Vonage available for iPhone... Well kind of

Well today Vonage released their mobile application for the blackberry and iphone/ipod touch. I was so excited when I first heard that Vonage was releasing a app for the iPhone. Since I have their home service and all. But now I am very disappointed. Why you ask? Because it does not link with your current home account. The app is strictly pay-as-you-go for the moment and will not give free global calling to those who subscribe to Vonage's $25 per month Vonage World plan -- Vonage says that will come before the end of the year. So if I want to use it on my mobile phone I have to pay for extra credit on a totally different account.

It is basically like Skype in a way. Except for the fact that you can use it over the cellular network. You are not only restricted to wifi. But good news for you blackberry owners. If you decide to make an international call it will automatically revert to the Vonage Mobile App instead of your regular phone service. iPhone owners must open the app manually to make calls. Sorry iPhone owners.

Other than that boys and girls its a pretty solid app. I hope they allow me to link it to my home account soon. blah.

Check below for more information.

For iPhone

For iPod Touch


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Get the Vonage Mobile app and save more than 50% on international calls to dozens of countries.

Introducing Vonage Mobile, a free app for your iPhone that uses cellular or WiFi networks to make international calls at incredibly low rates. Sound good? We think so.

Vonage Mobile works with your existing mobile calling plan, so you keep your number and existing contacts. Simply download the app, set up your account, and you’re ready to start making low-cost international calls.

Call your friends, family or business contacts around the world without paying high rates from your mobile phone company. With Vonage Mobile, you’ll always get:

* Great voice and sound quality
* No calling cards, access codes or PIN codes
* Simple dialing from your iPhone contacts

There’s no cost to get started. Vonage has some of the best international rates, and there are no minimum call times or hidden connection fees.

-Bastian Gatten

Starbucks Apps flow into the Apple App Store

Well Here it is all You iPhone toting Starbucks lovers. Two apps just for you to help fill your Starbucks cup of desires.

Two Starbucks apps made an entrance into the App Store yesterday morning, one - myStarbucks - offering store location capabilities and menu browsing while the other, the Starbucks Mobile Card app, provides a variety of features to manage and reload Starbucks cards as well as a unique payment system that's being piloted in a handful of stores. The myStarbucks app takes advantage of the peer-to-peer connectivity over Bluetooth that debuted with the iPhone 3.0 firmware.

The myStarbucks app can use the iPhone's location to find the nearest Starbucks stores. But this im sure would only be needed if your not in your native town. Because come on; you know where the closest Starbucks is right? The Starbucks food menu, along with nutritional information, can also be viewed. Favorite drinks can be customized, saved for future reference, and shared via email or directly with another iPhone or iPod touch user who has the myStarbucks app open and Bluetooth turned on. Well isn't that exciting. You can share your Starbucks with another Starbucks customer that is glued to their iPhone.

The Starbucks Card Mobile app allows holders of Starbucks Cards to view card balance, reload a card, view transaction history information, and more. It also features a new payment system that's being piloted in 16 stores in the San Francisco Bay and Seattle areas that will allow users to make payments directly through an iPhone. To head off inevitable questions about the expansion of this program, a button labeled "When is it coming to my Starbucks?" reveals the following answer:

We are testing mobile payment in select stores in Seattle and Silicon Valley. In the coming months we will be evaluating additional locations and would love your input. To follow our process and share ideas on Starbucks Card Mobile, visit www.mystarbucks.com. Thanks for your interest in Starbucks Card Mobile.

Starbucks is currently offering a $5 bonus on Starbucks Cards Mobile accounts the first time a card is reloaded with a Visa card through the Starbucks Card Mobile app. Yes I can now get me a free Grande Mocha Vanilla Late!

Starbucks has partnered with Apple in other areas, including offering a music partnership that offers customers the ability to purchase currently playing songs in Starbucks locations directly on an iPhone, iPod touch, or computer with iTunes. iPhone and iPod touch users can also benefit from free Wi-Fi Connectivity at Starbucks locations with AT&T hotspots.

The myStarbucks App [App Store Link] and the Starbucks Card Mobile app [App Store Link] is available now and for one of the best parts it is free! So Get out your iTunes and iPhones and get it while its Hot.

Story found on Macrumors.com

-Bastian Gatten

Wikipedia Mobile released for iPhone

Wikipedia Mobile is now available though the iTunes store. This is the official app from wikimedia. The app offers an alternative to browsing Wikipedia's mobile version via the Safari app. Its App Store description states that the app's code is "100% open source and community built" and programmers are welcome to help with the app. So far it just offers simple search and history.

I would love to see an auto landscape and zoom mode. Maybe some bookmarks. Or maybe the ability to save an wiki for offline use. The use of copy and paste however does work with this app. Thanks for that. I look forward to future updates of this product.

Wikipedia Mobile is available for free though itunes app store using this link that takes you directly to the app store in iTunes on your computer or iPhone.

Screen shots are from my little test run.

So go download and wiki from the comfort of your iPhone or iPod Touch

Not sure how the open source of this project works. But by all means play with it and improve upon it.

-Bastian Gatten