Boy this is time consuming. My MacBook came with iWeb software to help you with building websites. I like it but it is a bit to simple. I really need something just a bit more detailed but just as user friendly. I will announce on here when I can all the details about my TOP secret project and you will be able to check out the website I built.

I was lucky enough to be asked by Ewan of SMS Text News to write a review of fring. Ewan invited me to sit in on an interview he conducted in Israel a few weeks back at fring Headquarters. We met with some great gentlemen named Boaz Zilberman the co founder, Neal Fullman the PR Director, and Roy Timor-Rousso, VP Product Marketing. They were great hosts and have a nice office. More importantly they have a fantastic mobile instant messaging and VOIP program.

The premise of fring (as I understand) is to give the ability to the end user to make VOIP calls and have IM conversations on your mobile phone, over WiFi and or 3G/EDGE data. Fring is different then many of the other mobile programs I’ve used before in that their implementation and user interface is friendly to a beginner. It is easy to set up and put into use. Since the meeting in Tel Aviv I have used Fring almost every day. That alone should say it all.

Some of the benefits I have found are:

• Mobile IM that just works
• Skype calls without the Skype phone
• I can make calls over my IM sans my MacBook
• fring does not drain my Nokia E61i’s battery any faster then usual
• Auto switching from WiFi to mobile data and back (I wish other programs did this so well!)
• Great sound quality on all my calls
• The user interface is fantastic
• IT JUST PLAIN WORKS

A few draw backs I found are:

• I can’t see Ewan (for example) on Google Chat if we are both using fring at the same time
• When pressing my center button on the D pad of my phone (E61i) fring auto starts a VOIP call, and not an IM like I would prefer
• I can’t seem to refresh my buddy lists so that contacts I have removed disappear.
• I am unable to relog in to MSN via fring after I log in on a different device (I have to exit the program and relog in)

That’s it on the negatives. It is really a well constructed application that I enjoy using.

Keep up the good work fring!

This is my first review and I hope it was adequate. If you have any questions post them in the comments and I will try to answer them.

EDIT: I forgot to go into detail about the auto switching between 3G/EDGE and WiFi connections.  It is amaizing.  I will give it the highest compliment I can, I wish other programs would license the software from fring to do the auto switching, that’s how great it is.   OH and fring is spelled fring and not Fring, my mistake.  It has been corrected.

This is exciting for me and many other Avis renters. I exclusively rent with Avis for many reasons but read my post below and you will see one of the many reasons. I can’t wait to rent my next Avis car and I will be sure to include WiFi on it. This is great for long drives like from LA to San Francisco which I am considering to make in a few weeks. I like to be connected and this would be one more way to have that. Maybe my wife can whip out my Mac and watch her TV shows she has missed while I drive. I am already connected to the net on my Nokia E61i but this would take it to a whole new level.

Here is what Aaron Binkley on ChromeWalker wrote

So this isn’t new, but I find it interesting nonetheless as entertainment options proliferate online. Avis rental cars offer Avis Connect, WiFi for your car. Their service is about $11 per day, available in major US market airports. The technology is to connect to either an EV-DO or HSDPA network (not sure which). There is an executive coach service from Boston to New York that also uses this technology.

So what does it mean? I think it’s a great idea for those dreaded road-trip family vacations. Remember the classic family trip – being trapped in a car with only as much entertainment as you can bring along, reach behind the seat, read without getting nausea, or invent in your own head. Now imagine you had the internet at your fingertips! Online gaming, streaming music, email, chat, endless entertainment. Would a parent be willing to spend $11 a day to keep their kids quiet, er happy, in the car on the way to Mt. Rushmore? I suspect they would if they are honest with themselves.

This doesn’t even consider the functional benefits for the road trip. Pass an ad for a historic sight, go online to see if its worth stopping. Get news in the town you’ll be staying to avoid any surprises. Find maps and phone numbers of the hotel reservation you forget to print out before you left home. No worries about staying in a hotel that doesn’t have wifi. In the end, this is a great idea that will revolutionize the family roadtrip. Unless, of course you take the family so far afield that you don’t have a wireless signal…

I’m back from Israel and the first Unlimited Drinks in Israel. It was a great trip and I had a wonderful visit with all my family. On my way home I had a short time to sit down in Ben Gurion Airport and relax. Of course I whipped out my MacBook and logged onto the free wifi in the airport. There is a central area where the fountain and many many stores including duty free and this is where the wifi is located. I didn’t get a chance to check the speed but I was able to make a VOIP call via Truphone on my Nokia mobile phone, besides just checking my email.

I was very happy with the results and would be happy to do some work next time I am in Ben Gurion Airport.