Vbuzzer: VoIP, IM, news feed, Fax all in one
The Canadian company launches all-in-one communicator at Web 2.0 Expo.
VBuzzerlooks and feels like a basic instant messenger download, but it packs a whole lot more. It has your standard text chat and buddy lists, but also combines a Skype-like phone service, news feeds directly into the IM window, and the ability to send and receive faxes. VBuzzer is free to download.
While President and CEO Mike Mu says his target demographic is consumers--apparently not just young ones--and small businesses, it seems as though it might be tough to drag users away from established IM services, like AIM, Yahoo IM or MSN Messenger. He says his company is in the process of integrating VBuzzer with MSN, AIM and ICQ.
But faxing...really? I hate to show my age here, but has anyone under the age of 30 (a high percentage of IM users) needed to fax something in the last three years? Mu insists he's meeting a demand with this combination of services, and apparently he has 2 million users signed up so far.
VBuzzer is actually the second try at a communication tool for Mu's company. A year ago, it was released as Softroute, a VoIP client for PC calling.