Here’s another player offering a downloadable mobile VoIP-enabling software application. EQO Communications (pronounced “echo”), a provider of mobile Internet phone services, announced its new EQO Mobile version. EQO was originally designed to add Skype functionality to mobile phones, however EQO is now offering their own mobile VoIP solution with EQO Out “credits” for PSTN termination. The new version, which still runs on Java compatible phones, will let users make international and long distance calls as well as send and receive IM and text messages on their mobile phones at local calling and messaging rates.

After you sign up on the EQO site, you’ll receive an SMS link on your phone for download & installing the app. You’ll be able to send instant messages through EQO on many of your favorite IM services–AIM, Google Talk, ICQ, MSN Messenger, Jabber and Yahoo Messenger. Calling another EQO user is free, but calling a regular mobile or landline phone requires using EQO Out credits, which is still cheaper than standard mobile rates since it uses a local gateway (and therefore you get local rates).

Joanna Stern from Laptop Magazine was able to test the new software from a Blackberry Pearl. According to her:

“The easily navigable interface makes chatting through numerous IM services extremely easy. We especially liked the ability to close certain IM network lists to make our list more succinct. While we didn’t get to try out any overseas phone calls, we called one of our colleagues here in New York on his cell phone. We could hear him just fine, but he reported a slight delay on his end. We were able to try an EQO-to-EQO call with EQO’s CEO Bill Tam. We heard Bill quite clearly on the other end and found the calls to go through very quickly. In both cases the voice quality was much clearer than calls over a Wi-Fi network.”

Another plus is that EQO’s new mobile application is available for hundreds of mainstream mobile handsets. Its Java application is available for BlackBerry, Motorola, Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Samsung & other devices. A Windows Mobile version is expected to be released in the coming months. For more info, check out www.eqo.com.

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