Follow Me

twitter_logo    facebook    G+    In

Subscribe via E-mail

 

Latest Posts

VOXOX Blog

Tristan Barnum

Recent Posts

Where in the World is the Voxox Alien?

Posted by Tristan Barnum on Jul 11, 2011

Remember the Voxox Alien from CES? Well, he's hitting the road with our Voxox CFO, Jim Krupiarz, on a family road trip. While they're off traveling to who knows where, we're going to be playing a little game with the Krupiarz clan called, "Where in the World is the Voxox Alien?"-- and we want YOU to play along.

Read More

Topics: Voxox

Telepathy by Machine: Fact or Fiction in 2025?

Posted by Tristan Barnum on Jul 07, 2011

Last week, I gave a talk at eComm America 2011, a premier emerging technology conference held in San Francisco, CA. The event was very interesting. Imagine a room with hundreds of seasoned technology leaders and educators from brands like Google to Skype to Microsoft to MIT to UC Berkeley, all gathered together to discuss hot industry topics. A number of these experts were invited to present on various concepts to spur further discussion. I was among these speakers and presented a glimpse of what the future of communications might look like in 2025.

Read More

Topics: Voxox, Events

How Will Communications Technology Evolve by 2025? Telcentris Speaks at eComm America...

Posted by Tristan Barnum on Jun 28, 2011

Ever wondered what a video call will be like in 2025? Will there be facial recognition technology that interprets emoticons in video to text? Or meta data that describes exactly what you’re trying to say?  Or real-time text suggestions that impact how you speak with other parties?
Read More

Topics: Telecommunication Trends, Voxox, Events

Facebook Gives You More Real Friends and Boosts Emotional Support

Posted by Tristan Barnum on Jun 23, 2011

Read More

Topics: iPhone, Telecommunication Trends, Voxox

Techy vs. Tacky: What's Bugging You?

Posted by Tristan Barnum on Jun 20, 2011


Read More

Topics: Communication, Telecommunication Trends, Voxox

Happy Father's Day from Voxox!

Posted by Tristan Barnum on Jun 17, 2011

You're giving your dad a call this Father's Day, right? Of course you are! How else would you say, "I love you Dad!" or stay updated on the tentative weather forecast for a city you don't live in, or hear about how your mom ran into the curb again, or that the neighbor kids are doing a bottle drive? This is all very important information and with all the ways we have to stay connected - email, SMS, call, and video calling, just to name a few - there's no reason not to.

Although some of these new communication tools can seem impersonal,  video chatting is different because it's like talking face-to-face in the same room! Take a lesson from my dad and I - although we live thousands of miles apart, we don't go more than a week without seeing one another thanks to Voxox video chat, and this Father's Day will be no different! Voxox to Voxox video chat is simple. It's just the same as placing a phone call, but better! Check out this step-by-step to get you on your way to some face-time with Dad.

Step 1: Turn on Voxox to Voxox video chat capability. First, sign into your Voxox account. Once logged in, go to File and choose Preferences from the drop-down. A new window will open, and from there choose Video on the left hand side. See the red circle below? To enable Voxox to Voxox video chat, simply check the box. This indicates all Voxox to Voxox calls will have video chat enabled. Then hit OK. Hint: Make sure the person on the other end has video enabled too!

 

Step 2: Choose the contact you'd like to call (aka your dad!) and click the black triangle by their name to open the call menu. From there, choose their Voxox number and a call box will automatically pop-up indicating the call has been initiated.





Step 3: Smile for the camera and chat away! A streaming video will automatically pop-up once the call has connected.


Simple, huh? Don't waste anymore time, get your dad on a Voxox video chat now! If you don't already have a Voxox number, you can get one for free here and explore all that Voxox has to offer.


A special thanks to my dad for starring in today's blog, lookin' good Dad!! And to all of the wonderful dads out there, Happy Father's Day from Voxox!
Read More

Topics: Voxox, SMS

Who Wants Voicemail Transcription on Their iPhone? I Do! I Do!

Posted by Tristan Barnum on Jun 15, 2011

When you download the free Voxox iPhone app - Voxox Call - you get a bunch of cool features, but one of my personal favorites is voicemail transcription.

When you sign up for the app, you get a free phone number (which has a slew of features worthy of a separate blog entry). You can select a free number across the U.S. or purchase a Canadian virtual number that also gets you the same perks. Any time someone calls that number and leaves you a voicemail, you can view the transcription right on your iPhone. Here's how this works:








So whether you want to give your Voxox number out as your primary phone number, your business line, or to your blind dates, you now have the option to never listen to a long, drawn-out voicemail again.



Check it out, you'll love it...
Read More

Topics: Communication, iPhone, Voxox

Show Your Flag Day Pride with Voxox

Posted by Tristan Barnum on Jun 14, 2011



Flag Day is a special day dedicated to celebrating America's red, white, and blue. A holiday set aside to celebrate the symbol that most widely represents us, the American flag! Just like our Voxox users that span the globe, here at Voxox we have many nationalities to represent and wanted to share with you (and vice versa!) where we come from. Check out the flags and let us know from where you hail!







