The news
Mobiboo Mobile is making big claims for the money-saving potential of its tovo-branded combined WiFi/mobile phone, reckoning that mobile-call bills can be cut by 30 per cent and landline costs by 50 per cent.
The company, which describes itself as the UK’s first WiFi mobile VoIP operator, has tied up a deal with Tesco to initially offer the tovo t450g PocketFone for £159.95 in 19 stores as a pay-as-you-go bundle.
The same branches will also be selling the tovo t1000 HomeFone Plus for £79.95 as a pay-as-you-go package. This, too, is WiFi phone that can make VoIP calls via a WiFi hotspot or a home WiFi router but lacks the t450's ability to make conventional mobile calls and send text messages and emails. It also has no built-in camera but the specs of the t450's camera - VGA with 300k pixels - are less than ground-breaking.
If one of the 19 Tesco stores is not within easy reach, the phones can be bought on line from http://www.tovo.com. However, buying via the tovo site adds £20 to the price of each.
The cheaper t1000 model looks to be a very keenly price alternative to the still-to-be-launched Netgear and Belkin Skype PC-free WiFi phones we've written about in the past. The t450 is also cheaper and offers considerably more functionality than either. In addition, some may find the t450 more appealing than the Philips VOIP841 - PC-free DECT/Skype WiFi phone that we saw at the IFA show in Berlin.
However, the money savings that Mobiboo talks about for the t450 involve quite a few assumptions:
* You cancel your BT fixed
line
* You sign up to the tovo's £9.95 month package
* 40 per cent of your future mobile calls are made on tovo WiFi and 10 per cent of calls are tovo-to-tovo
* You sign up to the tovo's £9.95 month package
* 40 per cent of your future mobile calls are made on tovo WiFi and 10 per cent of calls are tovo-to-tovo
They also assume that your present fixed and mobile phone charges are at the same level as standard price plans from BT and Vodafone and that you are an "average" customer in terms of the number of calls you make, with that being based on figures from OFCOM.
tovo t450g PocketFone
tovo t450g PocketFone - key features and specs (from tovo's site)
* Data - SMS, MMS, WAP,
email
* 500-name phone book
* Tri-band - 900/1800/1900, plus WiFi (works in UK/Europe and USA)
* Built in camera - 300k pixel, VGA
* Calendar, currency convertor, calculator
* Alarm clock, stop-watch, reminder, countdown timer, world time
* 32 polyphonic ringtones
* Multi Language
* Battery - 3.7V/1050mAh
* Weight - 96g
* Screen - 1.5in, 128x128 pixel, 64k colours
* 500-name phone book
* Tri-band - 900/1800/1900, plus WiFi (works in UK/Europe and USA)
* Built in camera - 300k pixel, VGA
* Calendar, currency convertor, calculator
* Alarm clock, stop-watch, reminder, countdown timer, world time
* 32 polyphonic ringtones
* Multi Language
* Battery - 3.7V/1050mAh
* Talk time - 240 mins
(GSM)/160 mins (WiFi)
* Standby - 150 hours
* Charging time - 2.5 hours
* Dimensions - 106(h) x 46(w) x 18(d)mm* Standby - 150 hours
* Charging time - 2.5 hours
* Weight - 96g
* Screen - 1.5in, 128x128 pixel, 64k colours
tovo t1000 HomeFone Plus
tovo t1000 HomeFone Plus - key features and specs (from tovo's site)
* Three way call/call
waiting
* Call rejection/redial/mute
* Call transfer/call forward
* Call hold/call resume
* Repeat dial on busy
* Caller ID blocking
* Reject anonymous call
* Battery - Li-ion DC 3.6V 1500mAh
* Call rejection/redial/mute
* Call transfer/call forward
* Call hold/call resume
* Repeat dial on busy
* Caller ID blocking
* Reject anonymous call
* Battery - Li-ion DC 3.6V 1500mAh
* Talk time Up to 4 hours
(Approx.)
* Standby time 80-100 hours
* Charging time 2-3 hours
* Standby time 80-100 hours
* Charging time 2-3 hours
* Dimensions - 110(h) x
45(w) x 22(d)mm
* Weight - 111g
* Weight - 111g
Thoughts? Share them with us in this thread in the HEXUS.lifestyle.news forum but, first, check out Mobiboo Mobile's press release on page two...
HEXUS.links
HEXUS.community :: discussion thread about this articleHEXUS.lifestyle.headlines :: Netgear Skype WiFi phone
HEXUS.lifestyle.headlines :: Belkin Skype WiFi phones
HEXUS@IFA 2006 :: Philips VOIP841 - PC-free DECT/Skype WiFi phone
All HEXUS IFA coverage :: IFA - Internationale Funkausstellung - Berlin 2006
External.links
tovo - home pageMobiboo Mobile - home page