The iPod Touch…Phone

A new freeware application uses Wi-Fi technology and VoIP to turn the iPod Touch into a phone.

Yes, the iPod Touch phone is here, although not in the way people might expect, but through the back door. It’s all thanks to software developed by Truphone for smartphones, including the iPhone.

The application uses Wi-Fi technology that’s in the device and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) to let users call others with the software on their iPod touch and users of Google Talk’s messaging service, the BBC reports. However, the developers expect to add the ability to call landlines very soon.

Geraldine Wilson, Truphone CEO, said:

"There are a slew of new features we’re rolling out for the iPod Touch that will let users call landlines, Skype users or send instant messages. We’re talking weeks, not months, before these go live."

For now the company is focusing on devices that have an app store, although the software can, in theory, run on any mobile device.

So where’s the catch? The only thing is that users need to be in range of a Wi-Fi network. But because the first part of the call is to Truphone servers, that means the cost of an international call is small.

The next target for the company? The Google Android phone.