Beer AND Free Phone Calls From Anywhere?

Move over Skype: a new initiative aims to allow Canadians to make and receive phone calls from a computer via virtually anywhere in the world. What does this have to do with beer, you ask? The Cambridge, ON-based creator Fibernetics Corp. has partnered with Budweiser to call the technology the Bud Phone.

The service, which will function as a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service, and thus require a high-speed Internet connection, assigns each user a unique, 10-digit phone number. Download the application to a Mac or PC, and the computer essentially becomes a phone, allowing you to make and receive calls (911 services, by law, are supported), and collect and retrieve voicemail via the computer's built-in speakers (or connected speakers or headphones.) Dial-out using the virtual, on-screen keypad; and callers can reach you using that unique phone number you were assigned at registration. Think of the service as an alternative to landline, except without the land part of the equation. And since you're calling from the Internet, long distance and overseas calls won't cost a thing; just like with Skype, Vonage, and other VoIP-based services. The software application is also free. Geez, it could only get better if free beer were spewed out from the CD-ROM drive!

"What we're aiming to do is take the 'home' out of 'home phone line' by offering a free service that will allow users to keep in touch while remaining mobile and flexible," says Chief Marketing Officer John Stix.

Naturally, the service is aimed at the younger generation, many of whom no longer have home phones, relying solely on cellular connectivity and online to communicate with others.

"We're hoping to close the communication gap," adds Stix, "allowing a generation of computer-savvy, interconnected youth to converse over the phone in real-time without having to be tied to any particular location or to the cost of a residential land-line."

The marketing tie-in with Budweiser will, no doubt, help in reaching this demographic, and getting the word out about the technology. I have attempted to sign up and give the service a go, but have not yet been able to log in. Upon sign up, in addition to asking a few survey questions about your beer-drinking habits (smart move), the form also requires that you await a verification call to the alternate number you provided to officially confirm the account via a three-digit PIN. This call is supposed to come within "a few minutes," of signing up, but alas, 15 minutes later, I'm still waiting...

Stay tuned for more details once I get the service up and running.