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iPhones are selling like hot cakes. In fact in many cases it’s the mobile contracts that are selling like hot cakes with a free iPhone thrown in. Their sleek design, ease of use and huge range of apps make iPhones popular, and by installing a couple of those apps you can drastically reduce your call charges, and in many cases make free calls from your iPhone and from your iPod Touch.

There is no doubt that the iPhone is a great mobile device, but once you’ve signed up for your contract you have the ongoing expense of phone calls - it’s very easy to go over your allowed free minutes and incur expensive call charges. Download one or two apps and you can make cheap voip calls, and if you’re within a free wifi zone you can make completely free calls from your iPhone. That means if you’re travelling you can save a small fortune on roaming fees.

Here is an introduction to the top three phone apps for the iPhone and iPod Touch:

1. Skype for mobile

Skype have an app specially for the iPhone (as well as apps for other mobile devices), and if you already have a Skype account this is probably the best app to try first because your existing contacts and any credit will be available from your iPhone too.

• All calls to other Skype users are free when you call from within a wifi zone.
• You can instant message (IM) and share images and videos.
• If you add credit you can call landline and mobile phones at cheaper Skype rates.
• Skype’s subscription packages give unlimited free calls to landline phones.
• With Skype’s built-in call management you won’t miss incoming iPhone calls if you’re already taking a Skype call - you will be notified and given the choice of taking the incoming call.
• You can send SMS at cheaper Skype rates too.
• Two important things to remember are that you need to be in a wifi zone (whether it’s free or you have pay to access it) to make and receive free calls; there is no push technology, which means your Skype app has to be open and you have to be online in order to receive incoming Skype calls to your iPhone.

Skype have recently (June 2010) introduced free calls to other Skype users over 3G, which means that at the moment you don’t need to be in a wi-fi zone to make free calls from your iPhone. However, Skype will eventually be charging for calls going out over 3G. Depending on your calling plan you may be charged for data transfer over 3G from your service provider, unless of course you are within your data allowance for the month or have an unlimited data deal.

2. Truphone

Truphone works in the same way as Skype for mobile, with the main advantage being that when you have a Truphone account not only can you call other Truphone users for free, you can also call Skype users and Google Talk users for free too.

The most important difference with Truphone is that you don’t need to be in a wifi zone to make cheap mobile calls as long as you also open a ‘Truphone Anywhere’ account. If you don’t have internet access, Truphone Anywhere will connect your call and send it over a voip network so you can still access cheap voip call rates from your iPhone. This only applies when you’re in your home country.

Truphone offer a pay-as-you-go account or you can sign up for one of their monthly packages. Truphone Saver gives cheap flat rates (same rate for calling every country) for a very small monthly subscription. If you pay more and go with TruUnlimited you get unlimited free phone calls to landline and mobile phones in 38 countries. That’s a pretty good deal and you don’t even have to sign a contract.

3. Fring

With Fring you can make free phone calls, free video calls, free live chat and keep up-to-date with all your social networking sites, including Skype, MSN Messenger, Google Talk, Facebook, Twitter and of course other Fring users. Everything with Fring is completely free because it relies upon your data plan and Wi-Fi connection on your iPhone.

The more friends and family you invite the more people you will be able to contact, and because Fring accesses many social networks and is available for many other devices besides the iPhone, such as Android and Windows Mobile, etc, you have a very wide range of people that you can potentially contact for free.

What you need to keep an eye on when using Fring is your data consumption rather than the cost of your phone calls. If you have an unlimited data plan with your mobile contract then Fring is perfect because you won’t incur any additional charges whatsoever.

The best thing is that you can use your Skype credit, or credit with other SIP providers, to make outgoing calls from Fring. It’s a very versatile little app.

Calling from your iPod Touch

To use all three apps on the iPod Touch you need to be within a wifi zone and you need to have headphones that include a mic in order to make and receive calls. If you don’t have a mic, Truphone sell an inexpensive microphone adapter from their website which comes with Truphone credit. Skype for mobile doesn’t work on the 1st generation iPod Touch.

So, save money on mobile calls from your iPhone and convert your iPod Touch into a phone by using one or more of these apps. They’re free to download, easy to use and will make using your iPhone so much more enjoyable without the worry of running up large bills.

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