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OOMA is a personal VOIP Hardware Device, which you hook up to your internet and then connects with your regular landline phone to enable unlimited voice calls within US for Free. I have owned the first generation OOMA device for the last 4 years and really love using thing. If you need a landline, then OOMA is no brainer saving you 100s of dollar.
It is a breeze installing this device and the call quality is good and the savings are even better. The device I have requires a wired connection and I believe the current generation of OOMA telo also requires an wired connection. The current generation also allows you to connect your mobile phone to the OOMA using bluetooth, this allows you to receive your mobile phone calls on the OOMA device.
I was lucky to get a lifetime premier membership this has lots of advanced feature, the one I use the most is international calling for pennies.
Some of the other features, that I have come to rely on…
1. Unlimited Free U.S. Calling
2. CallerId, Call Waiting, Call blocking.
3. VoiceMail with Online access.
4. No PC Required.
There are other competitors like MagicJack, which sells for much cheaper and I haven’t used primarily because it requires a running computer at all times and is not as feature rich as OOMA.
The Device:
You need to buy the device which currently cost around $149, but you can find it online or at Costco for around $129 and also has an optional handset. Also as mentioned above, you can buy an additional Telo Bluetooth adapter to connect your mobile phone to the Telo.
You can also follow the following referral link to get a better deal and thank me for introducing you to OOMA.
Mobile App:
I own a Windows Phone, unfortunately, the OOMA app is missing on that, but it is available on IOS and android devices for $9.99. I haven’t used it, but I didn’t find any good reviews on the mobile app. The mobile app basically allows you to use OOMA from your phone without burning your mobile minutes. I haven’t found a thought of a good use for it. But I would be able to use it for international calling if that is supported.
Summary:
It is no surprise I am a big fan of OOMA and highly recommend it to anybody who requires a landline. I hope OOMA addresses the complains of their mobile user base and also gets a windows phone version out.
Update 1: Recently, OOMA started charging for the govt taxes and fees for having a home phone service.
Update 2: Some good feedback for OOMA can also be found @Quora.