Podcast #5 - VOIP Internet Phones, Frappr Mapping

So in this podcast, we learn a lot about the new, online phone services that have been enabled by the convergence of ubiquitous broadband among a certain demographic, and decrease transmission costs, etc. This is a valuable discussion for anyone interested in learning more about fun and useful options for chatting online.

Services enabled by VoIP:
Youmail - personalized voice mail for each person(Free), doesn't require alltogether new phone number,
Grandcentral - can categorize different friends, and give the different groups their own voice mail ($14.99 Premium Service), one phone number rings on all your phones
Jajah - for making international calls(0 - .65 cents/minute)

VoIP Companies:
Skype - massive network of users, because basic service is free, typically people speak through computer with voice being recorded with a pc mic, and sound playing out of speakers or headphones.
Vonage - huge marketing expense, large network, $30 per month, can use traditional cordless phones in your house, but voice data is carried digitally through the internet connection, rather than traditional (more expensive) phone lines

How will this impact the way we communicate with people? These global networks - how are relationships going to be structured in the future?

And finally, a really neat little mapping tool, Frappr. Another exciting tool made possible by Ajax programming technologies, satellite images that were made possibe by Google and Yahoo efforts in this area, etc. You can see these maps on the right side of our blog.

This is a cool concept that allows people in different areas to place a pin on the map that identifies what city / region they are from, plus personal information about each other. For example, see how the hardcore programming community of PmWiki utilizes this new tool.