For all of you that believe there is no such thing as a “free lunch,” this post is for you. Along with many others, I have been watching closely as Google acquired Grand Central and rolled out the technology as Google Voice. Now with the newest acquisition of Giszo5, Google takes the game to a whole new level.
I heard a very interesting quote from a listener during an interview on a local radio station yesterday. He said, “If everything Google has planned was released tomorrow, half of the wireless industry would be out of business within one year.” While this statement may be a bit optimistic for Google, the impact of Google Voice on the telecommunications industry will be significant.
Ok, now let’s get down to the business of making and receiving free calls. There are several ways to do this, but I like Gizmo5 because Google purchased them and I prefer an all Google solution.
Here is the recipe for making free long distance calls using Google Voice:
1. Request an invite and set up your Google Voice account here http://www.google.com/voice. Setup a number.
2. If you have a Gizmo5 account, you are all set. If you don’t, enter your email address at http://www.google.com/gizmo5 and when they re-launch very soon, you’ll be notified and you will be able to set up an account.
3. Add a phone to your Google Voice account, choose Gizmo for the kind of phone and enter your Gizmo phone number.
4. Now go to https://www.gizmocall.com and log into your virtual web phone.
It will look like this:
To make a free outbound call, simply click ‘call’ in your Google Voice account and enter the number you want to dial. Google will connect your call and ring your Gizmo web phone.
To receive free calls, simply have people call your Google Voice number and the calls will ring your Gizmo web phone.
If you have an iPhone or Android phone you can run a SIP client on your mobile phone. Some of the more popular SIP clients are:
Fring – http://www.fring.com (there are some limitations with this depending on the operating system)
iSip (formerly SipPhone on iPhone) – http://www.vnet-corp.com/iphone.htm#
sipdroid – http://sipdroid.org
There are detailed instructions for how to setup a SIP device on the Gizmo website.
I have found there can be annoying delays when using the virtual web phone, iPhones and Android phones running SIP. Perhaps there really is no such thing as a “free lunch” after all.
The best part about this video tutorial is that it sounds like it’s a boy around 10 years old that has put this together. Great job!
COMMENTS