take its business to Africa soon.

Freekall has tieups with a media agency called Streetsmart Media Solutions for the advertisements.

The idea originated in 2008 when Umaluti, 25, thought of facilitating free calls, albeit manually, through a call centre. The other cofounders, with their experience in web development, looked at a cloud-based implementation and decided to revisit the college project idea last year.

FreeKall has received 10 lakh in seed capital from Ranjith Cherickel, a telecom professional who has worked at Nokia Siemens Networks, Verizon Wireless and Skype. "I expect them to expand internationally in less than a year. This will work well in developing countries and potentially in high-tariff developed markets," said Cherickel.

Although there are several applications that provide free calls, the 3G infrastructure in India is not robust enough to support calls at all time and all places. What FreeKall is doing is trying to tap into areas that services such as Skype and Viber are yet to penetrate.

"The company should move fast in terms of engaging with advertising networks and digital agencies and consider how best to get IP protection. A lot depends on them showing value to advertisers by profiling users accurately and delivering relevant targeted ads," said Ravi Gururaj, chairman of Nasscom Product Council.

By launching an app in about a quarter, the company is also looking to capture the smartphone market and minimise the number of steps to make a call.

Shekar knows that smartphone adoption and internet connectivity will only increase. "But it's not going to happen in the next five years at least. By then, we would have captured a big market," he said.

Joshi of Deloitte warned of problems such as heavy loads and connectivity problems for cloud telephony. As for telecom service providers, for whom a major chunk of the revenue originates from voice calls, this will not be disruptive in the short term, said Joshi.

"Those who use this service will mostly be prepaid users, and the average revenue per user is small enough."

Pizza Hut Considers Amazing Interactive Touch-Screen Tables

Pizza Hut isn’t exactly the first company we think of when we hear the words “cutting edge technology,” but that may change if the fast food chain makes good on a concept video for futuristic touch-screen tables. The short video, which was created with help from Chaotic Moon Studios, shows off a pretty amazing take on ordering pizza in the future, though we don’t expect to see the technology actually put to use any time soon.

In the new concept video, Pizza Hut swaps out the tables at its dine-in restaurants for massive touch-screen displays. Once you sit down, the first thing you’ll do is place your smartphone on the electronic table, activating the display and automatically signing into your own personalized account. Then you’ll design your pizza using the interactive screen before finalizing your order and paying through your device. Finally, the display lets you and your friends play popular mobile games while you wait.

There’s a lot to love in this concept video, from easy mobile payments to the interactive pizza menu. We have to wonder how Pizza Hut could keep these touch-screen’s clean and germ-free though, especially considering how greasy the main item on the menu often is. But in the end it may not matter. The technology is likely a long way off from rolling out to any fast food chain, though hopefully we’ll get to experience it ourselves at some point.

SOURCE PIZZA HUT (YOUTUBE)

Apple puts iOS in the car, launches CarPlay

CarPlay is essentially a hardware and software solution built into the car that lets drivers use their iPhones without getting distracted.


NEW DELHI: In line with a report that appeared last week, Apple has officially announced its much awaited 'iOS-in-the-car' solution, naming it CarPlay. It has also announced tie-ups with auto manufacturers on the sidelines of the Geneva Motor Show. 


CarPlay is essentially a hardware and software solution built into the car that lets drivers use their iPhones without getting distracted. Once the iPhone is connected to a vehicle that features CarPlay integration, Siri, the iOS voice assistant, helps users access contacts, make calls, return missed calls or listen to voicemails. When incoming messages or notifications arrive, Siri responds to requests through voice commands, and reads drivers' messages and in addition to letting them dictate responses or make a call. 

According to Apple, CarPlay also makes driving directions more intuitive by working with Maps to anticipate destinations based on recent trips via contacts, emails or texts, and provides routing instructions, traffic conditions and ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival). Users can also ask Siri and receive spoken turn-by-turn directions, along with Maps, which will appear on the car's built-in display. 

CarPlay also gives drivers access to all of their music, podcasts and audiobooks with navigation through listening choices from the car's built-in controls or simply by asking Siri to pull up what they'd like to hear. CarPlay also supports select third-party audio apps including Spotify and iHeartRadio. 

The Cupertino giant has announced that vehicles from Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo will premiere CarPlay. Other auto manufacturers bringing CarPlay in the near future, include BMW, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai Motor Company, Jaguar Land Rover, Kia Motors, Mitsubishi Motors, Nissan Motor Company, PSA Peugeot Citroen, Subaru, Suzuki and Toyota. 

