PhoneGnome
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
PhoneGnome is a VoIP service launched in 2005 by TelEvolution, Inc.[1]
Initially the service required a landline and customized Customer-premises equipment (CPE) device. It was perhaps the first really plug and play consumer-ready VoIP offer that was sold as a piece of hardware.[citation needed] This was a significant deviation from all previous consumer VoIP products that were offered as subscription-based services.
The product saw initial success, but at US$119 some people balked. To get free point-to-point calling, two units had to be purchased.
In the fall of 2006, the product received a major re-vamp and was re-launched as PhoneGnome 2.0[2] as a free service that supported web-based telephony, PC-based calling, "Bring your own Device" (BYOD), and the original PhoneGnome hardware, now referred to as the "PhoneGnome box" (which also received a price reduction).
As of July 21, 2007, the company claimed to be serving customers in over 100 countries.[3]
PhoneGnome is also significant in being one of the few VoIP services that is also a platform open to third-party partners and developers.[4]
