In a nutshell...

A funky VoIP app for mobile, designed to save you a pretty penny on phone calls and help you dodge text charges with instant messaging. Ring-a-ding-ding!

Judgement time!

Fring should strike fear into the hearts of mobile networks, knocking their noses seriously out of joint. It’s easy to install, lets you use Skype for free voice calls and sidesteps text charges using instant messengers like MSN. There’s support for GoogleTalk, SIP and Twitter accounts too, so whatever system your friends use you’ll be able to contact them. What’s more, Fring sucks your phone’s normal address book into its menus too, so you can call anyone you know with a single tap of a button. Sweet.

It’s frighteningly clever. Just choose a contact and Fring will pick best way to contact them, saving you money at the same time faffing around or coin-tossing.

Call quality through VoIP services like GoogleTalk and Skype is acceptable, but a strong 3G signal is really required for a good experience outside the shelter of a Wi-Fi connection, which is a bit of pain in the buttocks.

Bashing out instant messages is a simple enough - the conversation window has lots of room for a long chat, even if there’s no option to save conversations it’s still a useful addition to voice calls.

Using Fring means saving literally pocketfuls of change each month. Texts and voice minutes soon rack up, so harnessing your data connection should change the way you use your phone.

The reason it doesn’t quite manage it is that there are still some instability issues. Testing it across networks shows up inconsistencies. On Three, for instance, Fring will sometimes function fine, while failing completely at other times. Using Wi-Fi, however, is rock solid though.

If you’re curious, give it a spin and see if it works on your network. It’s free and if your Nokia has Wi-Fi you can at least use it as a VoIP handset at home and in wireless hotspots. Definitely worth installing.