Well I’ve tried many Push to Talk apps for Android both over WiFi and 3G networks and tested them all with poor reception. I must have tried about 20 apps, and only one of them really held up to be any good.
LoudTalks Lite was released for Android on July 25th 2011 so its very new software. Just a few days ago they changed their name to Zello.
What makes it so good is its use of keep-alive and allowing the user to alter this preference. Keep-alive directly affects battery drain while Zello is operating and if the connection is retained when travelling through an area with total loss of 3G signal.
Further to this, Zello allows the user to tinker with buffering settings. Zello uses the open source Speex codecs. Zello also supports channels which can optionally be privatized with a password or moderated.
My testing by talking with my partner showed that Zello was most likely to get a message out in all scenarios with the least amount of delay.
All we need now is an iPhone version.
I still don’t know how pushtotalk is useful.. or why anyone would want it.
Well it came really handy when I was helping a friend fix his PC and guiding him through how to run Memtest86+… free is certainly cheaper than paying per minute to call his mobile. Also it makes it easier dealing with the long periods of silence.
Or then there is always anyone who uses a radio handset, and how a simple free PTT app like Zello can replace an annual radio license fee and maintenance of expensive radio hardware.