Top stories

Journalists Cover Microsoft, Using Macs

It’s not an easy time for Microsoft — with Steve Ballmer having to field questions about being “buffoons” and an “evil empire”  at the shareholder’s meeting (.doc) — so when they get together “the world’s most influential technology pundits and online writers” (nb: we weren’t invited) for Mobius to discuss super-secret mobile tech you’d think [...]

Guide To Black Friday Apple Bargains: Cheap MacBooks, iPods and Accessories Galore

Here’s a guide for finding the best bargains on Apple-related gear during the infamous Black Friday sales on November 27. We’ve compiled a comprehensive list of gear from leaked photos of sales flyers and descriptions of sales.
The bargains include a 2.26 GHz MacBook + $150 gift card at Best Buy for $999.99 ; a 32GB [...]

Review: Voices Is Today’s Best Thing Ever, Grab It Now While It’s Cheap

New on the App Store is Voices from the clever folk at Tap Tap Tap. You can guess what it does.

Open it up, pick a silly voice. Helium is pretty silly. A microphone appears and the app even clears your throat for you (try it, you’ll see what I mean). Now speak your brains, and [...]

Review: Sony Walkman S540 Series Video MP3 Player

Press releases, you will hardly be surprised to hear, are rarely very interesting. But one arrived in my inbox a couple of weeks ago that made me double-take.
“Sony’s S Series Walkman,” it chattered, “is a serious challenger to the iPod Nano.” Gosh, really? Perhaps the Cult had better have a look at one, then, despite [...]

JAJAH Brings Voice and SMS to iPod Touch

JAJAH, a leading IP telecommunications company, further blurred the lines between iPhone and iPod touch Thursday by announcing a new service aimed at businesses and other telecommunications carriers who want to provide their customers with the ability to make low-cost phone calls and send SMS text messages to any phone in the world from an iPod Touch.

The white label service, which will allow carriers and non-carriers alike to enable VoIP calling with just an iPod Touch and a WiFi connection, could soon see any number of offerings crop up in the AppStore promising Touch users the ability to turn their device into a fully functioning mobile phone.

JAJAH’s platform features a full suite of telecom management services, from termination of the calls and quality control, to billing and processing payments in 200 countries around the world.

“Millions of people around the world already have an iPod Touch in their pocket. With JAJAH’s solution, any company can turn their customers’ iPod Touch into a fully functioning mobile phone,” said Trevor Healy, CEO, JAJAH. “The device is particularly popular amongst students, who live in a world where Wi-Fi access is always available and, like everyone, they are looking to save costs, so this is a perfect solution.”

One wonders whether AT&T and iPhone’s other exclusive global cell carriers can read the writing on the wall.

About the author

Lonnie Lazar

Lonnie Lazar is a writer, musician, web designer attorney. He writes about Apple for Cult of Mac and Mac|Life, and about VoIP and telecommunications for Voxilla. Follow Lonnie on Twitter @LonnieLazar, join the Cult of Mac on Facebook, and find Lonnie's photos on Flickr.

Email the author | Read more posts by Lonnie Lazar.

7 comments

    You cannot use the “free signup” page to register as a new user with an ipod Touch. You need a phone number to register, and presumably, to receive calls. An iPod Touch does not have a unique phone number.

    I wonder if Apple, or more likely At&t, are going to look on this plan favorably. I could see this ending at the App Store gate as a violation of the EULA, real or imagined.

    I’m pretty sure, though have not personally confirmed (yet) that if you sign up with JAJAH on the web, you’ll get a phone number you can then use with an iPod Touch.

    I’m not sure I follow how this works if you are using an iPod Touch, not a phone. In addition, how can an iPod Touch be used to make a call if there is no microphone? Maybe I’m missing something…

    @Sarah – The new version of the iPod Touch does have a microphone. I have a first generation Touch and really wish I had the new one for this app.

    I share your laments, AppBeacon!

    [...] about the upcoming @JAJAH iPhone app: http://cultofmac.com/jajah-brings-voice-and-sms-to-ipod-touch/7985 « elÅ‘zÅ‘ | Nitzan Lindenberg — 2009. 02. 08. [...]

Buy Inside Steve's Brain Buy from Amazon.com Buy from Barnes & Noble