Do You Voxer?

A few days ago, I overheard one of my teen daughters say to the other that she had sent her a Voxer. I naturally inquired about what that was and got the "dad, you're not cool enough to Voxer" teenager response. Truth be told, I had actually "Voxered" years ago when I first used my cellular phone as a walkie talkie. It was the Nextel Direct Connect service, now owned by Sprint, that first introduced the idea of networked walkie talkie service. But the Voxer app for iPhone and Android phones take messaging to a whole new level. The Voxer app allows you to send text messages and pictures like you would with a regular text message, all while within a realtime conversation. On startup, the app enables you to either create an account, or have it connect through Facebook. The Facebook log in allows you to enjoy messaging opportunities with Facbook friends. Voxer compares the audio options of the app to a walkie talkie, with the hold and talk feature. But unilike a traditional walkie talkie, if they aren’t there to receive the conversaton, your words aren’t lost as the message stays there and is available for playback when they return to their phone. The best thing about Voxer is that you can also use it via a WiFi connection, making your tablets instant communications vehicles too.