The PhoneGnome service, like Jajah and Gizmo, combines traditional phones lines with VoIP and is even integrated with
iotum.
The service is FREE only for registered subscribers and its currently FREE for more than 18 destinations (* Includes most numbers in Portugal, Argentina, Ireland, Italy, Russia, Australia, United Kingdom, Denmark, Sweden, Singapore, Greece, Norway, Poland, Netherlands, Germany, France, and Spain. Excludes Alaska and Hawaii) and for USA/Canada.
One of the most interesting feature of this service is you can receive calls on your registered landline/mobile even when you are not online. So if you are offline and your friends calls you on your PhoneGnome username, the call will be re-directed to your registered phone. This service is a definite value-add. You can also call other networks such as Free World Dialup, Gizmo Project, and EarthLink.
Now the best part of this service, you can make unrestricted unlimited calls to anywhere in the world if you buy a PhoneGnome Box (one-time charge currently, $59.95 as 07/11/2007). Now plug-in the phone and boom you are ready to make calls to anyone in the world who is registered for VOIP service.
The PhoneGnome Box couldn't be easier to use or set up. This is a true plug-n-play device that allows Internet phone calling in conjunction with your existing landline service. You buy the PhoneGnome box and plug in a standard phone and a connection to your existing phone service.Then plug in connection to your high-speed Internet, then sit back, wait a few moments and it’s up and running and will route any calls that it can over VoIP and all others through your traditional phone service. It truly couldn’t be any easier to set up. TelEvolution founder and CEO David Beckemeyer was also one of the founders of Earthlink.
PhoneGnome comes with a free basic voice mail service and has no monthly charges associated with it unless you add some of the premium services, like a more advanced voice mail system that offers customized greetings and a web interface for the newly integrated iotum enhanced call screening service.
If you have friends or family in Poland, for example, ask them to register for this service and buy one PhoneGnome box for them. That's it you are done. If you don't belong to one of the free countries, then you must also buy the PhoneGnome box.
According to their website, the box is currently priced at $59.99. I guess for a free unlimited calls anytime anywhere in the world, this price is a steal.