People using Firefox Beta will soon be able to make free voice and video calls through their browser, even to people who aren't using Firefox themselves.
Firefox Hello is powered by OpenTok, a WebRTC platform created by a company named TokBox, which was acquired by Telefónica in 2012.
Unlike most rival services, such as Skype, Google Hangouts or FaceTime, users don't have to create or sign into an account to use Hello. In "Guest Mode", a callback link is sent via email to the person they want to speak to and when they click the link, the call begins.
While the person initiating the call has to be using Firefox Beta, the person they want to talk to only needs to have a WebRTC-enabled browser, such as Firefox, Chrome or Opera.
Although Mozilla is promoting the "no sign-up" feature of Hello, Firefox product manager Chad Weiner said if someone is using Hello to call friends and family regularly they should create a Firefox account "for even easier one-click calling".
"After signing in, you can initiate or receive direct calls with other Firefox Account users, without having to share a callback link first," Weiner said.
"You can sign into your Firefox Account on every computer you use, so you can be reached at home or at work," he added.
Hello will be rolling out to Firefox Beta in the coming weeks and will eventually progress to the main release channel at an undetermined later date.
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