Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Vonage was our number one VOIP Provider Review.

Vonage is a Voice Over IP provider, and a leader in Internet broadband phone services with over two millions subscribers. This is an impressive statement, considering they have been around for only three years!
  • Residential service: Two monthly packages, both with a $29.99 activation fee.
    • Premium account: $24.99 - unlimited local/long-distance in US, Canada, and Puerto Rico – First month free
    • Residential basic: $14.99 - 500 minutes local/long-distance in US, Canada and Puerto Rico - 3.9 cents for each additional minute.
Reasons to choose Vonage:
  • Voicemails relayed to your e-mail: Waiting on an important message while you’re stuck at work? No problem. You can access your voicemail messages through the user-friendly VOIP provider’s homepage, or even get them forwarded as audio attachments to your work’s e-mail. Watch out for the boss!
  • Pick your own area code: Say your family lives in New York and you just moved to Florida. You can subscribe through Vonage and request an NY area code, meaning your family won’t pay for long-distance!
  • Or keep the same phone number: Sign and fax an authorization letter to Vonage, and they will contact your phone company to transfer your phone number to their VOIP phone service.
  • Free *69 return calls: No need to jump out of the shower and step on your kid’s lego blocks while rushing to pick up the phone. The Voice over IP provider offers unlimited *69 dialling telling the last phone number who tried to call you.
StarReviews’s favorite feature: Vonage on the Go
You can bring your VOIP phone service kit anywhere you go. Hook it up in your hotel room or at your buddy’s apartment during your Friday night poker game and receive all your calls on-site! All you need is a broadband connection and telephone line.
SunRocket is one of the Best VOIP Phone Service Providers.

Few sayings bare more truth than the adage “You get what you pay for”. Many times while shopping for products we continuously look for the cheaper alternative, knowing it can bite us in the behind if we make the wrong decision.

This is what comes to mind when analyzing the voice over IP provider SunRocket. Founded on the promise of cheap rates and offering loads of features, the VOIP provider is trying to make a name for itself in the VOIP arena.

Simply said, this service is dirt cheap. But what about the quality behind the service? 6StarReviews explored the voice over IP provider, and compiled the following review.

What’s new at SunRocket

  • The voice over IP provider is looking into the PC-to-PC phone market, and might soon offer plans based on this technology.
  • All calls to India now at $0.08!

SunRocket:

  • Distinctive ringing: With a teen in the house, chances are good that phone call is not for you. Assign ringing patterns to different callers and eliminate that 5 yard dash for a phone call not even for you.
  • Call logs: Missed an important call last week and you need to find the phone number? Log on the VOIP Provider’s website, and browse though information-rich calls logs.
  • Contacts: Create address book entries of your entourage on the website. Perfect when you are searching for someone’s phone number while not at home.
  • Return Call: While some voice over IP providers will charge you for using *69, this feature comes free with your VOIP Phone service.
  • Enhanced voicemail: Set different greetings for every SunRocket phone number, and everybody in your house get its own voicemail. Also, have voicemail notifications forwarded to your cell, or download the message to your computer.

6StarReviews’ favorite feature: Click to call:

It’s Thursday night and you feel like going out with the boys. Instead of calling your buddies one by one, select each contact from the VOIP provider’s website and push click to call. You phone will ring when the calls are made.

Voice Over IP Provider Packet 8.

As the VOIP industry grows more competitive, smaller Voice Over IP providers must distinguish themselves by offering specialized features. Packet8 understood this notion by developing the first videophone VOIP Phone service in the industry!

But would that be enough to gain a sustainable part of the VOIP market? 6StarReviews studied Packet8, and completed a thorough review of the services offered by the Voice over IP provider, and here’s what we found…

Residential service

  • Freedom annual: $199.00/Year – Unlimited calling United States/Canada – Low rates to other countries – Special Uniden Offer (Free phone with plan, after $50.00 mail-in refund)
  • Freedom Unlimited: $19.99/Month – Unlimited calling United States/Canada – Low rates to other countries – Special Uniden Offer (Free phone with plan, after $50.00 mail-in refund)
  • Freedom Unlimited Videophone: $19.99/Month - Unlimited calling United States/Canada - Unlimited worldwide calling to other Packet8 Videophones – $100 mail-in refund on Videophone - Low rates to other countries

