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When Obihai lays down its value proposition in simple terms, it’s easy to see why the company has had such success in the past two years. Simply put, if you get an Obihai box, then get a Google (News - Alert) Talk account and number, you can have a free home phone. When you put it that way, it seems like a pretty appealing setup indeed.

The company was founded in November 2010, and originally worked with 888VoIP. But then Obihai turned its attention to Google Voice and after the Google Voice upgrade, customers and reviewers were starting to compare Obihai to the larger players in the space: Ooma, Vonage (News - Alert), magicJack and others. And now Obihai’s market is growing as people figure out how to use Obihai products to save money. Its boxes are popular on Google and Amazon searches, coming up high on lists and sporting dozens or hundreds of strong reviews.

To support its hardware offerings, Obihai also has a support website, Obitalk.com, which allows users to set up their devices quickly and easily. Once set up, the functionality of the boxes is quite impressive. Once users set up their Google accounts and passwords (which are encrypted and not stored), they can access many useful functions. For one thing, they can use an iPhone (News - Alert) or Android app to call into the box and use the Google Voice number for free. For this reason, many Obihai customers are from countries like India. Customers can call into the box in the US and make free calls, then take the box to India and make calls as if they were in California.

The devices feature many accessories, such as Bluetooth connectivity and wireless dongles that can be put in a USB port and then configured. Afterward, the computer connects to the LAN, goes to the website, puts in the encryption and key, and now the device is wireless.

Obihai boasts many different devices, from simple boxes intended for home use, to enterprise boxes that can have multiple SIP trunks. All devices have a built-in IVR to help with functionality. And, with all of these features and a host of great reviews on websites like Amazon, it is clear that Obihai is headed for great things all while making my home calling much, much cheaper!

Want to learn more about the latest in communications and technology? Then be sure to attend ITEXPO West 2012, taking place Oct. 2-5, in Austin, TX. ITEXPO (News - Alert) offers an educational program to help corporate decision makers select the right IP-based voice, video, fax and unified communications solutions to improve their operations. It's also where service providers learn how to profitably roll out the services their subscribers are clamoring for – and where resellers can learn about new growth opportunities. For more information on registering for ITEXPO click here.

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