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Making Free Phone Calls With Google's GrandCentral

Posted by timothy on from the you-will dept.

andrewmin writes with an enthusiastic pitch for Google's closed-beta call-aggregation service called GrandCentral, for which we non-beta-testers can at least reserve a number. Specifically, he's using GrandCentral in combination with Gizmo5 to make free VoiP calls. Excerpted: "Most of the time, I'm at my computer. Or near it. And if I had an internet device like a Nokia N810 or an iPod Touch, I'd have it with me 24/7. And since most of the time I'm at a place where there's a WiFi network, it makes sense for me to use VoIP rather than a regular phone line. ... I'm talking about making and receiving calls that are completely free (that is, $0.00/minute) forever (that is, no 30-day demo) for as much as you want (that is, no 30-day trial or five hour/week limit)."

22 of 144 comments (clear)

  1. Not available outside the US ... by tomhudson · · Score: 2, Interesting

    So much for 95% of the world ...

    1. Re:Not available outside the US ... by urcreepyneighbor · · Score: 5, Insightful

      So much for 95% of the world ... So fucking what?!

      I don't go to Japanese sites expecting freebies from Japanese companies for my American ass.

      If it is in Google's interest to offer this product/service to <insert your country>, they will.

      It's like the Japanese video game market. A ton of crap gets dumped in the Japanese market, because most of the companies are a) in Japan, b) it's cheaper and easier to test a new game in a local market - before potentially pissing away money on a failure.
      --
      "The fight for freedom has only just begun." - Geert Wilders
    2. Re:Not available outside the US ... by IconBasedIdea · · Score: 2, Informative

      The service is available in every state. However, numbers in every area code and/or state are not available at all times. Your number and your location need not match.

    3. Re:Not available outside the US ... by adlucem · · Score: 2, Informative

      Some of the rest of the world already has free VoIP, though. For instance, ~50% of French households have broaband, and the typical monthly fee of 30 bucks includes free VoIP (and numeric TV). The big difference of GrandCentral seems to be that it centralizes all of your phoning devices, around a unique phone number.

    4. Re:Not available outside the US ... by sumdumass · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I guess the point of wanting a local area code is so that it isn't long distance for everyone that you are likely to give the number out too.

      Could you imagine, Hey this is my new number that will be able to contact me anywhere I am at, you just have to call california at 10-15 cents a minute or more. but you can reach me at that number.

    5. Re:Not available outside the US ... by Max+von+H. · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Some of the rest of the world already has free VoIP, though. For instance, ~50% of French households have broaband, and the typical monthly fee of 30 bucks includes free VoIP (and numeric TV). Not only that, but the calls are free when calling no less than about 50 countries, US included. With some providers, you can can connect to your number through SIP from basically anywhere and place calls for free. Wish I had that here in Canada, where I get charged long distance whenever I call out of city limits.

      --
      -- It's always darker before it goes pitch black.
    6. Re:Not available outside the US ... by dmbasso · · Score: 2, Funny

      oh, I see what you're doing!
      Step 1 - warn it's not funny
      Step 2 - ???
      Step 3 - PROFIT!!!1!!!

      --
      `echo $[0x853204FA81]|tr 0-9 ionbsdeaml`@gmail.com
    7. Re:Not available outside the US ... by Ox0065 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Really?

      I thought it was because they couldn't be 'bothered' doing the translation, & didn't really value anyone else's opinion anyway.
      Perhaps that sums up the (USof) American problem too.

      I want to know how this relates to android. Live WiFi to GSM handoff anyone? cough from da good ol US of A?

      --
      thx e
  2. Damn it! by Aranykai · · Score: 2, Funny

    Someone already reserved (314)159-2653.

    --
    If sharing a song makes you a pirate, what do I have to share to be a ninja?
    1. Re:Damn it! by v1 · · Score: 2, Funny

      maybe you should try 867-5309? (I believe 876-5309's owned by a typo squatter?)

      --
      I work for the Department of Redundancy Department.
    2. Re:Damn it! by Jardine · · Score: 4, Funny

      Yeah, but how about 876-5309 ?

      PEnnsylvania 6-5000. And get off my lawn.

  3. Re:knowing google... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Or, in the case of Slashdotters:
    "This is Ads by Google: Is your parents' basement becoming a bit to cramped for you and your Star Wars memorabilia collection? Do you long for companionship in your life? Do you wan't to experience this sex thing people keep talking about? Visit Russian Milf Dating dot com now!"

