Isn’t it good when you can call someone else who has an iPhone, anywhere in the world, without having to pay anything?
Applications that make free communications between iPhones are not so new; Fring and Skype are two good examples.
But what impresses in the new Viber is the sound quality on both the Wi-Fi and 3G networks.
With it, there is no need to add users or register for the service.
It is fully integrated into the device’s phonebook, automatically identifying which numbers are associated with Viber.
The interface is almost identical to that of iOS, changing only the coloration to purple.
The only necessary process to be done the first time you use it is to associate your phone number, free of charge, using a code received immediately by SMS.
After that, all your friends who also have the app (and your name in their contacts) will know that they can call you for free.
After that, you can make and receive calls from other people who also have Viber.
The integration with iOS is such that you can also call those who don’t have the app.
In this case, the call is made through the normal GSM network, with the costs of the operator.
But everything is done from within the application.
When someone calls you, the device rings like a normal call, but with a different ring.
However, it needs to be open in the background to receive calls, but if not, it still warns you of missed calls.
For all this, you must have iOS 4 or later installed, even though it is compatible from iOS 3.0 onwards.
We tested with an iPhone 2G (Classic) and it was only possible to make calls and not receive.
They do not yet have support for iPod touch and iPad, but promise compatibility soon.
We haven’t had much time to test yet, but it looks like it consumes a lot less battery in standby mode than Skype, which is a real battery sucker.
But what is most impressive when comparing the two services is the quality of the connection, which proved to be perfect in our tests even on the 3G network; clear and uninterrupted sound.
According to the company that developed the service, there is no hidden cost, everything is 100% free.
Not even advertising banners the app has.
It also promises several other new features in future versions, such as free text messages, personalized ringing, wallpapers and geolocation services.
Viber is worth testing.
We like what we saw here.
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