No. You can actually make IP calls without a service provider using RingFree. This means you can make SIP URI calls, GoogleTalk calls, Yahoo! Messenger calls, MSN calls, FWD calls and a whole bunch of others without a service provider. Go ahead, register with us to use RingFree on your iPhone. Don't enter a service provider or a PBX. now, make a SIP URI call to us by "dialing" test@rf.call. You should hear this message about RingFree, why it's useful and cool and indispensable, how it will end world hunger, bring everlasting peace and reduce the mobile carbon footprint. You can then leave a message, wait for a second or two, and hear your message repeated back to you.   You've just completed an IP call over GSM, with no provider involved.

No, and not because we're jealous you're going to Ireland and we're not. Unless you have taken steps to "unlock" your iPhone (something we would never ever ever do ourselves, of course), your phone is more than likely locked to a single provider. The only exception to that rule would be possibly in France, where someone in politics had the good sense to realize that locking any cell phone for use with only one service is anti-competitive, anti-innovative and anti-consumer. So, in France, you can actually buy an unlocked iPhone. In the US, the bozos in Congress from either party are not nearly as enlightened, so unless you are willing to go through some pretty scary steps to unlock your phone, you're out of luck. But hey, you're in Ireland. It's beautiful. It's green. Artists pay no taxes. The beer is tasty, the food not so much. What do you care?  

 That is a number to the RingFree server in Lansing, Michigan. From your iPhone on AT&T within the United States, that is a local call (yes, the 415 area code in San Francisco is local to the rest of the country to the iPhone). Here's what's happening when you use RingFree.

You dial a number on that spiffy orange web-based dialer of ours. That number, as well as your RingFree user ID,  your RingFree password, and the service chosen in the dialer pulldown menu, is sent via the Internet (WiFi if you're connected, Edge if not, but it should be quite quick regardless),  to the RingFree server. Our server then sends back a bit of html code that tells the iPhone it wants to make a call. The iPhone wants you to approve that call . . . and that's a good thing, or else any rogue web page out there can force your iPhone to make a call without your knowledge. When you approve the all to us, our server uses your caller ID to learn who you are, and then completes the call you are trying to make based on the information it first received from you.

 Ahhhh. You want it all. And you're expecting us to say, yes, of course you can because we want to make you happy. But the answer is "no." Not no, we don't want to make you happy (though until we get acquainted we don't really know the answer to that). It's no, RingFree does not make calls over WiFi.

"Why is that?," asks you, "i've read of other services that do that."

There was indeed a demo of a wi-fi call on the iPhone by our friends at Truphone in England a few months back. Unfortunately, that call required a "jailbroken" iPhone, a condition Apple makes untenable because  every time a new firmware update is released for the iPhone, it tends to break the apps that depend on jailbreaking. Today, there is no realistic way to develop a WiFi calling application on the iPhone because Apple has not yet released a software development kit (SDK) that allows for phone's networking hardware, speaker, microphone and a third party application to work together to make calls. And, though Ap'ple has promised it will release an SDK in late February, there is no guarantee that what Apple releases will provide the framework for WiFi calls. In fact, most of us would be flabbergasted (from your editor: stop using cliches you don't even know the origin of) if it did. So, maybe some day RingFree will allow placing WiFi calls on the iPhone. But until Apple says it's okay, we won't release such a feature.  Yes, go ahead, call us "wimpy." We are Really Freakin' wimpy. But we are still in awe of Erica Sadun.

While we made RingFree a web application that doesn't need any hacks to run on the iPhone, there are still certain things you'll want to make sure are operational before registering with RF.

Some folks are still reporting problems when registering.We're quite certain, though, that checking the list below and correctly pre-configuring your iPhone will make the registration painless.

