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story category Ooma Devices Go On Sale
$399 Ashton Kutcher marketing extravaganza...
(old news - 05:31PM Tuesday Sep 18 2007)
tags: hardware · alternatives · VoIP · networking
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Silicon Valley startup Ooma will begin selling their $399 broadband voice box strarting tomorrow, according to a press release. As we mentioned last July, the $399 device plugs into your broadband connection and uses a peer-to-peer architecture to dodge termination fees and offer free voice calls. Users can buy $39 "Scout" devices that extend the system to each phone jack.

While touted as a revolutionary product over the summer, the service isn't entirely unlike the $99 PhoneGnome, though it does come with the PR benefit of being co-founded by actor Aston Kutcher. Instead of blowing their $27 million in VC money on TV ads, the company is taking the viral approach and circulating some YouTube promotional spots tomorrow, which should have the startup blogs in a frothy lather for much of Wednesday.

Given that the service is using users as hubs scattered around the country to dodge the PSTN where possible, the product's success depends on how many users sign up for service. The beta saw some 750 customers, which we assume is in addition to the 1,500 free devices the company circulated over the summer. There's more detail on the service over at the Ooma website.

Related:
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  2. Wednesday Evening Links
  3. Broadband May Kill The Game Console Wars
  4. Echostar Unveils Sling-Integrated Cable Box
  5. Google Voice Ban Is Clear Network Neutrality Violation
  6. What Network Neutrality Is REALLY About
  7. Comcast Deploys Root Server On Comcast Network
  8. Metrocast Offers Fiber To The Home
Forums » Ooma Devices Go On Sale
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S_engineer

join:2007-05-16
Chicago, IL

Your Kidding, right?

Because when I think of networking and telecommunications...I think Ashton Kutcher!

Although his Kelso character does remind me of Kevin Martin.
--
Burn a tire, but make sure you buy that carbon offset!

GOLFnSUN
Enjoy the sun
Premium
join:2002-03-03
Avalon, NJ
·Sprint Mobile Broa..
·Comcast

Re: Your Kidding, right?

And just what the internet needs - another P2P application that will be blocked and/or slowed dowsn by ISPs across the country. Lay out your $399 bucks and then find out your system is always having problems.
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Count Zero
MD2Be
Premium
join:2007-01-18
Warner Robins, GA
·AT&T DSL Service
·Cox HSI

Privacy?

Wait so essentially if I were to call a relative in Boston over the Ooma network it would go from my Ooma to someone in Boston's Ooma and then make a local POTS call to my relative who doesn't have Ooma.... what is to stop this random person in Boston from having another phone connected to their POTS line and listening in on my call? Count me out on this one!
--
“I don’t want you to think of this as just a film; some process of converting electrons and magnetic impulses into shapes and figures and sounds. No, listen to me; we’re here to make a dent in the universe. Otherwise why even be here.
-Steve Jobs

sporkme
drop the crantini and move it, sister
Premium,MVM
join:2000-07-01
Morristown, NJ
·Optimum Online

Re: Privacy?

said by Count Zero See Profile :

Wait so essentially if I were to call a relative in Boston over the Ooma network it would go from my Ooma to someone in Boston's Ooma and then make a local POTS call to my relative who doesn't have Ooma....
Not to mention it sounds like gram would see some random Boston Ooma user's caller-ID and likely not pick up the phone.

voipguy

join:2006-05-31
Forest Hills, NY

That local call in Boston is made either using that unwitting volunteer's caller ID, or the caller ID is blocked.

If blocked, then calls to many places would not complete.

If not blocked, calls might be returned to the Boston customer's number rather than the desired one. I would give that Boston customer about 1 day before they pulled the plug!

The $399 up-front fee is so they can take your money and run.
wispagod

join:2001-06-28
House Springs, MO
Damn you call 911 and they end up 500 miles away!
zenafu

join:2007-06-12
Brooklyn, NY

Ooma, Oprah, Ooma, Oprah.

That is all.

ninjatutle
Premium

join:2006-01-02
San Ramon, CA

Re: Ooma, Oprah, Ooma, Oprah.

Obama, Osama...

Ebolla

join:2005-09-28
Dracut, MA

Re: Ooma, Oprah, Ooma, Oprah.

oompa loompa?
jebba2005

join:2005-01-13
Portland, ME

Re: Ooma, Oprah, Ooma, Oprah.

ooma is doomed-aH

NJxxxJon
something good. or your mom.
Premium
join:2005-10-22
00000

Skype like?

Just Like Skype?!?!...

The Folsom
Kindly Shut Your Noise Hole.
Premium
join:2003-01-31
Yucaipa, CA
·Verizon FIOS

Verizon has no dry pairs in my area

They can't/won't even tell me when they will have one for my addy... so I'm stuck. I can't even use Vonage...

Die! Verizon! Die!

Those bastards...
--
I'll try anything once; twice if I like it; three times if I'm not sure...

redshift
Premium
join:2004-03-23
Beverly Hills, CA

Re: Verizon has no dry pairs in my area

You can go barebones POTS and still get a cheap VOIP provider, and you probably would still have saved a lot more than using Verizon with regular service, not to mention a reliable 911 service, which is where POTS really shines.

MikePea

@verizon.net

OOMA half-truths

Ooma continues to mislead the consumer by claims that are, maybe, half true. For example, their web site states:

"Most phone companies charge an extra monthly fee to let you see who's calling. Not ooma. If your phone has a caller-ID display, we'll enable this premium feature!"

In fact, you pay the phone company to send the calling-ID data through the phone line to your phone. There is nothing that Ooma can be to "enable" this feature, unless you pay the phone company, since the phone company does not send that data for free. What they are talking about may be the display of data for an Ooma to Ooma subscriber call, which must amount to a small fraction of a person's total calls.
Forums » Ooma Devices Go On Sale


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