Fring: Free VoIP, Chat for iPhone

Voice over IP (VoIP)-based mobile calling and VoWi-Fi aren't new. And there are a variety of VoIP apps for the Apple iPhone. But a new free iPhone app called Fring offers a fresh take on mobile VoIP.

Fring lets you import contacts and buddy lists from all of the most popular IM services--including MSN Messenger, ICQ, AIM, Google Talk and Yahoo--and then place free calls to other Fring users, or Fringsters, as well as make calls via Skype, Skype-Out or the SIP provider of their choice.

Fring Keypad on iPhone

Mobile VoIP software such as Fring can be particularly valuable to folks who travel internationally, or who often place calls between countries, due to the potential cost savings. Placing international calls to other Fring users or via Skype can eliminate or significantly reduce the costs associated with such communications.

Fring is also an IM application, so iPhone owners can use it to chat with their various contacts from all of the above mentioned services. And Fring also incorporates the base features of popular micro-blogging-service Twitter, so you can monitor your feeds while using the app.

(BlackBerry users interested in mobile VoIP applications will want to check out Truphone.)

Download Fring for iPhone (Link opens iTunes)

SportsTap: The Free iPhone Sports App

You can find countless ways to stay on top of sports scores, schedules, standings and related information, but none more simple and efficient than the free SportsTap iPhone app.

SportsTap gives iPhone owners access to news, standings, season stats and leaders, team and TV schedules and more, for MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL, NCAA, AFL, PGA, NASCAR, Formula One, IndyCar, English Premier League, UEFA Leagues and MLS.

SportsTap on the iPhone

SportsTap is remarkably easy to navigate, making it painless to switch back and forth between sports. So you can, say, keep tabs on both the Boston Red Sox and Celtics games with just a few clicks.

And because you can view all current games for specific sports on one screen, it's easy to track all of the league games on a given day. The scores screens don't automatically refresh, but a tiny button in the bottom right corner of the display lets you quickly update pages whenever you see fit.

SportsTap also has a LocalTap function that provides information on "local" games within 50-, 100- or 200-miles of your current location.

One complaint: The app doesn't appear to have any sort of play-by-play features.

Download SportsTap for iPhone (Link opens iTunes)