Want to share your flag? Visit the Voxox Facebook page and post your colors on our wall! Remember, no matter where you're from or which language you speak, with the Voxox Universal translator, it's easy to 2-way chat, text, and email in realtime. Break down the barriers and Unify Your Conversation!

Read More

Topics: Voxox, SMS

Cheapest Way to Call Voxox Online Numbers in Brazil and 45 Other Places

Posted by Tristan Barnum on Jun 10, 2011

A few weeks ago, Skype suspended their online numbers in Brazil. This was said to be a temporary arrangement; however, we have not seen the numbers become available yet.  So, we wanted to share some helpful tips on how folks in Brazil (and 45 other countries/territories) can receive free calls on their  desktop from any phone by using Voxox and our special iNum integration.

This is huge!  Not only do you get calls for free on your desktop, but also friends and family who call YOU from landlines, mobiles, etc. pay a local rate in these 45 regions. Here's how it works:

First, active your (FREE) iNum number at the Voxox online store.
When you sign up for Voxox, you get a free U.S. phone number. You also get an option to grab a free iNum number for your Voxox account at our online Store at My.Voxox:







You can then use the vanity search when selecting your iNum number -- stick to 3 or 4 letters or numbers for best results. When you've found a number you like, click Activate:







Now you can receive calls to your Voxox number through iNum. Here's how:

Let’s say your family lives in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and your mom wants to call you from her home phone.
    1. Send her your new iNum number that you activated, and tell her to save it in her records as "[your name]‘s iNum." (Tip: your iNum number does not change.)
    2. Point her to this list of local access phone numbers.
    3. When she is ready to call you, she should dial the local access number that is closest to her location (Tip: in this case, it would be +55 1137119355 for Sao Paolo)
    4. When prompted, she should enter your iNum number, which you gave her in Step 1.
    5. Her call will immediately be routed to your Voxox account wherever you are, and follow any forwarding rules you’ve set up. Pick up and say hello!
In this scenario, your mom is just paying her carrier for a local Sao Paolo call. If you're receiving the call with Voxox for the desktop, you're paying nothing. Period. If you're forwarding calls to other phones, there's a small outbound usage charge, according to our cheap VoIP rates. You get other perks too - check out our How-To Guide on iNum to learn more about using iNum with your Voxox account.

One last thing... in addition to low cost and free Internet-based calling, users who receive inbound calls to a Voxox phone number get a ton of other perks, including the ability to simultaneously forward calls to any 5 calling devices (similar to the Google Voice), digitally record calls, transfer calls to other devices and create a 20-party conference call all by simply pressing star commands (like *1) on their phone's keypad.

So why now get your free iNum number today?  Go to the Voxox store to activate yours for free.
Read More

Topics: Voxox

Traveling This Summer? Five Easy Steps for International Texting With Your iPhone

Posted by Tristan Barnum on Jun 09, 2011

My parents are going to Rome this summer and renting an apartment for several days.  The apartment owner requested for them to send a text message when they arrive at the airport..... Tricky to do from an airport payphone, right?

International travel has always been tough without a mobile phone, but even though expectations have changed, and the number of mobile phones has ballooned to an absurd statistic, connecting abroad continues to be a challenge. Now, if you have an iPhone (and know how to turn off roaming), international texting can actually be very cheap and easy. Here's how:

1) Download the free Voxox Call app 

The free Voxox Call iPhone app has worldwide texting capabilities. It's free to receive an inbound SMS and just 1 to 2 pennies to send. (1 cent to U.S. and Canada, 2 cents to the rest of the world.)

2) Make your iPhone "Wi-fi only."

Before you board the plane out of the country, make sure to turn off everything that will incur roaming fees -- that's international voice AND data. Check with your carrier for tips, either online or you may want to call (dial 611 if you're with AT&T) to confirm that you're doing everything right so that you don't get billed.

3) Program any important numbers into your iPhone Contacts list.

The Voxox Call app syncs with your iPhone Contacts list, so it's very convenient to access numbers already programmed on your phone.

4) Set your "Default Country Code" in the Voxox Call app.

If you're planning to send SMS largely within Italy, it's a very good idea to set the Italian country code within the Voxox Call app. Go to "More"-> "Phone Settings" and select your "Default Country Code".  You can change this anytime you're sending an SMS to a new country -- note that the "Default Country Code" setting should reflect where you're sending the text message (not where you're located at the time). 

5) Text away!

Check out the video below where our CTO Kevin Hertz demonstrates how to send SMS within the Voxox Call app. Since you've turned off your mobile data connection (3G/GPRS/EDGE), you'll need to be in a wi-fi zone. Wi-fi is available in many international airports, hotels and restaurants.





One final note: the texts you send will be coming to your contacts from your free VoxOx number, which you'll get when you sign up for VoxOx. So, the best and least expensive (even free!) way to have an SMS conversation using the VoxOx app is when both people have it, though that is definitely not required.

Happy Travels!
 
Read More

Topics: Voxox, SMS