http://www.phonegnome.com/index.html

This site is making some very wild claims...

the comfort of knowing your phone will work when the power goes out and when the internet is down

It seems to use a combination of your stardard phone line and your highspeed internet connection. Calls are free if you call another PhoneGnome user (what are the odds of that). Otherwise you have to subscribe to a long distance plan if you want to make LD calls.

But if you give your phone company the boot as they suggest on their front page, you ain't got no service if the Internet goes down (not to mention the lack of 911 service as well).

It is certainly not our intention to tell people to "give your phone company the boot" on our front page or anywhere else. Please let us know what on the PhoneGnome site gave that impression so we can correct it. We don't want PhoneGnome owners to get rid of their landline. PhoneGnome is a different approach to VoIP in which it works with an existing landline; it augments it with VoIP capabilities, giving people the best of VoIP without giving up the benefits of a real phone line. We try to make that clear all over the site, on the FAQ, on the front page, and elsewhere. E.g.

Instead of switching to a new service, getting a new phone number, or going through a lot of hassle to transfer your existing number, simply plug PhoneGnome in. It works with your existing phone and phone line to instantly and painlessly upgrade to full VoIP features and functions without giving up reliable and safe 911 service and without any fears about whether your phone will work when the power goes out or when the internet is down.

We're not making wild claims. PhoneGnome really does what we say. It basically gives people three benfits:

1. FREE calling (real free calls, with no monthly service fee),

PhoneGnome owners dial traditional phone numbers with no pins or access codes.

Calls between PhoneGnome owners are free, including international calls. Phone numbers are not changed with PhoneGnome.

Any phone number can be dialed with PhoneGnome. If the call can be completed for free, it will be; otherwise PhoneGnome will use the existing landline service just as before.


2. Optional Use of Inexpensive Internet Calling Services for Calls to Traditional Phones:

PhoneGnome makes it easy for owners to choose a plan from the provider of their choice, by using the my.phonegnome.com website. Owners can elect to use a traditional provider for national long-distance, international calls, or both, or select separate providers and plans for each.

Once one activates the Internet calling feature, nothing special is required to place a call using that service. One simply dials a number with no pins or access codes required. If PhoneGnome can complete the call for free, it will, otherwise PhoneGnome will use the selected Internet calling service.


3. Advanced VoIP features, for VoIP and non-Internet calls.

PhoneGnome provides seven-digit dialing, call waiting, caller ID, emergency 911

pass-thru, three-way calling and speed dialing. It also provides advanced capabilities that one often cannot even get with traditional phone service. Phone Gnome?s design applies these features to traditional phone calls as well as VoIP calls. PhoneGnome can be purchased simply to be able to obtain a feature like voicemail-to-email for traditional phone service.

PhoneGnome owners have access to calling features from any Web connection through their own personal PhoneGnome Web Portal page. On-line features include:

* Online Phone Book

* White Pages

* Click-to-Dial

* Voicemail to E-mail

* Telemarketer Screening

* Call Logs for Internet and non-Internet calls

1. FREE calling (real free calls, with no monthly service fee),

Uhhh no. I haven't spent a lot of time reading the site but it certainly isn't free.

First, you have to pay for the hardware.

Second, you still have to pay for local POTS service so no savings there.

Third, the site says "Get the lowest Internet rates for international and/or long distance calls to plain phones,". So I have to pay my phone company for local service and pay PhoneGnome for long distance. What is free again?

Fourth, Look close and it says "Make FREE calls between PhoneGnomes,". Well let me see, if I buy a PhoneGnome, I can make free calls to someone with a Phonegnome, hmmm that's exactly how many people?

It seems to use a combination of your stardard phone line and your highspeed internet connection. Calls are free if you call another PhoneGnome user (what are the odds of that).
Might as well use Skype, no? :)

And no Hardware to buy :)

PhoneGnome isn't for everyone, but that doesn't mean there aren't a lot of people that love it.

Skype is right for some people (although it's not really "free" by your definition eitherin that you need to have a $1000 power hungry heat generating PC and a lot of people pay extra $50 or more for headsets etc. too). But what's so bad about also having the same kind of free calls on your plain phone, using plain phone numbers, too?

Not everyone is ready to give up the benefits of a real landline. If one is, fine. But not everyone is. And approx. 40% of the population of broadband users in the US has DSL (worldwide the number is more like 60%) so they have a landline already anyway and so there is no extra cost. PhoneGnome lets those people use VoIP features and cost savings with that existing landline.

For about half our users, they find the vast majority of their long distance calls go to a handful of people. They can establish a small network of PhoneGnome users (and they get $30 for each new referred PhoneGnome owner) and they save significantly on their phone bill. They don't need to sign up for an Internet calling plan to get those savings. They use their landline for calls that aren't free just like they always did. It's automatic, they just dial normally.

For the others, they prefer the savings of using the Internet for their long distance and international calls. These people benefit from signing up to an Internet calling service of their choice.

But the point is, it's optional and we let people choose what's right for them. That doesn't mean PhoneGnome is right for everyone. That's okay. Vonage and Skype aren't right for everyone either.

