If you have an iPod Touch, you need to checkout Truphone, A freeware application that uses wi-fi technology in an iPod Touch to allow users to make calls to other iPod Touch owners and Google Talk’s messaging service users. The developers plan to have the ability to make calls to and from landlines in place very soon.

Although Truphone technology can, in theory, work on any mobile device, the firm is concentrating on devices that have an application store. “We’ve decided to focus on devices that are wi-fi enabled and have an apps-store. For the consumer, there has to be an easy way of downloading an application.” Of course, the catch is that for a wi-fi connection to work, users need to be within range of a wi-fi network. With city wide WiFi available in many US and European cities though, that is not as big an issue as just a few years ago.

Truphone founder - James Tagg - said that the technology also worked on other mobile devices, albeit in a slightly different way.

“If you were using Truphone on a Blackberry, it will use cellular technology to log into the Truphone’s website.” “From here you can make an international call, call a user on VoIP, or send an instant message.” “Because the first leg of the call - from the user to our server - is charged at local rate, you’re talking a bill of pennies, rather than pounds, to call, say the United States.”

The company said Google’s Android operating system would be the next platform for which it will develop the Truphone applications.

T-Mobile has revealed the G1 - the first mobile telephone using Google’s Android software. The G1 is the first device seen runnning Android and features a touch screen in addition to a Qwerty keyboard. Unlik the iPhone, the T-Mobile G1 will be available for free on T-Mobile tariffs of over £40 a month in the UK and includes unlimited net browsing. Other features include a 3MP camera, a ‘one click’ contextual search and a chrome based web browser that users can zoom in on by tapping the screen.

Expect to see the phone in the US in October and before Xmas in the UK and Europe. Who knows about the aussies… Google are also offering the “Android Market” - similar to the iPhone Apps Store. Lets see how this pans out.