Tag Archive for 'FriendCaller'

FriendCaller – Making Facebook even friendlier

We have already reported several times that it was not so easy to start to deploy our application as a Facebook App.

But our work is bearing fruits now. Some days ago we reached 10000 Likes at our normal fanpage and a few weeks ago our app page had exceeded the number of 10,000 Likers, which is further proof that it pays out to be active on Facebook.

So here is an overview of our statistics from Facebook and Facebook Insights:

  • FriendCaller Fanpage – Likes Total – 10 225 (today, 10:30 AM – CET)
  • FriendCaller App Page – Likes Total – 11 427 (today, 10:30 AM – CET)
  • FriendCaller Facebook App – Total Installed Users – 20 720 (3rd September)

This shows us that our products and services to be liked and we are on the right track. Try out this convenient way to make a free browser-based call – right from your Facebook profile!

All we wanna say is: Thank you for your engagement! :-)

So and now it’s done: over one million iTunes downloads

We had announced in the last blog article already and now we’ve made it final.

More than one million people have downloaded the FriendCaller Apps in the iTunes Store. This is really fantastic, because it shows that we have done a very good work and our apps are really popular.

At the moment we are in Germany in the top 20 in the category of Social Networks, also ranked on 22 in the U.S., Canada 7, UK 8, Russia and Italy 9 in this category on the iTunes Store with our FriendCaller 3 Pro version.
By the way, the FriendCaller 3 Pro version and also the normal version 3 were just updated today. This update is another step to a full multitasking support. Also, many bugs were fixed.

So now the count runs for the 2 million downloads. First and foremost we hope that you continue to enjoy our app as well. :-)

All Over The World, Everybody Got The Word – FriendCaller Tops 1M iTunes Downloads

We don’t mean to brag, we don’t mean to boast, but soon we’ll have another awesome post: In about 3 days, we’ll top 1 million downloads on iTunes.

This follows our other major milestones this month: we reached 1 million registered users (some of our users sign up through the web, but most through our FriendCaller iPhone apps), we raised $2 million from a group of angels and investors, including one of the original investors in Skype, and we surpassed $2 million in revenue. Oh, and we’re clipping along at 15,000 new users a day. That’s about the same as the social media mega-hit Foursquare.

Our category of browser-based telephony has been witnessing a flood of interest lately too: Google’s web calling announcement had our ears ringing, as we were mentioned in some of those articles. We’re glad to see Google getting into web calling as they recognize Gmail users value the sound of voice too. And yes, Google Voice within Gmail still requires a plug-in, unlike FriendCaller that does not require downloads but simply uses the Java functionality of your browser. We want everyone to be able to make a free call by sending a link, not just on the Internet, but through your Android, iPhone, iPad, Facebook, Twitter, heck even your iPod. We don’t mind what you use, as long as you can call your friends in the blink of a link.

We’re pretty excited about Skype’s upcoming IPO too. They’ve done a great job showing people how to make a call through their computer. Our mission is to reach out to the vast majority who might have heard about Internet phone calling but does not want to bother with installations, configurations and other hazzle associated with VoIP, we make Internet telephony part of the browsing experience and make it really simple. It is simple yet powerful: It even turns an iPod Touch into a free cell phone – goodbye new hardware and contracts; hello free cell phone.

Unleashing the power of communication through browser-based voice calling, a million times, a million downloads.

Facebook Friend Calling

Google recently launched calling from within Gmail, but what about Facebook.

FriendCaller CallMe-Links can already get you talking in Gmail, Gchat and now even with your Facebook friends from within Facebook Chat.

Ever been chatting with a friend on Facebook and felt like switching to voice? Sometimes there’s nothing like actually talking to someone, right? Well FriendCaller supports voice calling right within Facebook using CallMe-Links.

With FriendCaller you get your very own unique link you can send to anyone. CallMe-Links look just like a link to a website, only when people click they’ll be calling you. And the user on the other end doesn’t even need to be a FriendCaller user.

You can send CallMe-Links to anyone, anywhere, anyhow.

Here’s the easy steps to create your very own CallMe-Link:

1. Login to your FriendCaller account.
2. Hit the “CallMe-Links” on the menu.
3. Hit “Activate” to get your very own CallMe-Link.
4. Copy the contents of the “Your CallMe-Link” box to your clipboard.

If you want to then have your Facebook chat friend call you, simple go back to your chat window and paste in the link. Once your friend clicks the call will start.

If you’re friends want to join the FriendCaller fun, you can also point them over to our Facebook App.

This is a great example of how CallMe-Links are useful just about anywhere you chat, message, share, email or comment.

Got an interesting way you’ve used a CallMe-Link? Let us know.

Over 1 million served: FriendCaller reaches its latest major milestone

Well, that was fast.

FriendCaller just hit the 1 million user mark, which is certainly something we’re proud of. What is perhaps even more remarkable is that 500,000 of those new users joined us in the last two months.

1 million userA major portion of those new to FriendCaller came through the iTunes store: FriendCaller has maintained its ranking in the top 25 free social networking apps on iTunes since June.

The summer has indeed been getting hotter as 15,000 new users a day are now embracing our browser-based Internet phone service that requires no download. To put that into perspective, that’s the same number of folks signing up to such buzz-worthy services as Foursquare, as VentureBeat recently reported.

We’ve been beyond delighted to see the way FriendCaller has recently taken off. No one is happy to see summer end, but the way the last few months have gone, we’re wishing the season lasted all year.

