VoxOx 2 Goes After ‘Communications Insanity’

Telecom provider Telcentris has unwrapped the latest version of its VoxOx universal communications service, sporting a new interface and features designed to corral the many different communication services consumers use into a single user interface.

“We’re addressing the communications mayhem, the insanity that’s out there today. People are overwhelmed,” Kevin Hertz, CTO and co-founder of Telcentris, told InternetNews.com. “This is a free consumer service that let’s you control all your communications and contacts from one place.”

The beta version of VoxOx 2, released today, brings voice, video, IM, text, social media, e-mail and fax communications under one interface and can be downloaded to either Windows-based PCs or Macs. That interface is supplemented by VoxOx’s Personal Assistant (PA), which answers, screens and routes calls based on personal preference.

For example, calls from business associates might get a particular personalized message or be routed to a cell phone number if the main line is busy.

The PA also is interactive. It might, for example, ask a caller her name and route that information to the VoxOX user to determine if they want to take the call, essentially performing a virtual call screening function.

When logged into VoxOx 2, you also can hear a phone message being left and decide to take the call at any point.

“We also have conference calling that lets you build up to a 20-person call on the fly, from your car on a cell phone,” Hertz said. Participants can be added to a call with a key code command from the phone. Outgoing calls, such as a conference call, are charged one cent per minute.

Social network support

In a demo, Hertz showed integration to Facebook and Twitter using the APIs of those social networking services. Essentially, you can remain logged in, communicate and check your friends in Facebook and MySpace as well as incoming Tweets on the main VoxOx2 screen, using its “meta address book.”

Registered VoxOx 2 users get a distinct phone number. You can record any calls with a simple command and receive an e-mail with the recording in MP3 format.

There are also some tricks in the service, like what Hertz refers to as a CallerID spoofer. Like other phone services, VoxOx 2 lets you block your number so it can’t be identified by CallerID, but you can also enter in a different number than your own.

“You can get creative,” Hertz said.

The original version of VoxOx based on the TelCentris Unified Communications Engine, launched last November. TelCentris is a telecommunications provider based in San Diego.

“Behind the curtain, we’re a phone company, running everything we do on our own network,” Hertz said.