Make sure your iPhone is not in "Airplane Mode" - Click on "Settings" and set "Airplane Mode" to "OFF";

If you intend to use a Wi-Fi data connection, make sure WiFi is on - In order to work (both when registering and dialing), your iPhone will need to make a data connection to the RingFree servers. Wi-Fi, though not always available, of course, is your best choice. Click on "Settings" and look to the right of the Wi-Fi  icon. If a Wi-Fi network is listed, you're all set. Otherwise, click on the Wi-Fi icon, then make sure Wi-Fi is on (it should say so at the top). Click on the "OFF" button to turn Wi-Fi on, then select a network (if one is available) from the list that appears on the iPhone. When connected via Wi-Fi, you'll see a striped upside-down triangle to the right of your service provider's name on the upper-left corner of the iPhone. If there is no network available, you'll have to use the EDGE network.

If there is no Wi-Fi where you are, make sure EDGE is on -   Whether the EDGE data network is available to you is more dependent on your mobile network provider than anything (though EDGE will be forced off if you are in the "Airplane Mode" described above). Look on the upper left of your iPhone, if you are not on Wi-Fi, you should see a capital "E" to the right of your service provider's name on the upper-left corner of you iPhone. If, instead you see an upside down striped triangle, you're using Wi-Fi (this should work). If you don't seen either a triangle or a capital "E", then you have no data connection and won't be able to proceed. If this is the case, find a Wi-Fi network to latch onto, or take your iPhone to a location where the EDGE network is available.

Make sure you have a cellular signal -  Both to register and use RingFree, you'll be making a regular mobile phone call. This means you'll need a cell signal. On the upper left hand corner of the iPhone you should see an upwards and rightwards sloping set of bars. If you don't see this, you'll need to get to a location with a cell signal.

Make sure Caller-ID is set to "ON" - We use the caller-ID information sent by your iPhone to validate your account and make sure the telephone is authorized to use your account.  This means caller-ID must be set to "ON" to register and use RingFree. To make sure, go to "Settings", click "Phone", In the "Calls" section, click "Call Waiting", and make sure it is set to "ON".

Make sure Mobile Safari has JavaScript enabled - RingFree uses JavaScript extensively both in registration and in the dialer. If JavaScript is disabled, registration will ail. Go to "Settings", click "Safari", and, in the "Security" section, set "JavaScript" to "ON".

Make sure Mobile Safari is set to "Accept Cookies" -  For RingFree to work, you must allow cookies to be placed on your telephone so that the server can track current session information. Go to "Settings" and click "Safari". Set "Accept Cookies" to either "From Visited" or "Always" (for security purposes, we recommend the "From Visited" setting).

If you tried to register with RingFree and the process did not complete, you may try again after checking all of the above.

 RingFree is primarily a software company with a small service component. We do not, like other companies in the space, derive revenues from call termination services. In short, we don't care what service you use on our platform as long as it works. So if your service offers the lowest cost calls to New Zealand available, and you make  a lot of calls to Auckland, then you should use that service to make calls over your iPhone. With RingFree, you most likely can. Also, if your company has an IP-based PBX, and you need to make calls from your cell phone for the company, you can easily send your calls through your company's PBX and save on usurious cell phone bills. The companies that provide calling services (primarily low-cost overseas calls) over the iPhone, derive their revenues from selling you their calling services.  We don't disparage these services as some do a good job delivering cheap calls. But RingFree is not in the same space. 

Never. Soon after launching the beta version of ringFree, we decided that the product would be free to end users. Don't worry though, we'll figure out other ways to pay the bandwidth and telephone trunk bills.

 We have received reports that the registration process with RingFree is a bit fragile and can "break" if the user strays (even innocently) from its flow. We are working to fill the flow control holes and error checks, but users who stick to the  following guide (without pressing the iPhone browser's back/forward buttons, or entering a change in the browser's URL bar) should get though the process and be able to use the RingFree service within a minute or two (the process is much much easier than the length of the following guide would indicate).

