Among the 'firsts' introduced by the Truphone 'Call Me' application is a moveable button that can be dropped anywhere on Facebook that accepts attachments, enabling users to: embed their 'Call Me' button within Facebook messages; post their 'Call Me' button onto their friends' walls; drop their 'Call Me' button onto Facebook group and discussion boards.
The Truphone 'Call Me' application is available to all Facebook users. Users do not need a Truphone account or a special phone in order to use the application.
Dean Elwood, platform director, Truphone, said: "A generation of people is emerging that doesn't use email. Instead, they use Facebook, messaging, and wall postings. Our view was that the Truphone Call Me application should remain true to the Facebook user experience, and to achieve that we've delivered an application with some truly progressive elements."
"The Truphone Call Me application is completely embedded within the existing Facebook user experience. We never make a user leave Facebook or have to pick up another device such as a phone; instead, we've embedded a softphone into Facebook."
"One particularly exciting thing is that anytime a new service that accepts attachments is introduced to Facebook, our application will work on it because the Truphone Call Me button can be dropped into any attachment. So people may use our application in ways that haven't been envisaged yet."
James Tagg, Truphone's chief executive officer, said: "By using Truphone VoIP, the Truphone 'Call Me' application delivers real, practical value and uses VoIP to bridge social media with regular telephony."
"In the same way that messages on Facebook are always welcome because they are by definition always from friends, phone calls from friends are surely welcome too. We want to encourage people to talk to each other more and, using Truphone, we can help to get people talking again spontaneously and for free."