10,000 people like our Facebook App – Wow!

Screenshot from Facebook Insights

Today we were able to welcome the 10,000 fan of our Facebook application. First of all many, many thanks for this encouragement.
Wow, 10,000 Likes -  that is really a nice number, right?

And who would have thought it?

In 2009, when we tested our first Facebook Beta we realized that the Facebook platform was not ready for us, the wall was too static and lacking notifications, both parties would have to add the Facebook app and open it in the central app pane view, essentially blocking all other activities, thus making spontaneous calls quite impossible.

Then at the beginning of the year 2010, the Facebook platform introduced more effective ways of notifications and now allow standard requests via users email address. We use email addresses as User-IDs across platforms, so new notifications and email was all we needed to integrate Facebook with our Web Phone and iPhone apps.

You don’t know our Facebook App, yet?

Simply visit the facebook page of our application and click on the left sidebar on “Go to application“. FriendCaller facebook WebPhone will launch itself after you allow the application to interact with you, and the Java.

The facebook webphone is pretty easy to use, howsoever, if at any point you get stucked, see at the right panel in the app, and there you will find a simple guide which explains how to use the facebook application in 4 simple steps. Of course you can also use your existing WebPhone account from FriendCaller.com, or if you don’t have one yet, you can just create a new one within the application itself.

To always have immediate access to your FriendCaller WebPhone on your facebook page, we recommend you bookmark the application better create a bookmark. On the application page there is the button “add bookmark” for this. With a click on the appropriate button you will have the access to your personal CallMe-Links, and with them you can easily talk to your friends for free or just add your contacts with a click on the “webmail import” button. You can also share your personal CallMe-Links to be posted on your faecbook profile and on your friends’ walls. Of course you can directly call from facebook to regular landlines or mobile phones anywhere in the world, thus saving money with our extremely cheap call rates.

Almost 17,000 users have already installed the application, so get this nice app, too.

Apple secures exclusive license to use Liquidmetal

galvanized company logo!

Apple has secured an exclusive license to use new materials of U.S. metal specialist Liquidmetal Technologies.

The alloys of Liquidmetal distinguish from conventional metals, since they show an improvement of the material properties.

The alloys are springier, harder and more unbreakable which makes them a better material to produce casings of electronical devices. Now we all can feel confident that it will not be a problem anymore in future to drop our iPhones.

A GREAT START: WE’VE SECURED $2 MILLION IN SERIES A FUNDING FROM AN ESTEEMED GROUP OF INVESTORS

C2Call

Well, this makes it official – we’ve raised $2 million in Series A funding from Draper Investment Company, High-Tech Gründerfonds and Mr. Klaus Wecken, co-founder of KHK Software AG.

Raising this sort of money from a group of such respected investors can certainly be seen not only as a vote of confidence, but also as a sign that we’re on the right track.
We’re especially excited that this fresh influx of funds will help accelerate our expansion, as we have already generated more than $2 million in revenues since April 2010 and now have more than 900,000 users, with an additional 15,000 new users a day. And our FriendCaller app is one of the most popular iPhone apps – ranking among the Top 15 free social networking apps.

Much has clearly happened since the idea for C2Call was born back when our CEO Martin Feuerhahn and CTO Michael Knecht traveled the world on projects and found that each region seemed to have its own solution. That made it impossible to communicate with partners and customers on one platform. They came up with C2Call and FriendCaller to solve that issue.

Now, even someone’s grandma can use FriendCaller because we have what we always set out to develop: a free, easy-to-use and straightforward solution. By making calls free over any Internet-ready device, and by enabling social media and other sites with integrated digital voice communication, we are just getting started.

One universal charger for all cell phones

Snows of yesteryear!

Good news for consumers: all strong-selling phone suppliers determined universal chargers for the beginning of 2011. Indeed, this arrangement is only valid in the EU-States, but it is not improbable that it will expend worldwide.

The new charger is equipped with a special USB plug fitting to all marketable cell phones, which will be sold after January 2011. The universal chargers are not just more user friendly. In fact, they will be friendlier to the environment. According to statements of the EU spokesman this change will procure that 1000 tons of electrical waste will be dropped out yearly, since it will be possible in the future to continue using the chargers with a new phone.  In addition to this, households will have chance to share chargers.Nokia, Apple, LG, Motorola, Samsung and Sony Ericsson are the participating firms.

In Future, one charger will be sufficient to have enough battery to use the mobile FriendCaller App !

Microsoft does not understand the iPad

Microsoft Tablet PC!

Last week, Microsoft-CEO Steve Ballmer announced new Tablet PCs and explained that he wonders about high iPad , instead of windows tablet sales.

Windows Tablets were not rather successful so far and how it looks they also will not be in the future, due to the fact that Microsoft simply regards tablets as laptops with touchscreens. But actually the iPad offers less features and possibilities than a notebook. Regardless it is more successful, because it shell not be a substitute to a computer.

Apples product is meant for mobile media use, listening to music, regarding pictures, reading news or books and playing mini games. In fact, just for this features.

Actually it must definitely be clear that the iPad is no laptop-substitute, since it has no flash and no USB. Furthermore it is not possible to install software, which is not bought in the app-store. Additionally system configuration cannot be changed in greater depth.

If Steve Ballmer thinks about this, he probably will not wonder anymore why Apple’s iPad is more successful.