Here are the steps:

1. On your iPhone, click the Safari icon, and go to http://rf.com (Hint: Just entering "rf" on the browser address bar will get you there).
2. You will now be on RingFree's log in screen. Click on the word "Register" on the line immediately below the log-in box that reads: "New to RingFree? Register now!"
3. You should now be on the "Welcome to RingFree" page, where you are asked to select your country and mobile carrier. Select each of these (Please be advised that at this very early stage, RingFree works only in the United States. We will soon be adding France, Germany and the UK. Other countries will follow.). Click the "Next" button.
4. You are now on the Activation page. From here on, you MUST have caller ID enabled on your phone or RingFree will not work. Towards the bottom of the instructions, you will see a four digit activation code (in bold black digits). Write this down (or put it in your short-term memory banks) as you will need it on the next page. Click "Dial".
5. Now you will see a blue pop-up box that asks you to "Cancel" or "Call" a number. Right now, that number is always +14152942230, in the San Francisco Bay Area, because we are not yet offering service outside the United States and RingFee is a San Francisco-based business. To an AT&T cellular customer in the US, this call, depending on how fast you enter 4 digits, should last about 10 seconds and  will count against your cellular minutes (but will not accrue additional charges, such as long distance). Click "Call".
6. On your iPhone, you should see the iPhone (not RingFree) dialer screen that appears when you place a traditional call on your iPhone. In the background, a call will be placed to the RingFree server. When that call connects, the "Keypad" icon on the iPhone dialer should light up to show it is functional. Also, a voice on the RingFree end will be requesting the  activation pin. Click the "Keypad" icon and, on the keypad, enter the four-digit activation code you wrote down or memorized. If RingFree does not recognize the activation key you entered, you will be prompted to enter it again. When RingFree recognizes your activation key, you will be told "Your phone has been activated." The call will hang up automatically.
7. On your iPhone, you should see a confirmation that your iPhone has been activated. Entry fields for your name and password will also be displayed. Enter your first name, last name, and a password for your RingFree account. Repeat the password, to confirm it is correct. Click "Set".
8. Now the browser moves to the Email activation page. Here you will have the choice of Standard or Express activation. If you have set-up email on your iPhone and are able to send email from your phone, we highly recommend you choose Express activation. Choosing Standard activation will require that you confirm your email on a computer you can receive and send email from, which will delay the process. For sake of brevity, we will assume email is working on your iPhone and you choose the Express activation method. Go ahead, click "Express".
9. You'll be presented with a page describing Express activation. In short, Mobile Safari will prepare an email message from you to us, the email client on your iPhone will open, and you will then send a message to us which will let us know your email address. After reading the description, click "Next".
10. Your email client with a pre-written message will appear on your iPhone. Click the "Send" button to send the message containing your email address to the RingFree server. 
11. Your iPhone will show a screen explaining that your email address will be validated as soon as we get your message. Click "Next".
12. Now you will be at  page that allows you to enter service provider and PBX information. How this information is entered is described elsewhere in this FAQ. If you wish to enter one or more IP calling service providers or PBXes, click "Add". If not, click "Next" and you'll go right to the RingFree dialer, where you are now set to make calls via SIP, and to Google Talk, MSN Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger users, and others. You can always add service providers/PBXes to your account later by clcking on the "Settings" icon on the bottom of the RingFree dialer, then choosing "Calling Services.". 

 Our approach to bugs in the RF dialer and service is to be as open as possible about them (unless such openness may result in security and/or privacy concerns). So we really do want you to post your findings in our forum's Issues section (http://forum.rf.com/issues/). This allows us to inform you, in one central place, about the status of the problem you have found and our efforts to fix it.  

 We are committed to the concept that the best ideas for feature enhancements come from our users. So we've set up a special "Feature Requests" section in our forum so these ideas may be discussed openly. And we're paying attention. So post your great ideas and feature requests at http://forum.rf.com/feature-requests/. 

Yes you can. While currently the only way to register with RingFree is directly from your iPhone, once you are registered, you are able to easily make changes to your account, including the addition of services, on your desktop or laptop using any browser. Just go to https://rf.com and sign in using your cell phone number and password. You'll see the familiar RF Dialer (though currently you can't aqctually dial from your computer) with the set of five icons on the bottom. Using those icons, you can edit your Favorites, view your recent calls, change your account settings, and add calling services asnd PBXes. The next time you log on to RF.com on your iPhone, all your changes will be in place.