Globe Dialer – Cheaper International Calls On Your Cell Phone

I have friends all over the world that I enjoy keeping in touch with. Usually we’ll e-mail back and forth, but it’s not the same as a good ol’ phone call. I have no landline or Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) phone, so I survive solely on my cell phone. It is way too expensive to actually use my cell phone’s minutes to call internationally, so I use a calling card. Yet it’s such a hassle to dial that 1-800 number, then the country code, and the account number, etc. etc. By the time you listen to all those half-a-day’s long list of instructions and entering in numbers, you just don’t feel like talking anymore.

If you’re like me and make a heavy volume of international calls from your cell phone anyway, Globe Dialer, from Switch-Mobile, could save you money. The rates are cheaper than a landline, your cell phone carrier or any calling card I’ve seen. The only thing it doesn’t beat is a VOIP phone, but it’s not like you can carry that around with you everywhere. Just to give you an example, a call to Hong Kong will cost me $0.12/minute on my Cingular plan, $0.10/minute on my calling card or $0.04/minute on Globe Dialer.

Globe Dialer is a free software application you download to your phone that functions
as
a secondary phonebook in your cell phone for all of your international numbers. When you call an international number from the Globe Dialer, the call is automatically routed through the system. You’ll still be using your cell phone carrier’s domestic minutes, but the international component of the call will go through your Globe Dialer account. You will then be charged at the rate dependent on the country you’re dialing. The trick is to call your friends or family at night or on the weekends (if your cell phone plan offers free nights and weekends), then you won’t really be using any cell phone minutes.

It’s also easier to use than a regular calling card. Once you download the application to your phone, it works seamlessly since no PINs are necessary, and it uses caller ID to verify your phone number. If you’re worried about putting new software on your phone, Globe Dialer doesn’t change any configurations on your phone since it’s a small Java application that works just as a ringtone or game would. Or, if you’re old-fashioned, you can simply use one of the direct dial-in numbers (that works like a calling card) without downloading anything to your phone.

The Globe Dialer application works with Sony, Motorola, Nokia and Treo java-enabled phones. Blackberry, Samsung and LG will soon be added to the list. It is only available to U.S. phone numbers and you can use it on up to two cell phones, but you can’t have two Globe Dialer accounts on one phone.

Check out Globe Dialer at www.globedialer.com for a complete rate list and download it to your cell phone for one free 10-minute test call.