In October, we unveiled the fruits of about a year’s worth of development, namely Rebtel 2.0 for iPhone and PC. Both represent the second generation of the Rebtel service and introduced free calls over Wi-Fi, 3G to compliment our existing local numbers network and the groundbreaking KeepTalking feature that has put an end to dropped calls due to poor data connections.

Today, the family finally becomes complete, as we’re happy to announce that Android, the platform that covers roughly half of the world’s smartphone market, is getting the same Rebtel 2.0 treatment. It’s available to download for free on the Android Market. We hope you’ll like it.

Out with the old, in with the new. The Android app has been redesigned from the ground up with a new color way with the main theme consisting of a radiant rippled map of the world. The signup process has been made easier and smoother than ever before so you can get going with what’s important; talking more with your loved ones.

No more synching or managing multiple list of contacts. The app integrates with your Android’s regular address book and gives you clear overview of what Rebtel friends are available to call for free or for savings of up to 98%.

By the tap of a button, seamlessly jump from WiFi/3G to a local numbers call using Rebtel’s local numbers network available in 53 countries. This groundbreaking feature that was first introduced in Rebtel 2.0 for iPhone improves voice quality, reduces phone bills and puts an end to dropped calls.

Rebtel for Android builds on what’s already great. You can make free calls with Rebtel to friends living in of our 53 countries using our local numbers network, and starting today, you can call for free from wherever, whenever you want using Wi-Fi or 3G.

You don’t have to change the way you usually make calls to save money. Rebtel for Android runs in the background and picks up all international calls made from your phones regular dial pad or contact list and connects them with Rebtel. If you call a Rebtel friend, the call is free. If you call to any other phone in the world, we’ll make it up to 98% cheaper.

Happy Calling!

Call Bangladesh for 3.5¢ per minute, down from 3.9¢.

Call Ethiopia for a mere 15.9¢ per minute, down from 20.5¢.

Call Cuba for 79.9¢ per minute, down from the old 93.9¢.

We work hard to maintain our high quality and super low rates to all calling destinations in the world and as a Rebtel user, you can help us (and yourselves) along the way. The more people that jump on the Rebtel bandwagon and decide they want to call more for less, the lower the rates will go.

So in addition to helping us lower our rates and being an awesome friend for helping your loved ones find a better calling alternative to calling cards, you also get free Rebtel calling credit. Just use our Tell Friends feature on our site to get started!

Happy Calling!

Last week was, as you know, a big one for us at here Rebtel and for all of our users. For one, we introduced the all new redesigned Rebtel site. We think it turned out absolutely beautiful, and judging by all the awesome feedback from you guys, so do you.

In addition to the new site, we also took the first step towards what we think is the next generation of calling with a huge update to our iPhone app succinctly called; Rebtel 2.0. In addition to international calling using our local numbers network available in 53 countries, we added free calls over WiFi and 3G together with a revolutionary feature called KeepTalking, that lets you jump from a data call to a local numbers call when the quality gets too bad to handle.

The third announcement, that we feel might have unrightfully gotten a little lost in all the iPhone and website fanfare, is Rebtel for PC. Our brand new, very own, desktop client for PC.

Rebtel 2.0 for PC

- Make calls from the Rebtel PC app to any phone, may they be mobiles or land lines, for up to 40% less than Skype’s Skype Out rates and 95% less than your regular operator

- Call for free to all your Rebtel friends that are either be using the new PC app or one of our mobile offerings available for iPhone, Android and BlackBerry

- Don’t be bothered with managing yet another list of contacts. After downloading Rebtel for PC, connect the app with your Facebook or Google Contacts and find someone to call within seconds

- Hate long and complicated sign ups? With Rebtel for PC, just enter your phone number and get going with what’s important; talking to your loved ones

- Do you prefer typing over talking? The PC app got you covered by offering super cheap international SMS to more than 200 countries for rates up to 60% less than what your operator charges

Download Rebtel 2.0 for PC today

Worried you might have missed a call? Rebtel’s PC app gives you a clear view over missed, received and made calls.

Don’t manage yet another list of contacts. Connect with Facebook, Google Contacts or both and automatically populate your list of contacts and instantly find someone to call.

Tired of lengthy sign ups? Rebtel 2.0 for PC makes the registration process a breeze. Just enter your phone number and start calling friends for free in a matter of seconds.

