VoIP Apps From Fring And CounterPath Hit Android Smartphones

Android smartphone owners now have two new voice over IP (VoIP) options that expand on the features and options from Skype and may give it a run for its money.

New from VoIP company Fring is FringOut - an app that lets users place free calls, video calls and live chats with other Fring network users. Now there is also the option of one-cent-per-minute calls to non-Fring users over a choice of WiFi, 3G or 4G - and that’s to users anywhere around the world.

To download FringOut, scan this bar code on the Fring site. Then point the phone’s browser to m.fring.com and download the app manually. In addition, smartphone users can download the app from the Android Market. iPhone users.

Early enterprise adopters of Android can soon check out CounterPath’s Bria service - the company already offers a Bria iPhone Edition which also works with the iPod Touch. Counterpath has announced an enterprise-grade VoIP app for Android that has been set to arrive at the end of October.

Bria Android Edition, for smartphones running Android 2.1 or higher, supports any SIP-compliant server as well as offering multitasking, enabling users to field incoming calls while using other applications. There are also PBX-style options such as call holding, forwarding, rejecting, merging and splitting, as well as attended and unattended transfers.

“With 17 percent of the global smartphone market at the end of second quarter 2010, up from two percent one year earlier, Android has quickly established itself as a major force in both the consumer and enterprise markets,” Todd Carothers, CounterPath’s vice president of product management, said in a statement.

“With Bria Android Edition, enterprises, government agencies and other commercial users now can extend their VoIP savings and productivity to the mobile environment - quickly and cost-effectively.”