  KramerPremium,Mod
join:2000-08-03
Richmond, VA
kudos:1
 ·Verizon FiOS
Host:
Microsoft Help
Satellite Radio
Wireless Security
| Great!!! I use the calling feature almost every day. Not only do I receive my Google Voice calls on my computer, but I initiate them too. It isn't like having an additional phone line, it is an additional phone line for me since I am almost always at my computer. The call quality is excellent most of the time. | |
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 | | | Re: Great!!! how is it compared to the new versions of skype with the wideband audio? i'm curious about switching. | |
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| | KramerPremium,Mod
join:2000-08-03
Richmond, VA
kudos:1 | Re: Great!!! I'm really not sure. I use Skype occasionally, but unless they give you a free telephone number, I really can't compare it. | |
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| | Good News I've been saving quite a buck or twenty per month being able to use GV for American friends/family to call and text me and vice versa opposed to both ends forced into international call/text plans. Hope it lasts beyond 2012 as well.
--
Politicians realized from business that marketing is sufficient over quality, which is why politicians try and market their personalities rather than the quality of their work. | |
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| | No need to go through Gmail if you have Obihai device or PBX You don't even have to leave your computer on to use this service if you have one of the Obihai devices (OBi100 or OBi110). It makes a great second phone line that gives you free long distance calling in the USA or Canada, and you can receive calls as well. Each Obihai device can support two Google Voice accounts simultaneously, meaning you could have two Google Voice numbers for incoming calls. The only drawback is that Google Voice has no way to provide 911 emergency calling service, so it can't replace your primary phone line (though I believe that if you search the OBiTALK forums or the DSLreports VoIP forum for Obihai and 911, you can find some workarounds that involve paying a small monthly fee to get 911 service).
Users of FreeSWITCH or Asterisk can also connect to Google Voice, though the FreeSWITCH implementation seems to work much better than the Asterisk implementation, which has been quite problematic for receiving incoming calls.
Just wanted to point out that there are alternatives to accessing this service from Gmail, which may be inconvenient for some users. | |
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|  NickDPremium
join:2000-11-17
Princeton Junction, NJ | Re: No need to go through Gmail if you have Obihai device or PBX You could just find out the number to the dispatch office of your police department, and put that on speed dial. | |
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| | PX EliezerPremium
join:2008-08-09
Hutt River
kudos:12 Reviews:
 ·voip.ms
·callwithus
·Callcentric
·Vitelity VOIP
·Optimum Voice
·Gizmo5
| Re: No need to go through Gmail if you have Obihai device or PBX said by NickD:You could just find out the number to the dispatch office of your police department, and put that on speed dial.
As has often been discussed in the Voip Tech Chat forum, this is NOT a practical solution in most US and Canadian jurisdictions.
When you say "dispatch office of your police department", in most areas that has been replaced by regional 911 centers.
Sure, you usually can get a "non-emergency" number to your local police agency, but those numbers are exactly that---for routine matters only, with no guarantee of priority or even that they'll be answered by a live person.
Now, in West Windsor Township where you live, you seem to be lucky. The local police do have their own dispatch center, and they probably are reachable by their 609-799-1222 phone number, although I would check that out beforehand.
But (as an example) here in nearby Monmouth County most police agencies are part of the countywide dispatch system run by the Sheriff's office. If you during an emergency call a local police agency's number they are likely to say to call 911 (if the call is answered at all especially off-hours). | |
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| | | | | Re: No need to go through Gmail if you have Obihai device or PBX Call your local police department main desk. I was able to get my regional 911 center's 10-digit number. Obi110 allows you to "alias" numbers (though the website doesn't automate this feature, so it takes a bit work to learn how to make the entry in the data file). On my phone, dialing 911 dials the 10-digit number I programmed. I even (with their permission) did a test call to confirm it worked.
Another option is to use a retired cell phone, plug it into the wall all the time, and connect it to the phone line jack of the Obi110 (there are devices that do this by Bluetooth or with a dongle). You then program to automatically route "911" as a call through the "landline" (that is, the cell). Most cells can still dial 911 even if they are no longer on a plan. Plus, with this method and most recent phones, you get GPSing of your location to assist dispatch (not as good as a landline address send, but better than nothing). | |
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| | | I'll just use one of our two cell phones to dial 911. In my case it was either cell phones only or add an OBi device to allow free home phone use in addition to the cell phones.
Not having 911 on the home phone isn't really a drawback if that home phone was going to be canceled anyway.
