Hasta La Gadget!

This article was written on December 07, 2010 by CyberNet.

I don’t make many phone calls, but lately I’ve been on the verge of migrating my contacts over to my Google Voice phone number. The big reason I want to to do this is to to completely eliminate my text messaging fees, and with the official Google Voice app for the iPhone I’m awfully close to making the complete transition. Wouldn’t it be cool, however, if you didn’t have to use any minutes for calls made with your Google Voice account on the iPhone?

Well, I’m here to tell you it’s possible with a free third-party app called Talkatone. The Google Voice VoIP calling is a feature that’s tucked away in the app a bit, but in my testing I didn’t notice a difference from a normal call when talking to someone that was on a landline. This isn’t just for Google Voice users though… it can also be used to make calls to your contacts who are logged into Google Talk (assuming they are using Gmail Chat and have the video chat plugin installed). You can also go old-school and use this as an instant messenger with your Google Talk friends.

With this article I’m just focusing on the ability to call a phone using Google Voice VoIP access on Talkatone. Just follow the three simple steps below to navigate your way to VoIP bliss.

1. Launch Talkatone, and login so that you get to your contacts screen. Double-tap the header labeled Contacts:
   
2. Select the Google Voice VoIP Call option:
   
3. Dial the number you want to call, or select the Address Book button in the upper-right corner to select someone from your iPhone contacts:
   

If you find that this isn’t working for you the developer says you may need to set up the Google Voice integration first:

1. Login to your GMail account on Mac or PC and sign in to chat there.
2. Make at least one phone call from there using the Call Phone button (you may need to accept the terms of service). If you don’t have Call Phone you may need to install Google Video chat plugin first.
3. Optionally: To receive your Google Voice calls in Talkatone as VoIP you may login to your Google Voice account and click Forward to Google Chat.

Here’s a more comprehensive list of Talkatone features:

• Login using your GMail account directly to Google Servers over a secure connection.
• Portrait and Landscape modes supported.
• Voice Calls over 3G and WiFi (sorry, NO VIDEO yet, it’s on our list) with advanced codecs support, packet loss reconciliation, etc. for superior voice call quality.
• Share your location in real time with your peers.
• Unique “double-side coverflow” navigation with support of swipe gestures for quick switching between open windows.
• Supports avatars from Google Talk server and from your iPhone’s address book.
• Basic Bluetooth headset support.
• Double-tap top status bar to show the “Quick Menu”: mute message sounds, clear unread counts and place a Google Voice VoIP call.
• For U.S./Canada users: basic support for VoIP calling to/from regular phones using Google Voice account.

Not bad, and it’s all free. I did get a glimpse of some iAds in the app, but I only saw them after I had actually been connected with the person I was calling. I didn’t see any ads elsewhere in the app. Since it is free you don’t have much to lose by trying it out.

Talkatone iTunes Link
Thanks Jason!

Copyright © 2013 CyberNetNews.com

Motorola may have designed its cheap Moto X with international markets in mind, but cost-conscious phone nerds in the United States now join in the fun too – the company has confirmed that it’ll sell both the GSM 8GB and 16GB versions of the device on its website starting today.

Sorry CDMA sticklers, your time hasn’t come just yet – Motorola says your version is still on-track for a January launch.

If we’re being honest, the Moto G is far from the fastest phone out there with its 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 400 chip, 1GB of RAM, and lack of LTE. Still, early impressions of the thing are generally pretty positive and our own Darrell Etherington is surprisingly smitten with the thing because of its hefty battery life (and for a few other reasons I haven’t managed to discern just yet).

No, it’s the price tag that’s most appealing. You may not know it, but Motorola has spent years courting developing markets and the company has high hopes that its cheap Moto G will be enough to tip the scales in its favor across the the globe.

Frankly, I’m curious to see how this little experiment plays out. The 8GB model will set you back $179 while the 16GB model will costs $199, which (as Motorola likes to point out) is more than reasonable for a pair of unlocked, contract-free phones. But those figures may not sound all too enticing in a country that seems to love its carrier subsidies and the low, on-contract phone prices they lead to. Seriously, just wander into a phone store in a few weeks and behold all the cheap goodies that can be yours with a credit check, a signature, and two years of your life. That’s the model we Americans are used to, and we’re only now starting to see carriers realize there are other (arguably better) ways to go.

It’s time already to see the Moto G hit the market in the USA despite previous suggestion that we’d have to wait until 2014. That is, if you’re all about working with the GSM model of the device rather than the CDMA version, meaning you’ll be working with the likes of AT&T and/or T-Mobile rather […]

BlackBerry’s tentative step into the world of feed-based social networking, BBM Channels, is at last leaving beta. As of 3PM Eastern, those with BlackBerry 10 and classic BlackBerry OS devices can use the Tumblr-like service for themselves, subscribing to content feeds from both major providers and their friends. Android and iOS users, meanwhile, will have to sit tight — BlackBerry says that Channels support for their platforms is arriving in the “coming months.”

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

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