Smartphones have revolutionized how we communicate and the way we create, share and consume content. Yet there's one aspect of using these devices that remains stuck in the last millennium, and that's the calling experience -- yes, apparently some people still make phone calls. Sure, there are plenty of VoIP and video calling apps out there, but few are simple and beautiful.
Enter Sidecar, a free app which aims to reinvent the way we make phone calls by adding messaging as well as real-time video, photo, location and contact sharing to that antiquated calling experience. It achieves this through an intuitive and polished user interface plus a handful of standards such as SIP and XMPP. Phone calls between Sidecar users are free anywhere in the world -- the app even supports free WiFi calling to any number in the US or Canada.
While Sidecar's been available in beta on Android for several weeks, it's launching on iOS today with support for the iPhone and iPod touch. We've been using the app on and off for a few days on several handsets, including a Galaxy Nexus HSPA+ and an iPhone 4S and it works exactly as described. Looking for additional details? Check out the demo video and full PR after the break.
Continue reading Sidecar comes out of beta, reinvents phone calls
Sidecar comes out of beta, reinvents phone calls originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 May 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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We don't know about you, but most of us Engadget editors live in a perpetual state of inbox insanity. Keeping on top of voicemails, text messages, emails, IMs, Twitter DMs, Facebook and Google+ messages -- to name just a few -- is a herculean task yet also an essential part of our every day. As a result, personal messages often get drowned out in a sea of work-related correspondence.
Sounder is an app that aims to ease the inbox pain a little by providing a simple and immediate way to speak with those people that really matter. Pick a few important Facebook friends and the app lets you talk to them directly at the push of a button via VoIP. The goal is to keep you connected to the folks closest to you with the least amount of friction by using one of the most natural and personal ways to communicate: voice. Sounder -- which launches today for free -- supports the iPhone and iPod touch, with iPad, desktop and Android versions in the works. A $0.99 in-app upgrade enables a super slick "flip-to-talk" feature which lets you reply without waking your phone -- just turn it over and speak.
After meeting founders Nancy Broden (of Twitter fame) and Michael Fortson (former Qik Director) at SXSW, we got the chance to take an early prototype of Sounder for a spin and came away impressed with how simple yet effective it is. Since our demo in Austin, the company's been busy fine tuning the app and putting in the final touches -- such as the "flip-to-talk" functionality. Want to know more? You'll find some screen shots in the gallery below and our hands-on video after the break.
Continue reading Sounder launches, we go hands-on (video)
Sounder launches, we go hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 May 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Myriam Joire (tnkgrl) was born wearing combat boots and holding a keyboard; moments later she picked up a soldering iron. She's been stomping, typing and hacking ever since. In her regular series, she'll share her tips, tricks, and mods on everything from phones to netbooks -- and be sure to catch her weekly on the Engadget Mobile podcast.
Things used to be simple: you either had a CDMA device with no SIM, or a GSM device with a SIM. If your GSM device was unlocked you could swap SIMs between carriers, and if was locked, you could swap SIMs between accounts on the same carrier. Basically, an unlocked phone meant mobile freedom. At first, the only complication was the different frequencies used for GSM in different parts of the world, which was remedied with quadband radios. Then 3G was introduced, with different frequencies used by different carriers in the same geographic area, like North America. Today, this proliferation of bands makes it difficult to build universal radios, and makes it less appealing to switch carriers. In fact, the only phone that currently supports all 3G frequencies used in North America is the upcoming pentaband
Nokia N8.
The second obstacle was the introduction of special data plans, either requiring additional service layers (such as BlackBerry or Sidekick plans) or restricting the types of devices permitted as the iPhone and iPad plans do. What used to be as simple as changing APNs is now a Kafkaesque nightmare, complete with nasty "you are using the wrong data plan and we are going to send you a bill" text messages from carriers. Strike three was the
micro SIM (also known as the 3FF SIM), popularized by Apple's iPad and the iPhone 4. This smaller form-factor SIM is electrically compatible with the standard SIM we all know and love -- and as such, it's easy to convert a standard SIM into a micro SIM and vice-versa (but still, it's one more hurdle standing in the way of happiness).
Let's dive in and take a look at how it's done.
Continue reading How-to: resize your SIM, change your APN, and drink the sweet nectar of mobile freedom
How-to: resize your SIM, change your APN, and drink the sweet nectar of mobile freedom originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 09 Jul 2010 12:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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