Ribbit has what it calls “an open platform for telephony innovation,” built on its SmartSwitch technology, that links the phone network with the internet. From there, its web-based Amphibian suite lets users play and read voicemail, call up profiles and lifestream profiles for phonebook contacts and take in-page calls. Developers are also building a number of widgets. It’s an area ripe for innovation, with the likes of Google Voice trying to become the call, voicemail and messaging systems of tomorrow.

SEE ALSO: BT Buying Web 2.0 Call Manager Ribbit For $105 Million In Cash

Marks is a big hitter in geek circles - a former BBC engineer, Technorati engineering director and founder of the microformats semantic movement.

In the release, he says: “Connecting the mobile and web worlds through an open platform, and making sense of them through social software and open initiatives is an exciting prospect.” Marks was one of several to leave Google in June.