What Hugh meant was that a person has to set up an account with you before he/she can take advantage of cheaper long distance calling. What bothers me is that Phonegnome hardware is proprietory - I have still my POTS line and have effectively connected a VOIP Austrian Local number; a DID Toronto number and Free World Dialup for my friends with a PC. I considered Skype but needed something that my wife could use - i.e. same as before - u pick up the horn and dial out. With the Sipura 2000 and a 3000 I have the best of both worlds and can tomorrow switch my voip provider painlessly.
I have had Free World Dialup now for over 3 months and no-one has ever called using it so don`t expect a lot of use with the phonegnome account.
In my estimation, Skype and others that use Soft phones will soon die out - In Europe there are now several internet providers supplying the adsl/cable modems with a rj11 jack for the analogue phone to plug into it at no extra cost and cuts down on the cable salad..............if my eyes aren´t dead I`d say that the model shown is a sipura 3000 - probably locked down by phonegnome - for 119 bucks available unlocked............see voxilla.com

Thanks Dingodean. This article (http://voxilla.com/voxstory167.html) from Voxilla explains things.

It is indeed a souped up Sipura 3000. Their is nothing wrong with the type of service they are offering. Hey, whats wrong with plain old ingenuity! I hope their service takes off, may not be for everyone, but ideal for others.

Nothing wrong at all thenewdc although I do think the way the advertising reads is misleading.

Hey phonegnome.. nice to meet you :)

I hear you..and understand where you coming from...

But still .. all i am trying to say.. as with both services the Free phone calls are only between the service users.. - Skype .. by now anyhow - got way larger circle of Skype Users ..world-wide even... than Phonegnome Phonegnome's users... - I bet!

Hi Darkman00. Nice to meet you as well. ;)

Hugh, we are still improving the content on the site. The last thing we want to do is mislead or confuse buyers. That just leads to unhappy people, returns, and other things that aren't in anybody's interest. The extent you're able to help us learn where you think we got it wrong, that would really help us, so we can correct it in future revisions.

Certainly as of today there are more people on Skype (at least during the times they are at their computer) than there are people with PhoneGnome. But there are still far more people that have never heard of Skype and would never use it, so we have plenty of market to shoot for.

In this case -------> Good luck to you! :)

Is there any guarantee about the service? What is the relationship between end customers and finnal service provider?

>>>phoneGnome Relies on landline.That is a significant DropBack
>>>As u said PhoneGnome owners don;t have to get rid of their landlines.
But When I go for tour , & go from one place to another for my work,whereever I go , I need Landline Phone connection. I can;t keep ONE Telephone number on the Move. During the Trip outside, Ican only get High
Speed Connection, Not landline Telephone.
/************************************/
For 911 call,i can use my cell phone.

I have got One more Question, Instead of LandLine ,Can i connect to Vonage Telephone Adapter ,where I can move its adpater with Single Number whereever I go?/????IS IT POSSIBLE with VOIP Adapter???

It is certainly not our intention to tell people to "give your phone company the boot" on our front page or anywhere else. Please let us know what on the PhoneGnome site gave that impression so we can correct it. We don't want PhoneGnome owners to get rid of their landline. PhoneGnome is a different approach to VoIP in which it works with an existing landline; it augments it with VoIP capabilities, giving people the best of VoIP without giving up the benefits of a real phone line. We try to make that clear all over the site, on the FAQ, on the front page, and elsewhere. E.g.




Instead of switching to a new service, getting a new phone number, or going through a lot of hassle to transfer your existing number, simply plug PhoneGnome in. It works with your existing phone and phone line to instantly and painlessly upgrade to full VoIP features and functions without giving up reliable and safe 911 service and without any fears about whether your phone will work when the power goes out or when the internet is down.

We're not making wild claims. PhoneGnome really does what we say. It basically gives people three benfits:

1. FREE calling (real free calls, with no monthly service fee),

PhoneGnome owners dial traditional phone numbers with no pins or access codes.

Calls between PhoneGnome owners are free, including international calls. Phone numbers are not changed with PhoneGnome.

Any phone number can be dialed with PhoneGnome. If the call can be completed for free, it will be; otherwise PhoneGnome will use the existing landline service just as before.


2. Optional Use of Inexpensive Internet Calling Services for Calls to Traditional Phones:

PhoneGnome makes it easy for owners to choose a plan from the provider of their choice, by using the my.phonegnome.com website. Owners can elect to use a traditional provider for national long-distance, international calls, or both, or select separate providers and plans for each.

Once one activates the Internet calling feature, nothing special is required to place a call using that service. One simply dials a number with no pins or access codes required. If PhoneGnome can complete the call for free, it will, otherwise PhoneGnome will use the selected Internet calling service.


3. Advanced VoIP features, for VoIP and non-Internet calls.

PhoneGnome provides seven-digit dialing, call waiting, caller ID, emergency 911

pass-thru, three-way calling and speed dialing. It also provides advanced capabilities that one often cannot even get with traditional phone service. Phone Gnome?s design applies these features to traditional phone calls as well as VoIP calls. PhoneGnome can be purchased simply to be able to obtain a feature like voicemail-to-email for traditional phone service.

PhoneGnome owners have access to calling features from any Web connection through their own personal PhoneGnome Web Portal page. On-line features include:

* Online Phone Book

* White Pages

* Click-to-Dial

* Voicemail to E-mail

* Telemarketer Screening

* Call Logs for Internet and non-Internet calls