Vonage And Facebook New BFFs; App Facilitates Free Mobile Friend Calls

Give me a call. We'll talk.

Vonage is giving Facebook users one-touch calling to their Facebook friends with the launch of a new mobile application for Google Android, Apple iPhone and iPod Touch devices.

The Vonage Mobile Application for Facebook lets users make calls at no charge over Wi-Fi and 3G/4G networks in most countries, meaning Facebook users who leverage the Vonage application on their devices won't have to pay to call friends in faraway lands.

Users don't have to divulge their phone numbers. The catch is that calls can only be made between users who both have the Vonage Mobile Application for Facebook and there is no way to block users.

According to Vonage, the app works with users' existing Facebook friends. There's no reason to remember screen names or type in numbers. The app, Vonage said, eliminates dialing. Users can just click on a friend and start talking. When placing a call, the friend's profile picture and status update display on the screen.

"The Vonage Mobile app for Facebook is a tangible example of our commitment to deliver extraordinary value and a better communications experience for individuals and their social networks, across broadband-enabled devices, around the world," Marc Lefar, Vonage CEO, said in a statement. "This is just the start. In the future we will expand on this service to include a wide range of integrated voice and messaging services that change the way people communicate."

So how's it work?

According to Vonage a user downloads the app from the Apple iTunes Store or the Google Android Market. The app is also available on the Vonage fan page on Facebook or a Vonage Web page. Once downloaded, the user enters their Facebook ID and password. Facebook contacts are loaded automatically and grouped by friends who can be called for free and friends available for instant messaging on Facebook (friends who have downloaded the app will have a Vonage logo next to their names). Users then tap a friends' name from the Call Free list to make a free call globally without having to be online. Users' can also receive incoming calls even if the Vonage Mobile for Facebook application is closed.