Want to use a PC app to call any phone in the world, but find the rates of other desktop clients too expensive? Rebtel 2.0 for PC lets you call whoever, whenever for rates up to 40% lower than Skype’s and up to 95% lower than your operator’s.

At a quick glance, find out what friends are available to call for free and what friends with international numbers that are available to call for savings of up to 95%.

Prefer texting over calling? Send super cheap international SMS straight from the app for up to 60% less than the average carrier rate.

Need to call a non-Rebtel user? Deposit credit using your preferred payment method and start calling for savings of up to 95% within seconds.

Get a clear and concise overview of all your account activity including all your sent text messages and calls.

If you’re an owner of an iPad 3G, you’ve most likely realized that it doesn’t come with that green Phone app that usually can be found on an iPhone. As a consequence, you haven’t been able to make Rebtel calls from your beloved tablet.

Now, with an app called PhoneIt-iPad, that’s about to change. With a few tweaks, you’ll not only be able to place calls, but also send SMS messages, just like from your iPhone.

Provided that you’re willing to jailbreak your device and pony up about $20 for the app, which can be found on the Cydia Store, this might be something to consider if you truly want to get the most out of your iPad.

Does this app fill a purpose or is it just nonsense? Do you currently make phone calls from your iPad in some other way? If so, what apps do you use and how do you like the experience?

Catch the video below to see the app in action.

This week however, it’s all about calling. Today, we’re announcing rate cuts with up to 76% to Algeria, Bangladesh, Israel, Poland, Turkey and Nigeria. Enjoy the new prices and have a great weekend!

Algeria

Landline
Down 30% from 9.9¢ to 6.9¢

Bangladesh

Landline/Mobile
Down 9% from 4.3¢ to 3.9¢

Israel

Mobile
Down 31% from 8.9¢ to 6.1¢

Landline
Down 25% from 1.2¢ to 0.9¢

Poland

Mobile
Down 65% from 19.9¢ to 6.9¢

Landline
Down 42% from 3.3¢ to 1.9¢

Turkey

Mobile
Down 65% from 19.9¢ to 6.9¢

Landline
Down 76% from 11.9¢ to 2.9¢

Nigeria

Mobile
Down 6% from 8.9¢ to 8.4¢

Landline
Down 22% from 8.9¢ to 6.9¢

Happy calling!

Much like its brother, Rebtel for Android, our new BlackBerry app allows you to send super cheap international SMS, call for free to friends living in 50 countries and make savings of up to 90% on calls to the rest of the world.

No Complicated Setup – Get Started In Seconds

After downloading the app, sign up or log in to your existing account. The app is enabled by default and no additional set up is required. Simply download and start calling right away.

No Wi-Fi Required – Call Anytime, Anywhere

There’s no need for a Wi-Fi connection when using our app for your international calls. Unlike, for example, Skype, we use your monthly local minutes that you get from your carrier instead of an Internet connection (3G or Wi-Fi) to connect your  calls. By doing that, we save you the trouble of having to run around and look for a Wi-Fi Hotspot. We want you to be able to use Rebtel wherever and whenever you like and not be stuck by a computer whenever you want to make a call.

Call As Usual – No Additional Address Book

As opposed to most other international callings apps, you don’t have to keep track of an additional contact list within the app. Simply select a contact from your regular address book or manually enter the number using the native BlackBerry dialer. The app runs in the background, so whenever you want to reach a friend living abroad the call is intercepted and automatically connected through Rebtel instead of your regular carrier.

Seamless Free Calls – No More Hang Up And Call Back

Do you hate having to hang-up and call-back every time you want to make a Rebtel Free Call? Well, those days are no more, as the app seamlessly automates all incoming calls from Rebtel friends and turns them into Free Calls – regardless of what phone they’re calling from.

If you have friends living in one of our 50 Rebtel countries that have a BlackBerry or an Android, be sure to tell them about our apps so you can make automated Free Calls to each other.

Call Anywhere In The World – Save Up To 90%

Don’t have friends or family living in any of our Rebtel countries? No problem. By making all your international calls to friends and family using Rebtel for BlackBerry, you still realize savings of up to 90% regardless of where you call. Have a look at our super cheap rates to see how much you can save.