My OBi is in my network closet connected to my home's phone line. When we make or receive a call on it all the phone jacks in the house are active, even though we only use one jack... | |
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| | Excellent! Thanks Google. I'm going to buy a second Obi unit now. | |
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Reviews:
 ·Optimum Online
·Verizon FiOS
| props for android.. free calling over wifi is also a killer app for android devices... this is a primary reason for consumers buying millions of smartphone and tablets worldwide.
on the other hand... skype's video chat function now properly works on my Archos tablet... google voice never worked properly without workarounds... pfft! | |
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| BiggA
join:2005-11-23
EARTH | Re: props for android.. Nice, yes, but not a prime reason for people buying smartphone. 99% of smartphone users I know don't use VOIP, they use their carrier. The only sort of exception is a friend who won't get a texting plan, but uses GV on his DROID to get free texting. | |
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| | Reviews:
·Optimum Online
·Verizon FiOS
| Re: props for android.. True, most people who want VOIP as the killer app would just buy a tablet and not be locked into a contract by the overcharging cell carriers. Prepaid service with Sprint or Metro PCS/MVNOs are overpriced as well and are quite limited in their geographical footprint. | |
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| | | BiggA
join:2005-11-23
EARTH Reviews:
·Comcast
| Re: props for android.. No. You don't get it. Just about everyone uses carrier-based circuit-switched voice service. They aren't using voip this or voip that. A lot of people use Skype, but not as a landline or cellular replacement, but rather for video calls and cheap international calls. | |
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| | true voip If they really wanted to go after Skype, they would stop routing calls through your cell phone # and give the option to make all calls through a data connection without requiring a 3rd party workaround.
It baffles me why they won't take the final step when the pieces are all there already. | |
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|  dvd536as Mr. Pink as they comePremium
join:2001-04-27
Phoenix, AZ
kudos:4 | said by kiseki:If they really wanted to go after Skype, they would stop routing calls through your cell phone # and give the option to make all calls through a data connection without requiring a 3rd party workaround.
It baffles me why they won't take the final step when the pieces are all there already.
$
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Oh YES! let me drop everything i'm doing regardless of who it affects to deal with your petty little problem! | |
|
brc1
join:2011-12-02
Durango, CO | Thank You! It's been hard to convince many friends to use Google Voice with their smartphone and drop their texting plan so I think Google still has a way to go with smartphone users.
However, Obihai with Google Voice as a landline replacement works very well and now I will be getting an Obi for each family member! | |
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|  ThalerPremium
join:2004-02-02
Los Angeles, CA
kudos:3 | Re: Thank You! Many texting services won't play friendly with Google Voice. Facebook, for example, can forward update SMSes to my Sprint number, but not my GV number. I don't know why, but that's what happens. | |
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 cdruGo ColtsPremium,MVM
join:2003-05-14
Fort Wayne, IN
kudos:5
·Frontier FiOS
| Domestic US and Canada calls quote:
free domestic calls within the US and Canada
From the Department of Mutual Exclusion? Or did Canada get annexed to the US finally and now considered domestic?
I also believe it's free to call FROM non-US/Canadian areas TO US/Canada as long as you already have a GV account. So it's more like "free calls to the US and Canada." | |
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|  GuspazGuspazPremium,MVM
join:2001-11-05
Montreal, QC
kudos:16 | Re: Domestic US and Canada calls said by cdru: quote:
free domestic calls within the US and Canada
From the Department of Mutual Exclusion? Or did Canada get annexed to the US finally and now considered domestic? I also believe it's free to call FROM non-US/Canadian areas TO US/Canada as long as you already have a GV account. So it's more like "free calls to the US and Canada." Canada and the US share the same country code (+1) and numbering scheme (NPA-NXX-xxxx). There can be pricing or plan differences between calling between the two countries, but those are mostly arbitrary, and all calls in and between the US and Canada are effectively domestic.
--
Developer: Tomato/MLPPP, Linux/MLPPP, etc »fixppp.org | |
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| | cdruGo ColtsPremium,MVM
join:2003-05-14
Fort Wayne, IN
kudos:5 Reviews:
·Frontier FiOS
| Re: Domestic US and Canada calls said by Guspaz:Canada and the US share the same country code (+1) and numbering scheme (NPA-NXX-xxxx). There can be pricing or plan differences between calling between the two countries, but those are mostly arbitrary, and all calls in and between the US and Canada are effectively domestic. But by the same logic most (but not all) Caribbean countries would be considered domestic (which they aren't).
I get what you mean, but with many calling plans that I've had in the years past, Canada has NOT been considered domestic and is instead charged a different rate then what the rest of US long distances calls would be charged.
In the strict and even general dictionary definition, Canada can NOT be considered domestic either. Including "domestic" with US is redundant, and saying US and Canada is domestic is incorrect. | |
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| | | | | Re: Domestic US and Canada calls It's domestic as far as GV is concerned. I don't see why the fuss over a technicality. | |
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