Reasons to choose Packet8

  • Find me, Follow me: Enter up to 5 numbers to ring in sequence. For example: you can enter your mobile phone number as well as your office phone number to ring when your Packet8 home number is not answered.
  • Voicemail to E-mail notification: Even they are not the only VOIP provider offering this feature, 6StarReviews like this innovation so much, we feel it is worth mentioning it every occasion.
  • Network Available Forwarding: You won’t lose any customers if your connection goes down, as they can be forwarded to a pre-programmed number such as your cell phone.
  • Anonymous Call-Blocking: No more telemarketing firm calling you while you are eating. Activate the option, and the anonymous caller will receive a busy signal. How many times you think they will try calling before getting the message?

6StarReviews’s favorite feature: Enhanced 911 Dialling: No need to worry about giving the right address when calling 911 through VOIP phone service, while in the middle of a chainsaw massacre. Calling E911 troughs Packet8 activates a pop up that gives your address directly to the operator.

Is Pingo one of the Best VOIP Phone Services?

Do you remember the good old days of rotary telephones? No? Well let me tell you…dialing long distances on theses devices was a nightmare, as speed dial and other features didn’t exist back then. Surprisingly, close to 2 millions of Americans are still using a rotary phone. Many are reluctant to upgrade to modern technology like touch-tone or VOIP. Why fix something that is not broken?

If you are one of theses people, Voice over IP provider Pingo has good news for you as the VOIP provider is offering prepaid calling cards based on VOIP technology. Theses cards give you the ability to use any telephone of your choice, from rotary phones to cell phones, and profit from cheap VOIP long-distance rates.

What’s new at Pingo?

  • Pay for Pingo using your PayPal account
  • The voice over IP provider has slashed their long-distance calling rates by 30%, as you can now call more than 75 countries for 3¢ or less per minute.
  • Earn $10.00 for each referral done during October.

Reasons to choose Pingo:

  • Online account management: Login on the VOIP provider’s homepage to add minutes or survey your monthly use.
  • PINPass: Decide which phone number is trusted, so you only have to enter your account number when calling from that number. And no, it is not a good idea to enter your local pub as a PINPass number.
  • PINMobile: Enter your cell as a PINPass number, and call anywhere on earth for the same rates of your landline. We recommend disabling your long-distance service with your mobile provider, so you don’t end with a surprise on your cell phone bill.

6StarReviews’s Favorite Feature: Complete Liberty!

Unlike other voice over IP providers, Pingo’s VOIP Phone service doesn’t ask you to ditch your beloved banana-shaped telephone for a hideous, Batman VOIP telephone device. You buy a prepaid calling card that you can use anywhere, at no extra costs.

Here is a VOIP Provider Review on iConnect.

What is new at iConnectHere
  • New calling plan: World Plan, a Pay-as-you-go service for $6.99 a month
  • The Voice over IP provider hired PR firm Aegis Communication Group, which will focus on improving the customer care experience.

iConnectHere offer two types of VOIP phone services:

Broadband Phone:

PC to Phone:

  • Multiple Plans

Reasons to choose iConnectHere

  • Real-Time online account management: Good for control freaks. Manage your features and switch between plans from the VOIP provider’s website.
  • Virtual Calling Card: Stuck in a dangerous country and need to get out fast? iConnectHere Virtual Calling Card allows you to use your plan’s minutes to make calls from toll-free access numbers in 27 countries
  • Easy setup: Setup is plug-and-play, and takes about 10 minutes to install once you receive your adapter. Even your grandfather can install it for you.
  • No Risk: Ah, peace of mind. Besides the 30 days risk free policy, signing with the Voice over IP provider requires no contracts.

6StarReviews’s Favorite Feature: Call Forking: Need to pretend you are at work, while in reality you are somewhere else? Call Forking enables you to receive calls to your VOIP phone service number at more than one place, simultaneously.

Compare the Voice Over IP Provider Lingo.

Lingo is an up and coming service and becoming very popular with consumers. The site is easy to use and again the service is relatively easy to setup. Lingo provides great technical support which is needed when you are getting new service.

One Month Free: Currently Lingo is offering a free first month of service with its unlimited plan - it is a $19.95 value and nice little bonus.

