Mountain View-based Jajah created an Android and iPhone application that allows users to make calls to their Facebook contacts anywhere in the world, the company told Press:Here today.
Jajah, a VoIP service provider, created the new application as a way to make cheap calls and likely compete with Google Voice or Skype, according to TechCrunch. In a typical two-person phone conversation, only one one person needs the Jajah app, but both need to be friends on Facebook.
"Simply click and call, no further downloads, no complexity and no charge," said Trevor Healy, Jajah's chairman.
Would-be callers would need to download the free Jajah app from Android Market or iTunes (iPhone beta is coming) and then connect to Facebook. After selecting a friend from one's friends list, the caller will receive a message from Facebook chat stating there's a call. Once the caller accepts, the call is connected.
Users don't need to have a phone number associated with a Facebook account because Jajah connects through the Internet to that Facebook friend's computer. Your outgoing number is also kept hidden -- I guess so that if you're only semi-friends, you can keep it Facebook only.
"And the best thing is that it just comes out of your (calling plan's) local minutes," Paul Naphtali, head of communications for Jajah, told Press:Here.
Jajah's app won't take the place of your mobile phone, but its pairing of low-cost calls and the convenience of Facebook seems like it could be a hit.
