jajah
Latest
UK mobile operator O2: iPhone apps are hurting our network
Everyone knows about the struggles US mobile phone company AT&T has had with keeping its network up to speed given the huge bandwidth requirements of the popular iPhone. Well, they're not the only mobile carrier having issues. In the UK, O2 has been having problems with the huge amount of data being schlepped around the network by iPhones. O2 CEO Ronan Dunne told the Financial Times that performance of the O2 network had been disappointing since this summer and that the company was trying to cope with the increasing number of mobile apps running on devices such as the iPhone. TUAW reported a multi-day data outage that affected O2 users just a few weeks ago. Most of the issues have been confined to London, so the company is installing 200 additional base stations to support the increased levels of traffic. Dunne also noted that the company is working with Apple, RIM, and other handset manufacturers to learn more about which applications are causing the heavy demands on the O2 network. O2 has been working with Nokia Siemens Networks to modify the network infrastructure to better handle the combination of voice and data traffic. While trying to iron out these issues, it appears that O2's parent company, Telefonica, is making moves that could place further demands on the network. Telefonica purchased mobile VoIP company Jajah to add to O2's portfolio of services, and VoIP services are notorious devourers of bandwidth. In the United States, Verizon can smirk about AT&T's network issues, but O2's problems point out that no mobile operator is immune from the bandwidth-eating apps that are popular on the iPhone platform. [via Techworld]
Make VOIP calls with your PS3
Voice communication is coming to the PS3 in a big way. A VOIP service provider by the name of Jajah, has tailored an interface with the PS3 in mind. Users can head to the Jajah website via the PS3 web browser to setup the number they wish to initiate a call with. Jajah already provides VOIP supports extensions for Firefox, Outlook and even PDAs. Gamers already have voice chat while in game over the PlayStation Network, if games decide to include and support it. However, Jajah's VOIP service could allow one solution for gamers, regardless of voice support, on all PS3 titles. While the process isn't quite as streamlined as another network we heard about, it's still a welcome step in the right direction. Solidifying the good news is word that Intel has invested $15 million in the company, via its Intel Capital arm. Perhaps this is the beginning of a more unified voice chat solution on the PlayStation Network?
JAJAH goes to PSP, brings cheap phone calls
What is JAJAH? It's a service that allows you to make phone calls for cheap (and sometimes, free). You input your phone number, then type in a friend's. Your phone will ring. When you pick up, it'll connect to the person you're trying to reach. Why bother with the roundabout way? Well, it's really cheap: only 2.8 cents within the US, and if you're talking to a fellow JAJAH member, the call will be free. (JAJAH also offers 21 minutes of free talk time for signing up.) It's not the elegant VoIP functionality we've been promised from Sony, but it's an interesting alternative.While we wait for Skype to appear in a future firmware revision, we'll play around with JAJAH. All that's needed is the internet browser--no homebrew necessary. Point your browser to mobile.jajah.com, and log in with your free JAJAH account. Your contacts will appear as clickable links. When you dial in, your phone will ring, allowing you to talk to your friend. If you're talking to a fellow JAJAH member, it'll be free.To make the most out of the service, you should probably upgrade to the latest firmware, and take advantage of T-Mobile's free Hotspot service. Then, you'll be able to browse the web, play games, and make phone calls from PSP, all while grabbing your morning coffee at Starbucks.[Via Engadget]
iPhones and Jajah
I recently stumbled across this article about Jajah and the iPhone. Jajah, for those of you unfamiliar with the service, is a free telephony provider that lets you make local and international calls[1]. You place the calls at the Jajah website, and they connect first to your regular phone and then to the phone you're calling and they connect the two together. So why would Jajah be of interest to the iPhone, which presumably has its own calling plan through AT&T/Cingular? Well for one thing Jajah allows you to place international calls using local incoming minutes. Jajah calls your phone before connecting you to your party. Second, if you subscribe to Cingular's "Metro Plan", which offers free incoming calls, you wouldn't use any minutes at all. Of course, this applies only to users in the free calling regions listed on the Jajah website. It's a nifty article. I recommend you read it all. [1] Jajah is also the website of choice for April Fools jokes. I'll let you google the details.
