CallWave launches VoIP apps for mobile users

CallWave, a provider of hosted voice over IP applications, recently announced two new IP-based applications that could increase the call management capabilities of mobile users.

Mobile Call Screening allows wireless users to listen to voice mail messages as they are being left by callers, and also lets users the message to accept the call. Mobile Call Transfer allows users to transfer a call from a cell phone to a landline phone by touching one button on their keypads.

The applications are based on a VoIP phone number that CallWave issues to users, and which is intended to be complimentary to their existing mobile phone numbers. When the CallWave number rings on their mobile phones, users can choose to accept the call, or go into a “listen in” mode, according to Dave Hofstatter, president and CEO of CallWave.

While listening, users can hit “1” on their keypads to answer the call in mid-message, or can hit “2” to transfer the call. Behind the scenes, the calls to CallWave numbers are transported via VoIP to a CallWave applications server in Nevada, which handles the functions.

Hofstatter said CallWave developed Mobile Call Screening and Mobile Call Transfer within the last six months after conducting research on its customer base. “We found out that where they really needed more help was in managing their cell phone calls,” he said. “We found that 79% of them actually conduct cell phone calls within a few feet of a landline home or office phone.”

The applications sell for $3.95 per month through CallWave’s web site, and the Santa Barbara, Calif.-based company also is currently offering a 30-day free trial. CallWave can continue to market direct to users online, but Hofstatter said the company also would like to align with carriers for distribution. “This is something that can help them competitively to create a new set of enhanced services,” he said.

Hofstatter said other attributes that could appeal to carriers include the fact that CallWave’s mobile applications are software-only approaches requiring no additional hardware, and that “they are very precisely-featured services.”

The prospect of adding yet another contact number—a CallWave number—to their business cards might sound like a burden to some customers who already have a couple of mobile numbers, as well as office and home phone numbers, but Hofstatter said the applications are most likely to appeal to users who want their wireless information widely advertised, or to households in which three or four people could use a single CallWave number.