"CarPlay has been designed from the ground up to provide drivers with an incredible experience using their iPhone in the car," said Greg Joswiak, Apple's vice president of iPhone and iOS Product Marketing. "iPhone users always want their content at their fingertips and CarPlay lets drivers use their iPhone in the car with minimised distraction. We have an amazing lineup of auto partners rolling out CarPlay, and we're thrilled it will make its debut this week in Geneva." 

The deal "marks the first time that Apple is embedding its software in devices other than its own branded products. 

On the user end, CarPlay is available as an update to iOS 7 and works with Lightning connector-enabled iPhones, including iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c and iPhone 5. CarPlay will be available in select cars shipping in 2014. 

Apple had announced the 'iOS in the Car' solution during its Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) 2013. Apple, of course, is not the only technology company looking to tap the market for in-car infotainment systems. BlackBerry and Microsoft are also in the market to integrate their own in-car solutions in cars by major manufacturers.

We want a billion Indians on WhatsApp by Jan Koum

At MWC2014, Jan Koum said that we want all smartphone users (in India) to be on WhatsApp.

WhatsApp co-founder Jan Koum took time off from his hectic schedule at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, on what was his 38th birthday, to talk to ET about the $19 billion deal with Facebook and what advice he would give entrepreneurs. Edited excerpts:

It's said that you applied for a job at both Twitter and Facebook. I was interviewed for Facebook but nothing really worked out.

What made you start WhatsApp? How did you hit upon the idea? What did you do that was different from other messenger services?
I got an iPhone and I started to experiment trying to build an application for an iPhone. First, we focused on using your address book. Everybody else was using user names or pin codes, like BBM... Skype you had to get an approval... these were all complicated processes. We just wanted to simplify it. If you have somebody's phone number in your address book, you are on.

We were the first guys to do it, we were actually the first mover. Everybody else came in and tried to copy us, but they weren't successful. We were global from day one. We focused on translations, we added Italian, German, Spanish, Russian, into the applications from day one because we understood that it's the power of communication, that people want to communicate with people in other countries.

We hired really smart people, our first set of engineers was extremely talented and allowed us to build a foundation that enabled us to build everything on top of it.

What, if any, is the monetisation strategy of WhatsApp?
Today, it's a simple one - we are free for the first year of subscription and then it's a dollar a year. There are no plans to do anything else. We are pretty happy with this. For voice, we haven't finalized it internally yet but we might do something different in terms of implementation but fundamentally it will be very similar.

Some are skeptical about the quality of voice services that can be offered by you. Please comment.
We are going to make sure voice works just as well. I understand that there are bandwidth constraints, network constraints, but we will take the same approach to voice that we took to (messaging) five years ago, which is focus on quality, simplicity, performance so that it's the world standard for voice just as messaging it's the world standard.

Would you have done the deal at a lower value?
The important thing to talk about here is not the price. Mark asked me to be on the board of Facebook and I'm extremely flattered. We talked about this as a partnership and not as an acquisition. WhatsApp will continue to remain independent. There are no changes planned to the product. Nothing really changes from the user point of view. And, so when we were talking about this deal, we were not as interested in terms of the numbers but as a partnership between two great companies who share the same vision.

What will Facebook's contribution be to your voice service? Any more hiring?
Should be none. We are still an independent company and we will continue to be an independent company even after the deal closes. But we do plan to grow, absolutely. We are going to have to hire more people to support more users and build new things like voice.

What plans do you have with the money that you get?
I only have one idea, that is WhatsApp, and I am going to continue to focus on that. I have no plans to build any other ideas. The day the deal closes, it's going to be like any other day when we will go back to work.

How does it feel to have this success?
It's rewarding but again I don't spend any time thinking about it. A lot of my time, effort and focus is spent on WhatsApp. And that to me is more valuable and rewarding than to work on anything else.

Has the world changed for you post the Facebook deal?
None. Still the same. We still have a lot of work to do. We still have a lot of people who will get onto smartphones, we still have a lot of bugs to fix and improvements to make. Our mission is still not done.

Do you fear someone else could build a better message/photo sharing platform and make WhatsApp irrelevant. How will you sustain WhatsApp's competitive advantage?
We have always had people copy us. It's not shocking, if anything it's flattering. But what's important for us is to continue to get our product right. I spend more time worrying about ourselves, that we're doing the right thing.

Did you expect the success?
Probably not to this level. The size of this deal shows how important communication is in today's world. Communication is at the very core of our society. That's what makes us human.

How important is India as a market?
It's a very critical market for us. Ironically, I grew up watching Indian movies as a kid in Russia. I am quite familiar with Bollywood. I grew up watching Disco Dancer, I watched it some 20 times as a kid. India is important from a personal level too.

We want all smartphone users (in India) to be on WhatsApp. Then if that number is a billion, then it's a billion. Currently, over 40 million. So we still have some ways to go before we hit a billion.

