Google Gmail phone vs. MagicTalk

[Diggs]

Seems Google beat Dan to the punch with free phone through Google Gmail -

http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/web/08/26/ ... eedfetcher

[tsmith]

Yeah, I saw the balloon popup today in mine. Those guys don't miss a beat.

[sabresfan]

MJ better step up and start delivering some features or they'll get left behind. Blocking 3rd party apps that bring great features and having poor upgrades that cause problems may mean an early death to MJ if google keeps upgrading their products.

[msiam]

Sure would be nice to put GoogleVoice on an ATA.. Just saying.. It would make things even more interesting..

[Darkman90808]

Just tried using this for the first time today and at least the one call I made was suh-weet! Since I have a Google Voice account, it just goes through that but I simply plugged in my USB headset, dialed out and connected. No X-lite or other softphone required.

Very nice...

[VaHam]

Sure would be nice to put GoogleVoice on an ATA.. Just saying.. It would make things even more interesting..

You can run Google Voice dialing on Asterisk and use an ATA with Asterisk to do that!

[msiam]

Thanks VaHam, I actually had GV working with SipSorcery, but it was so unstable I couldn't count on it to stay up.. Kinna gave up on that for awhile.. I think I still have it hooked up and working on an InnoMedia ATA but I unplugged the phone on it out of frustration.. Really, it would work for a week and then be down for a week.. So.. I actually have so many other options for phone service that I havent been burning up with the fever to tackle it again.. I have the MJ, the TK, The OOMA, and recently the Whistle (on ATA).. Gotta tell ya.. That whistle ain't bad.. I get maybe two or three ads a day out of it, like 1 to 10 or 15 calls and thangs is Swayeet!!! I have been meaning to look into Asterisk, maybe now is the time.. God knows, I've been fiddling with this stuff enough that I should be able to figure this out too.. Maybe you can point me in the right direction to get the ball rollin on that, if you don't mind, I know that search is my friend, but, man, sometimes there is just too much stuff to look thru..I would appreciate a nudge in the right direction..Thanks
Michael

[VaHam]

Thanks VaHam, I actually had GV working with SipSorcery, but it was so unstable I couldn't count on it to stay up.. Kinna gave up on that for awhile.. I think I still have it hooked up and working on an InnoMedia ATA but I unplugged the phone on it out of frustration.. Really, it would work for a week and then be down for a week.. So.. I actually have so many other options for phone service that I havent been burning up with the fever to tackle it again.. I have the MJ, the TK, The OOMA, and recently the Whistle (on ATA).. Gotta tell ya.. That whistle ain't bad.. I get maybe two or three ads a day out of it, like 1 to 10 or 15 calls and thangs is Swayeet!!! I have been meaning to look into Asterisk, maybe now is the time.. God knows, I've been fiddling with this stuff enough that I should be able to figure this out too.. Maybe you can point me in the right direction to get the ball rollin on that, if you don't mind, I know that search is my friend, but, man, sometimes there is just too much stuff to look thru..I would appreciate a nudge in the right direction..Thanks
Michael

Sure thing I am partial to the PBX in a flash (PIAF) distro and in addition using Ward Mundy's (aka: nerd uno @ http://nerdvittles.com) "Incredible PBX" loaded on top of PIAF and it is virtually out of the box ready to do lots of cool things. One of them being using Google Voice for calls.

Take a look at Ward's info on the setup at http://nerdvittles.com/index.php?p=677 I have that setup running on a HP T5710 Thinclient (I did install a 4GB microdrive previously on the T5710 though). So even a low end computer can work for the home office.

I like the PIAF distro because it includes all the source and compilers so if I want to change something I can easily and Ward's efforts certainly make it easy.

As long as you have the credentials you can use those other services you have (Ooma etc) as additional trunks (lines) into your Asterisk system.

CAUTION it is almost as much fun a playing with * as Thinclients and therefore can be as addictive as crack

[msiam]

thanks VaHam.. I'll give that a look see..I think the using of the Thin Client or an old PC was my roadblock before, that might have been why I didn't go any further with it.. With the ATA's at my disposal and the gadgets I am using, I Didn't see the need to proceed .. Good Nudge tho.. Thanks for that..
thanks
MIchael

[VaHam]

thanks VaHam.. I'll give that a look see..I think the using of the Thin Client or an old PC was my roadblock before, that might have been why I didn't go any further with it.. With the ATA's at my disposal and the gadgets I am using, I Didn't see the need to proceed .. Good Nudge tho.. Thanks for that..
thanks
MIchael

Your welcome and if you like features then Asterisk is the way to go. It is nice to be able to consolidate all your voip services under one roof in a transparent to the user manner also.

And like I said lots of fun and all the software is free. I have one system running on an old P4 and the second development system running on the thin client. They both work fine! The ATA's are still great for connecting your phones to the asterisk system. But with asterisk in between they will really shine.

[macman4hire]

msiam,

I really like Whistle also. Whistle for me so far has more reliable with better call quality than many pay providers that I have tried. I wish they would allow to select the area for the phone number. I would also be cool if they would allow you spoof your caller id as I would like people so my local phone number.

[msiam]

macman4hire, don't give up anytime soon on Whistle getting more numbers, they are a new company and I foresee them getting bigger, they work from Ads, and they are playing them. I'm surprised that I use Whistle maybe 10 times and mostly only hear one ad.. I couldn't believe what I had stumbled upon ... WHISTLE KICKS A$$!!! I've had a couple Hic Ups but not anything to even think of getting upset about.. MJ has a way of raising BP

[sabresfan]

msiam,

I really like Whistle also. Whistle for me so far has more reliable with better call quality than many pay providers that I have tried. I wish they would allow to select the area for the phone number. I would also be cool if they would allow you spoof your caller id as I would like people so my local phone number.

Agreed whistle has great call quality. I have tried both MJ and whistle on my pap2 and whistle sounds just as good as MJ. Hopefully their business model can work & if it does then there's a good chance we will be listening to an ad when calling from our MJ's before long. Whistle may be able to surprise MJ before long being they do not actively try and block ata use and have decent features. Even having the ability to not listen to the ads with their payg service is a nice option to have.

[msiam]

sabresfan,
I've had one hicup with Whistle and when I wrote in their forum about it, which got immediate response, I explained that I had it set up on an ATA as far as the structure of my system so they could get an idea of the full layout. I had also seen that others had mentioned that they had theirs set on an ATA. I don't see where they advertise that it can be used in that way, but, I cant see where they would have a problem with it, because, you still have to hear an ad if you make the call. So, the result is the same for them.
They cant go wrong with it this way and they have their foot a little over the line with other ad based voips because the more people find out that they can use their product on the PC or in the ATA, the more the use of it will spread and jump way ahead of the pay providers, face it folks .. that ad ain't that much to put up with.. And thanks again, sabresfan, for bringing Whistle to our attention.
msiam