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ChatTime offers handset alternative to Skype for International calls
If you place a lot of international calls, the ChatTime service may help you save money over Skype. You install a free application on your iPhone handset, purchase credit, and initially place the call from the application. The application sets up the call for you, and then you use the standard iOS Phone app to call a local number to the ChatTime exchange. ChatTime negotiates the overseas portion of the call, and debits your account based on the type and destination of your call. For example, a call to a UK cell phone costs roughly ten times as much as one to a land line. A ChatTime spokesman told us, "Rates for mobile phones are often higher due to carrier rates from telecom companies. You will find this rate difference between mobile and landlines to be consistent across all VoIP providers, Skype included " TUAW tested out the app, calling overseas to the UK and to Switzerland. We found the audio quality to be marginal at worst and acceptable at best. Lags were quite significant ranging from about 1 (landline) to 2.5 (cell connection) seconds. Most importantly, we experienced audio dropouts during our tests (mostly consisting of trying to count rhythmically, as the connecting party repeated the numbers synchronously.) One of our testers commented, "I noticed during the counting that sometimes the numbers would cut out. So I think I heard her go from 5 to 7 without hearing 6". Another tester said the dropouts were noticeable but so long as the conversation was continuous, you could pick up the context. If you're looking for inexpensive overseas solutions, there's a lot to be said for ChatTime. A 7-minute call to a Switzerland landline charged out at $0.13. Not too shabby, that, especially considering that the local airtime for the AT&T PAYG account used for testing concurrently charged $0.70 for the same call. The handset integration was quite well done, and felt a lot more native to the iPhone than Skype calls. Plus, you can use this service without Wi-Fi access, since it uses your normal minutes instead of the Internet. We also liked how the application showed you the local time of the destination you were calling before you finished placing the call, and the always-shown credit balance helps you know exactly how well you are doing in your call budget. For these reasons, ChatTime seems to offer a good budget-minded alternative to international Skyping. It doesn't provide the quality audio experience you get when going through traditional telephony, but its pricing plan and ease of use offer good selling points for the product. We weren't blown away by ChatTime in our tests but we can see where this can offer an inexpensive calling solution that many overseas-callers will find valuable.
Street Fighter IV on sale for Japan, ChatTime offering free calls
We've already written a little bit about how Apple is helping out with the disaster in Japan, and a few iPhone app developers are doing their part as well. In a nice gesture, Sega has put some of its apps, including Street Fighter IV, on sale for just 99 cents. All proceeds from the sale will go to relief for earthquake victims via the Red Cross. Gaming may be the last thing on most people's minds at a time like this (you certainly don't need a free game to donate), but it's a nice gesture in addition to what's been done so far. ChatTime is an iPhone app that allows you to make VoIP calls (we're told they're actually carrier calls, though it's routed through local wires) straight from your iDevice, and while we can't vouch for the quality of the phone calls, the company has announced that for the rest of the month, all calls to Japan from the app are completely free. Both AT&T and Verizon have already offered free calls to Japan during the disaster, we're told, but ChatTime allows you to call internationally from anywhere, and during this period the fee is waived. If you need to reach someone in Japan, maybe that information will help.
