Vonage Pro…and Cons?

Ah, Vonage Holdings Corp., the Madonna of the tech world. Always reinventing, with varying degrees of success. “Four Seconds”...yes, please. Faux British accent and A-Rod scandal? Not so much.

And so, stepping away from its cut-rate resi phone image, financial woes and more financial woes, Vonage today “revealed” new functionalities as part of something it’s calling “Vonage Pro,” a new $34.99 service targeting what the company calls the “prosumer.” In case you’ve forgotten, since it’s been a while since that word was all the rage, the prosumer is that guy who can’t back away from the inbox, even while coaching Little League. In other words, it’s the person for whom work and life blend, whose office is wherever he or she happens to be. Someone maybe like you. Accordingly, the new capabilities are things like being able to port your home phone number with you, no matter where you’re calling from, like via a softphone at a hotspot.

The interesting thing about Vonage Pro that may turn it into a con is that the “new” capabilities aren’t a reach considering it’s a...VOIP SERVICE. Also, porting around your number and presence is something one already can do for free via Skype. It does however include the resi features — visual voice mail and so on, that other over-the-top providers have been lackluster in providing.

So, is Vonage Pro akin to a hot club hit with Justin Timberlake and Timbaland backing it up, yo? Or a sad statement on the need for affirmation? Time will tell.

For the details:

Digital Trends: Vonage Goes Pro

TMC: Vonage Intros Vonage Pro