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You can now call your Facebook friends on your iPhone or your Android device. This is made possible by a new app from Vonage, called Vonage Mobile for Facebook, which offers free calls to all your Facebook friends who, virally, have downloaded & installed the same app on their device. The calls work over WiFi and 3G/4G networks.

The app trolls your Facebook profile for compatible friends and shows you whether they are able to either take voice calls or chat. Regular updates keep reminding you to pass the message round to your friends about the service via Facebook, so as to complete the circle of Vonage connected-ness.

The app offers a quick and easy way to get in touch with buds you may not usually be able to reach via standard phone calls. There’s a downside, however, regarding privacy issue. Once you have the app installed there is no way to bar some friends from calling you chatting. It is assumed that if you have the app installed then obviously you’re ready to talk or chat.

According to Marc Lefar, Chief Executive Officer of Vonage Holdings Corp, “The Vonage Mobile app for Facebook is a tangible example of our commitment to deliver extraordinary value and a better communications experience for individuals and their social networks, across broadband-enabled devices, around the world”. “This is just the start. In the future we will expand on this service to include a wide range of integrated voice and messaging services that change the way people communicate.”

How does the App Work?

The Vonage Mobile application is simple. It’s simple to download, and so simple to use that Vonage have eliminated the need for dialing altogether. To get started, the user:

• Downloads the app from the iTunes Store, Android Market, the Vonage fan page on Facebook or vonage.com/talkfree.
• Enters Facebook ID and password (one time only).
• Views Facebook contacts after they are automatically loaded. They’ll be grouped by friends who can be called for free and friends available for instant messaging on Facebook. A Vonage logo will appear next to the names of friends who have downloaded the app.
• Invites additional Facebook friends to get the app at the Vonage Fan Page on Facebook or vonage.com/talkfree.
• Touches a friend’s name from the Call Free list to make a free call anywhere in the world; no need to be online.
• Rings the phone for incoming calls, even if the application is closed.

Below is a short video on the app’s features from Vonage.