Mumble's been available on Android and iOS for years. These upstarts don't all have network effects going for them. Traditionally, conference calls were somethi

Mumble's been available on Android and iOS for years. These upstarts don't all have network effects going for them. Traditionally, conference calls were something we all avoided. Despite these things, and contrary to my expectations, these voice chats are popular. Recording quality beats a POTS line, but that's the only upside. Maybe it makes everybody feel like they're in their own podcast (their own "pod" as the kids say). I guess this is the 21st century's version of IRC for casual, low-overhead chat. Nothing simple is ever good enough for non-enthusiasts.