Super Cheap SMS – Start Texting Your International Friends

In addition to saving you a bundle on calls, our BlackBerry app also features in-app SMS messaging. Enter any number or pick one from your address book and save up to 65% compared to what your carrier charges you.

You can even pay for your friend’s reply message and let them text you back for free with a Collect SMS. Just tick the ‘Allow recipient to send collect reply’ box and we’ll include a short link to a mobile webpage where you friend can write you back.

Sounds great, where do I find it?

Rebtel for BlackBerry is available for download starting today on BlackBerry App World. If App World isn’t available in your country or the app doesn’t appear when you make a search, point your BlackBerry browser to getjar.com/rebtel.

Happy calling!

Just in case you don’t remember, the official statement from the Ghanaian officials read that due to extensive use of fraudulent methods of call routing, the Government has allegedly suffered a loss in potential tax revenue. Hence, officials made the decision to force calling service providers, such as Rebtel, to increase prices to offset the deficiency.

Luckily, thanks you telling your friends about Rebtel, we are happy to announce that you can can now call Ghana for our new lowered rate of 18.9 cent! That’s 10% off the old one.

We have high hopes on that we can sustain this new rate and hopefully decrease it even further going forward. However, our past experiences with regulation in Ghana has taught us to expect changes without notice, so let’s hope this new rate lasts longer this time around!

Happy calling!

SMS Compose Screen

After launching the app, tap on the SMS tab, select one or more recipients from your regular Android address book and then start composing your message.

When that’s done and you’ve pressed the ‘Send’ button, you will get an option to include a short URL in your SMS message. Your friend on the receiving end can then click the link and see it open in their mobile browser.

Attach Collect Link Screen

Just as the word “Collect” entails, the reply is completely free of cost for your friend as you, being the good friend that you are, pick up the tab for it. Naturally, if you don’t want to pay for your friends reply, you can simply select the ‘Send Without Link’ option.

Collect Reply Screen

This is the view your friend will see at the receiving end after reading your SMS message and clicking on the reply link. On this mobile web page, your friend is able to write their reply message and send it directly to your phone. As you included a Collect Reply link in your original message, the cost for the reply sent by your friend will paid for by you.

To avoid any nasty surprises, please be sure that your friend replying to you knows that unless they’ve got a flat rate plan, they will most likely be charged by their carrier when opening the reply page.

Thanks for reading and happy texting!

Having that said, we figured a good start would be recommending this very nice post written by the great people over at TruVoIPBuzz. It does a great job of taking you through process of adding (pseudo) SIP support to Skype for no cost using an iNum number and the Rebtel Computer Calls feature.

We think this is a rather nifty trick, and what it essentially does is offer you a way to be accessible to your friends and family on Skype without actually having to be online.

Be sure to check it out and let us know how it goes!

In addition to having our own nice little booth, where spoke to fellow industry peers about our service, the future of the calling as well as handed out really cool Rebtel mini-footballs (they were a big hit), we also organized a workshop and saw Andreas, our CEO, give a very interesting talk on what the calling industry will look like in the future and what companies have the best prerequisites to succeed in this space.

A couple of noteworthy takeaways from the talk are that international consumer calling has grown a from 10 billion minutes in 1990 to a remarkable 400 billion today. This growth can largely be attributed to the huge number of people moving from emerging countries to Europe or the USA, and they have, just like the rest of us, a very strong and inherent need for finding cheap, honest and reliable calling services that can help them to keep in touch with their loved ones back home. In addition, there’s been an enormous growth in mobile subscriptions in the countries where people have been moving from.

Andreas also touched on how wonderful technology is in the way that it shifts the power back to us; the consumers of the world. Just as what the digital age has done to industries such as retail, finance and travel, it’s now doing the same for the calling industry.

10 of the largest operators in the world have more than half of all mobile subscribers combined, and their problem is that they can’t quite wrap their heads around what consumer really want. We think that a good starting point is to assume that it’s good quality, low cost, transparency, simplicity and flexibility.

These are a few of the assumptions that the Rebtel service has been built on, and we hope that all the operators out there will understand that it’s not feasible (or very nice) to ensure that customers stay with you by tying them to your service 24 months at a time.

If you’re interested in finding out more about people’s international calling habits, feel free to check out our study on international calling habits that we did with Harris Interactive a few weeks ago.