Anyone tried the Tesco internet phone thing?

[krishnaz]

Sounds like it might be a good way of getting the general public to use VoIP...

http://www.tesco.com/telecoms/registerinterest.asp

Anyone tried it yet or know what rates they charge?

[fred]

Hi krishnaz
Yes I have used the Tesco Internet Phone and I can honestly say it's pretty fair for the money and conveniance. I have used it to call family in Canada and its a refreshing change to not have to worry about the call cost as its only 2p per minute. However, the call quality can sound a little harsh around the edges-as though it needs more bass to make voices sound less nasal. The software has been updated twice since I bought it and they have managed to resolve the main issue I was having with the service which was the inability to separate pc sounds from coming through the actual phone. They have sorted that out now and it has made calls clearer. I currently use Freetalk as my main voip solution which gives a much better overall call quality experience. There is no echo or delay or crackling-it is very much like using a normal landline. But then it is £6.99 per month as opposed to Tesco's PAYG which is always going to be tempting for the masses! If it leads to alot more people getting into voip then its no bad thing now is it?

[deltamike]

What is so good about it leading to "a lot" more people getting into voip Fred ? does it really matter and you forgot to mention that with Tesco voip
yoy can't use an ATA so have to have a computer switched on all the time .[/b]

[fred]

Hi Deltamike
I think its good because awareness of what voip actually is is bound to be raised considerably when people doing their everyday shopping spy a voip phone on prominent display in their local Tesco. If nothing else, people will say to each other-"What is that voip phone all about Marge?"

I am well aware though that you are tied to a pc with Tesco's Voip Phone but it's the conveniance of it which will attract people I think. Indeed I have used it with my laptop so that my family can call relatives from the comfort of their livingroom. I will also be able to use it if I go away for a weekend (via Laptop) if the hotel I am staying in has broadband access.

[deltamike]

I agree with what you are saying and yes ok for occasional use but not for a main phone , I have an Eyebeam softpfone on this machine which I have my "Sipphone" account on which I only use for playing with and it gives me free access to the US "TELL ME" service which I like to play with now and then :)) . I just could be doing with speakers and a mic for everyday calls though or a usb phone for that matter .

[Barry Mung]

Any company can set up a voip service nowadays,its all very well,but they are not compatable with each other in a way that voip to voip calls are totally free,which is what they all promise.

It can be misleading for joe public to just walk into tescos and believe they can buy a sub £20 package that they plug in to their home pc and be able to talk voip to voip for free.

Parents may have a child that uses 'voip',ie a skype or vonage package,they just remember the 'voip' from the son telling them he had it and see it on a tesco or other readily available package,buy it and then realise after a few calls,its NOT free! (Its the kind of thing my parents would do,god forbid if they had a pc!)

Its basically another phone war like the mobile revolution,where we have 5 main providers all charging different rates to call other networks at usually hidiously expensive rates.
I have lost track of who is on what service provider,there are so many different providers on my pc's its rediculous! They all seem to work together as long as I dont try and use the voip box on more than one service at once.
(Then someone calls on the other one and I have to use the mic and speaker for that call!)

Its all very exciting and new technology is good,but where are we being led??!
Who will be the first one to have true voip to voip calls for free??