OK, I am biased since I am an investor in Sipphone/Gizmo Project but this service from T-Mobile sounds pretty lame. The "breakthrough offering" from this carrier is that you can make calls on your mobile handset and seamlessly switch between T-Mobile's cellular network and your home network. The catch is that you have to pay an extra $20 a month to use the service and you are locked in to using your home network or in the future a T-Mobile hotspot. Unless you are making tons of international calls from home, that doesn't sound like a breakthrough. You are better off saving that $240 annually and using that to buy a Nokia n80 or n95 device which has dual mode capabilities but in a completely open format. OK, it doesn't offer seamless handoffs between cellular and wifi but it does allow you to make VOIP calls from any wi-fi network and all you have to do is buy minutes from GizmoVOIP which is integrated in the phone. In the near future consumers will be able to leverage the full power of web-based communications as presence, IM, and buddy lists get built into the device. Once again, I know that carriers have to protect their huge investment in infrastructure, but how long will consumers stand for exorbitant pricing on closed networks?
about
Ed Sim is founder of BOLDstart Ventures and co-founder of Dawntreader Ventures. Mr. Sim has over 15 years of venture capital experience having led seed and first round investments in a number of high profile Internet and software companies.
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Better (though I am not suggesting gizmo in it)…
Get T-Mobile free phone ask them to unlock it (they do that for free) use it on any home wifi without giving them any money…use SKYPE client..pay $15 per year..or alternatives to skype who have less internation rate..
Ed,
I think you are missing the bigger picture – carriers are evolving their business models in this new era of mobility and broadband networks. The pricing might not be perfect but they’ll get it right as the market of folks who are even interested in using a wi-fi phone grows (that market is very small right now).