When do you plan to visit India?
Hopefully soon. Are you inviting me? I wanted to for a long time. My schedule is a little busy but hopefully this year.

What are the three things that young entrepreneurs should focus on when launching a startup?
Focus is an important part of it. A lot of times people start out with a lot of good ideas, but then they don't execute. They lose the purity of their vision. You end up running around in circles.

Hiring smart people, smart engineers. Focus on users right from day one.

Would your new office have WhatsApp signage outside?
We haven't decided yet. We will think about it when we come back.

What next for Jan Koum?
I have work to do. I get on a plane and I go back and have to go back to the office and work.

Samsung Galaxy S5 launching on April 11th in 150 countries

Samsung has just announced that the Galaxy S5 will be available starting April 11th in 150 countries. Over here in the US, it'll be available on Sprint, AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless, MetroPCS and U.S. Cellular. Ma Bell is going one step further, offering up the Gear 2 and the Gear Fit smartwatches as well. If you'd rather go elsewhere for your mobile needs, retailers such as Amazon, Best Buy, Costco, RadioShack, Sam's Club, Target and Walmart will have the GS5 plus all three of Samsung's newly announced wearables. As for our friends across the Atlantic, UK providers EE, Three and Vodafone UK have jumped aboard the GS5 bandwagon, as have retailers Phones4u and Carphone Warehouse. Though it hasn't been announced, we expect other carriers such as O2 will support the phone too. No word on pricing just yet, but we expect we'll find that out closer to the phone's April launch date.

Source: T-Mobile, Sprint, AT&T

Phoneblocks

Everyday we throw away millions of electronic devices, because they get old and become worn out. But usually it's only one of the components that causes the problem. The rest of the device works fine but is needlessly thrown away. Simple because electronic devices are not designed to last. This makes electronic waste one of the fastest growing waste streams in the world. And our phone is one of the biggest causes.

So this is a new kind of phone. It's made of blocks. Detachable blocks. They're all connected to the base, and the base connects everything together. Electrical signals are transferred through the pins, and two small screws lock everything in place. So if for instance your phone is getting a little slow, you could just upgrade the block that affects the speed. Or if something breaks you can easily replace it with a new one, or update it with the newest version.

Another great thing about this is, that you can customize your phone. So lets say this is your phone and you do everything in the cloud. Why not replace your storage block for a bigger battery block. If you are like this guy and love to take pictures, why not upgrade your camera? Or if you don't care about any of this stuff you can keep it simple a get a bigger speaker. You can choose the blocks you want, support the brands you like, or even develop your own blocks. Phonebloks is built on a open platform by companies working together to create the best phone in the world.

To set up this platform we need to get the right companies and the right people involved. The will only get started if there is a lot interest in a phone worth keeping.
So this is the plan.
To show them there is a interest for this phone we need your voice. You can donate your social reach on the website. We gather as much people as possible. On the 29th of October we send out the blast. All at the same time. Spreading all your voices, to show the world, there is a need for a phone worth keeping. The more people involved, the bigger the impact.

Please visit Phonebloks.com to raise your voice and spread the word.

Phonebloks, a phone worth keeping"

Source: Thunderclap / Phonebloks

We support Phonebloks

Nokia announces the X and X+, its first Android phones

Nokia is officially launching its very first Android devices, known as the X and the X+, on stage at its annual Mobile World Congress press conference. We were all taken aback by the second (and third) device (since only one leaked), so it's incredible to see Nokia make such a huge foray into enemy territory. The X will have a 4-inch, 840 x 480 IPS screen, 512MB RAM, 4GB of storage expandable storage via microSD slot and 3-megapixel camera, while the X+ sports the same specs but more RAM (768 MB) and an included 4GB microSD card. You won't be getting Google's apps or Play store, however as both handsets will be based on the forked AOSP Android OS. Nokia says that'll have the advantages of the Android ecosystem, but with a "differentiated experience." So far, Here Maps, MixRadio, Skype and Outlook are being featured on the Nokia Store. You can access the Nokia and third party stores using the devices, but not Google Play, obviously. We've heard SwiftKey will be available on the Nokia X range (and for free, too), as will BBM, which is also coming to Windows Phone sometime "this summer."

The new devices are featuring a ported version of FastLane for Asha devices as a sort of skin, to give a similar experience as its other budget handsets. When you swipe across it, it'll bring up a sort of notification bar showing recently used apps, missed calls and texts and other activities. During the demo, Elop showed both the Nokia Store also Yandex, where he pulled down Aero Express, a Russian-flavored app. The X will be available immediately in growth markets (ie, not the US) and run 89 euros. The X+, meanwhile, will run 99 euros but won't arrive until sometime in Q2 this year.