Now Lingo offers service to 17 eastern European countries.

Service Plans:

  • Special Offer: First Month of Service Free - $19.95 Savings

  • Basic Service: 14.95 (500 Canada, US, Western Europe and in network)

  • Unlimited Service: 19.95 (Canada, US, Western Europe and in network)
GameZnFlix is a DVD Movie Rental and Game Rental Service.

GameZnFlix is an online game and movie rental service that allows you to a rent a combination of over 40,000 DVDs and video games through the mail with one account. GameZnFlix supports a variety of both game systems and movie systems. One good thing is that you can purchase most movies and games at low prices if you decide you want to keep what you've rented or buy direct without renting at all. Below are their supported systems:



Game systems supported:

  • Xbox

  • Xbox 360

  • PlayStation 1, 2

  • Nintendo GameCube

Movie systems supported:

  • DVD

  • HD-DVD

  • BluRay

  • UMD

What’s “cool and happening” online at GameZnflix? The GameZnFlix RidgeRacer™ Challenge races. These are time trial events where you can compete against people in your region for a slot in the finals. The championship is in December and if you win you could take home a whopping $15,000! To enter you must be over 18, have the ability to travel and prove that you are a US citizen. There are no purchases necessary to enter the contest!
Peeflix is another DVD Movie Rental Service.

DVD movie rentals are not limited to just monthly subscription services! Peerflix is a unique internet DVD rental service that allows people to buy or trade DVD's online; they are a DVD exchange service. Peerflix does not charge a membership fee and they promise that they are the lowest cost way to watch DVD's. In a nut shell, the service allows you to trade your own DVD's online for $.99 cents per trade. Don’t have any DVDs? Don’t worry; Peerflix will send you your first DVD free, and you can begin to trade from there! 6StarReviews has found Peerflix to be a clever and well thought out DVD service. We commend their out of the box idea of exchanging DVDs rather than renting.

As far as the selection and amount of titles available, Peerflix is one of the fastest growing companies. Their selection depends on what each Peerflix member brings to the table, but they currently have over 30,000 titles. This is a bit lower compared to their competitors, but their list seems to grow at a more rapid pace as the member database grows.

So how exactly does Peerflix work?
Every DVD has a Peerbux value assigned to it, based on network demand and retail price. When a member sends a DVD to another member, they earn Peerbux, which allows them to receive merchandise of comparable value. Best of all, Peerflix only charges you .99 for each trade. If that isn’t cheap, 6StarReviews doesn’t know what is! If you are concerned whether or not the DVD you are looking for is available for trade - the likelihood is YES! In the past year the Peerflix community has experienced huge growth with over 80,000 DVDs being requested for trade on their web site! Another perk…You OWN the DVDs you receive!
Compare DVD Rentals by looking at DVD Avenue.

DVD movie rentals are available at DVD Avenue. While DVD Avenue is a smaller company, they do offer all the desired basic features that you’d expect from an internet DVD rental service, i.e. a cancel anytime membership, no due dates, no late fees, free shipping both ways, and the option to purchase DVDs that you would like to keep. To put it more simply...they offer a little of everything. DVD Avenue offers a wide selection of over 15,000 movie titles not to mention video games. DVD Avenue has an extensive selection of video games for XBOX and PS2. If you enjoy renting movies and games alike, DVD Avenue may be a better choice for you. 6StarReviews’s feels that DVD Avenue provides great service, but they just don't quite have the quantity and man power that Netflix and Blockbuster have.


Rental Plans:
$9.99 – Unlimited – 1 at a time
• $14.95 – Unlimited – 2 at a time
• $19.95 – Unlimited – 3 at a time
• $24.95 – Unlimited – 4 at a time
• $34.95 – Unlimited – 6 at a time
• $44.95 – Unlimited – 8 at a time
Intelliflix is one of the Best DVD Rental Services.

Internet DVD rentals can also be found at Intelliflix. Intelliflix is the "little rental service that could" and we are very impressed with the services that they provide. Not bogged down by huge corporate structures like the others, Intelliflix offers a wider range of products that Netflix or Blockbuster do not. Intelliflix has grown to a large selection extending over 60,000 DVDs, not to mention their large game rental selection.

