TalkShoe launches ShoePhone VoIP service

Up to 250 people can participate in a live call, and thousands more can listen to the simultaneous live Internet audio stream. Users can also simultaneously text-chat, and the live calls can be recorded and stored on TalkShoe’s website for later listening and podcasting.

ShoePhone features a mute button, text-chat censoring and a feature called "request-to-talk queuing", so only one person talks at once. The whole call is then posted online for all to refer to later. Live calls and conferencing can be done instantly, or scheduled in advance.

ShoePhone is free to use. Talkshoe plans to finance the service by collecting telco access revenue and by placing advertising in recorded podcasts. Later this year, the company plans a premium ShoePhone service, which is anticipated will have additional features, no ads, and cost a one-time or monthly fee.

ShoePhone uses voice-over-IP technology to create calls. However, unlike other VoIP services, ShoePhone users can connect with other ShoePhone users as well as to people using standard telephones, mobile phones, other VoIP services such as Skype, and third party VoIP clients such as SJphone and Gizmo.

These connections can be made because ShoePhone is based on a telco-grade conferencing system, unlike other server-based VoIP-only services which have limited conferencing capabilities.

Dave Nelsen is the CEO and founder of TalkShoe, whose stated goal is to bring topic-based interactive voice discussions to the masses.