PokeTALK Team Blog

Many new features have been released in the past month each one to make connectivity in your life just that little bit better.

We have received raving feedback for the local numbers service which is a one of a kind feature that makes international dialing as easy as possible. You simply receive a local number in your country which is already programmed to forward to your contact overseas, so you just  dial a local number in your country to call them. For example, if you are located in the USA, you will receive a unique US based number e.g 1215939xxx for all your overseas contacts. You can store each of the new numbers as a new contact in your phone because you wont need to dial long international numbers anymore.  Since PokeTALK offers calls to over 80 countries for under 2 cents per minute, you can  speak over 5 hours for $10.

You can also program the local numbers service for reverse usage. If you are usually calling your mom in France, you can set her up with a local number in France to call you (just don’t forget you will be paying for these calls but thats a small price to hear moms voice) ! Also make sure to add the numbers you are dialing from in the ‘My registered numbers’ which allows our system to recognize your account settings.

Pin code is similar to a standard calling card, only in virtual fashion. You simply dial the selected number in your country, enter your pin code, and then have an open line to dial any country. For numbers that you call frequently the local numbers is a preffered option because it forwards you directly, but if you are calling a number less often the pin code is handy to have around.

There is also now a beautifully designed desktop widget which you may download to make web activated calls from your desktop. The widget stores all your numbers and your contacts from your account, so dialling is as easy as in the website. Once you download the widget, it will appear on your desktop and in the gadgets option (right click on desktop this is next to screen resolution).

If you are a Facebook lover, you can now connect your account through PokeTALK. By connecting you can post details of your calls to all your friends, comment on calls, and invite all your friends in Facebook to join PokeTALK.

Lastly but most important, for a little fun you can add the ‘play’ service to enjoy the classic snake game. If you are on a long call this is some guaranteed entertainment :)  Happy poking.

Happy New Year, PokeTALKers! We hope you all had an enjoyable New Years and that you celebrated with the people who are most important in your life.

PokeTALK wants to thank all of those who participated in the PokeTALK story contest – your stories were touching, heart-warming, and flat out good! And for those who didn’t participate in a story but commented on your fellow PokeTALKer’s stories – thanks for your support and for cheering on your friends and family members! They couldn’t have done it without you!

Congrats again to our 3 contest winners! 1^st place Grand Prize winner went to Giselle Aris with 43 comments on her story! 2^nd place winner was a close runner up with 40 comments on her story – Sharon Bar-Lev! And 3^rd place winner went to Antonia Greb! Your stories were enjoyable to read & very creative. Didn’t get a chance to read their stories? Read them now below!

Giselle Aris: “For the last several months I have been working in a small town in southern India where internet connections are very slow, which makes using a free telephony service like Skype impossible. Given its reasonable rates, PokeTALK is the perfect solution – I use it to call my grandma, my brothers, parents, friends, everyone! But it proved most useful to me when I was trying to get in touch with my former host family, the Gonnays, in the Philippines (where I did fieldwork while completing my Masters degree). The Gonnays live in an extremely remote region of the Philippines – no newspapers or radio, let alone internet so that we can keep in touch via e-mail. After Typhoon Pepeng hit their region of the country, I was desperate to know that they were ok – that they had not been harmed by the landslides and that their harvest had not been ruined for the year. Thanks to PokeTALK, I was finally able to reach them and learn that they were safe and sound. Thank you, PokeTALK!”

Sharon Bar-Lev: “My 80 year old mom just got her “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up” bracelet that connects to the phone, but couldn’t figure out how to do the connection. I called her, via PokeTALK, and explained to her what to do. I’m sleeping much better now knowing that if something goes wrong she just presses the bracelet and help is on its way!”

Antonia Greb: “My dear grandma -we call her Omamimi- lives in the very south of Bavaria. A tiny picturesque town with the lovely name of Lenggries has become decades ago what she calls home. To date Omamimi often emphasizes how much she enjoys spending her days in a region that marks the beginning of the Alps. However, life in Lenggries does not only come along with conveniences: during the harsh winters snowfall is heavy and slippery streets prevent Omamimi not infrequently from leaving the house. We all consider it to be a blessing that Omamimi loves talking on the phone!”

Didn’t get a chance to join the contest? No worries – we are coming up with a new one real soon!

Happy New Year PokeTALKers & have a successful and healthy 2010. Have you made any big resolutions for the New Year? Comment on this post & tell us what your resolutions are for 2010!

As the end of 2009 approaches, we wanted to reach out to our community and find a way for you guys to get more involved with PokeTALK. What better way to get you people involved than have you participate in a fun and creative contest on our Facebook Fan Page?

By now, we of course hope that all of you have become fans of PokeTALK’s Facebook Fan Page. (If not, we’ll pretend we didn’t hear that…just go and become one quickly now!)

And now for the big news… (drum roll, please) … The First PokeTALK Contest! PokeTALK wants to hear from you! For the next month, PokeTALK is starting a contest exclusively for its Facebook Fans where you will have the opportunity to write about your personal PokeTALK experiences and have the chance to win cool prizes.

The contest is easy and fun: write a story about a memorable, long-distance call you had using PokeTALK. Was it a recent heart-warming call you had with grandma in Norway? Was your nephew in Singapore singing a song he learned in pre-school? Did your sister from Peru reveal that she just got engaged? If you were poking, we want to hear about it! After you write the story, go post it on the PokeTALK Facebook Fan Page. Wait and watch as your friends, family and fans comment on your story (this is where it helps to be on best terms with everyone so they will comment on your story :). PokeTALK will award the writers of the three stories with the most comments received under their story. Additionally, the top three stories will be posted in January’s Newsletter sent out to the whole PokeTALK community and a few selected stories will be published in our blog. Excited yet? We knew you would be!

Before you put on your writing cap, make sure you are a fan of PokeTALK’s Facebook Fan Page – as only fans are eligible. Feel free to post as many stories of your PokeTALK experience on the Fan Page if you would like. The contest begins November 4th and ends December 31st 2009.

Interested in prizes now, right?! The #1 story with the most comments under it will receive a free global SIM card (valued at $35) with $100 calling credit, and $100 to their PRO account! The #2 story will receive $75 PRO credits to their account and the #3 Story will receive $50 PRO credits to their account.

We can’t wait to hear about your PokeTALK experiences. If you haven’t poked much lately – start poking now!