Intelliflix makes an outstanding first impression with their easy to use, eye appealing website. It is very easy to navigate throughout their site and you can find DVD movie rentals by keyword, title director, cast and category. Between DVDs and games, Intelliflix has such an extensive categorical selection that it is just too long to list!

What's New at Intelliflix?

Intelliflix has heard your request for a free trial! For signing up as a SuperPass customer, Intelliflix will give you a 2 week risk free trial where you can cancel at any time. Intelliflix does require your information up front, but will return 100% of your membership fees if you are unsatisfied during that time.

6StarReviews Favorite Feature: Import Your List
You can now import your queues from Netflix so you don’t have to set it up in Intelliflix's system!

Check out Intelliflix’s Plans:

Movies Only

  • Risk Free Trial
  • $3.99 – 2 a month – 1 at a time
  • $8.25 – Unlimited – 2 at a time
  • $16.95 – Unlimited – 3 at a time (Prepay for the year to get a low price of $11.92 monthly)

Best Deal In DVD Delivery - NBC New York

Lowest Price – Free Shipping – No Return Dates – No Late Fees - Free Trial
Compare DVD Rentals by taking a look at Netflix

Find DVD movie rentals by checking out the company that started it all…Netflix. Netflix is a service that provides home delivery for online movie rentals. Netflix has recently joined forces with another big name, Wal-Mart, to further develop their internet DVD rental business. This merge is part of what already provides you with countless movie title options. As a matter of fact, Netflix is now offering a large selection of genres and 65,000 titles to their current members!

Netflix offers an attractive site that is extremely user friendly and allows you to easily locate the DVD movie rental of your choice. The Netflix site provides you with various search methods including searches by actor, critic and customer recommendation, decade, director, genre, new releases, studio, and title! Netflix is a quality business that offers their consumers with what they truly want…A large selection of internet DVD rentals, a user friendly website, and great prices.

Netflix provides potential members a two week Free Trial. Once you join Netflix you will have over 65,000 online DVD movie rentals to choose from, free shipping both ways, and no late fees or return dates! Netflix ships to 90% of their members within 1 day of service, and the other 10% will receive their DVD online rental within 2 days of service. Now that is fast delivery, and it is all because Netflix has set up shipping centers that span the US! It is not mandatory to return all movies to Netflix at once. You are allowed to hold onto a movie for as long as you would like! Depending on which rental plan you have selected, you can request that number of new movies. You may also create a profile for anyone in your family! Another highlight to Netflix is their previously viewed DVD store! Now previously viewed DVDs are 100% guaranteed, contain the original cover and art, and are shipped free of charge!

Check out their Trial:
Free 2 Week Trial

All in all, Netflix is the largest online DVD movie rental service. They offer a good amount of features and a very user friendly website.

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Search DVD rentals by taking a look at Blockbuster’s large internet DVD rental inventory. Blockbuster is an excellent choice for online DVD rentals. Blockbuster’s large selection of online inventory just falls short of Netflix’s at a little more than 55,000 DVDs!

However, unlike Netflix, Blockbuster has store locations as well as an online business, so Blockbuster is able to offer you some things that their competitors can't. For example, Blockbuster will allow you Four Free in-store rentals per month, which is beneficial to use while you are waiting for your online DVD movie rentals to arrive. This is a quality that StarReviews felt made Blockbuster stand out from their competition.

Blockbuster, like many of the DVD online rental companies provides a 2
week Free Trial on any of their membership plans. Once you sign up for
a Blockbuster’s membership you will have:
  • Access to over 55,000 movie titles
  • Quick delivery within 1-3 business days
  • Up to 4 in-store rentals a month
  • Free shipping
  • No due date or late fees
  • Great pricing.
Rate Plans:
  • Free 2 Week Trial
  • $7.99 – 3 DVDs a month – 1 at time – 52 Free In-Store Rentals per Year (1 Weekly)
  • $9.99 – Unlimited – 1 at time – 52 Free In-Store Rentals per Year (1 Weekly)
  • $14.99 – Unlimited – 2 at time – 24 Free In-Store Rentals per Year (2 Monthly)
  • $17.99 – Unlimited – 3 at time – 52 Free In-Store Rentals per Year (2 Monthly)