  4. VoIP+WiFi=mobile phone? by Hunter-Killer · · Score: 3, Interesting

    And since most of the time I'm at a place where there's a WiFi network, it makes sense for me to use VoIP rather than a regular phone line. As someone who hates cell phones, I used a softphone (reaching back to an Asterisk server) on my laptop for a few months. Anytime I used WiFi outside my house (campus network or coffee-shop style coverage) I had nothing but problems: garbled communication, one side of the conversation not hearing anything, etc. Almost completely unusable--you know service is bad when it makes cell phone quality look fantastic in comparison.

    Anyway, Grand Central may be a replacement for a land-line phone, but I think Andrew is being a bit optimistic about the adequacy of using it as a "mobile" phone.
    1. Re:VoIP+WiFi=mobile phone? by seidojohn · · Score: 4, Informative
      This apparently isn't designed to replace cell phones or land lines. From what I understand from TFA:

      1. Give GrandCentral all your phone numbers (Home, Cell, Work, etc.)
      2. Tell GrandCentral when you will be around each phone
      3. Tell all your contacts you have a new phone number, and give them your GrandCentral one
      4a. Someone calls at a time which you told GrandCentral you would be at work, so your work phone rings.
      4b. Someone calls when you're on your lunch break, out of the office, and your cell phone rings.
      4c. Someone calls when you're at home, and both your cell phone and land-line ring.
      4... Repeat for whatever configuration you have set up.

      From TFA:

      With GrandCentral, you get:
      All your calls through a single number. Add your other numbers to your GrandCentral account and then make your own rules for how and when your phones ring.
      All your voicemails in one place, saved for as long as you want. If you don't answer a GrandCentral call, your callers will be sent to your GrandCentral voicemail. You can then check messages by calling your GrandCentral number, by logging into your account, or by checking the GrandCentral notification email.
      Handy features that work the same way across all your phones:
      *ListenIn as callers leave you a message
      * Record calls on the fly so you never have to fumble for a pen again
      * Switch phones mid-call without your caller knowing
      * Block annoying callers at will
      * Record custom greetings for different caller or groups of callers
      Later in TFA:

      To use GrandCentral, you just need a touch-tone phone and a Flash-enabled browser. Visit the About Adobe Flash Player page to find your version of Flash or confirm that your already downloaded it.
      Also this:

      Note: GrandCentral won't charge you for these calls; however, if you use a cell phone, regular cell phone airtime charges may apply
      Sorry for so many quotes, but if people won't look at the website they're commenting on, perhaps they'll read this... ;)
    2. Re:VoIP+WiFi=mobile phone? by a.ameri · · Score: 4, Informative

      As part time Asterisk developer let me second the parent.

      Not only VoIP, but any real-time application is useless on nearly all current implementations of 802.x due to two major reseason:

      * Response time is too high irrespective of bandwidth. Lag is not acceptable in situations where you can't buffer. Your YouTube playback will not suffer because even a tiny buffer can eliminate the problem, but you can't buffer RT applications.

      * Most importantly, the concept of QoS, while theoretically feasible on 802.x, is completely absent from the current implementation. I have heard but I'm yet to see a real Wifi device with QoS. Without QoS, VoIP sucks.

      And then, there is also the issue of enhanced emergency services compliance, or what's in US called E911. In Australia where I live, most VoIP providers either completely block calling '000' (our emergency service number) or require you to submit a physical address for your static IP and REMAIN in that location.

      To sum it all up, if you're holding your breath for VoIP on Wifi, dream on. I've tested various VoIP clients (from the top of the market Siemens and Snom IP phones with Wifi to softphones like Counter path, etc) using various VoIP servers (Asterisk, Cisco, Nortel, etc.) using various UDP protocols (SIP, AIX2, H.323, Skinny etc.) and it DOESN'T WORK(TM).

      Until we have full end-to-end QoS support on wireless networks, or something like WiMAX which promises to drastically lower response time and lag, VoIP on wireless will remain a toy for geeks to play with and nothing more.

      --
      -- /* Those who don't underestand Unix, are condemned to reinvent it poorly */
    3. Re:VoIP+WiFi=mobile phone? by hacker · · Score: 2, Informative

      You missed one of the slickest features of GrandCentral, one which is not highly advertised...

      Let's say you have your Work, Mobile and Home numbers registered with GrandCentral.

      You receive a call to your GrandCentral number, which rings in your office at 4:50pm, and you need to catch the train down the road at 5:30, and it's a 20-minute walk.

      You accept the call in your office, have your conversation, then TRANSPARENTLY switch the call to your cellphone, continue talking there, without ever dropping the call. You take your train home and reach your house just as your cellphone battery is dying. You then transparently transfer the call to your home phone number, and continue to talk there. The whole time, the call was never dropped, nor did you ever lose connection.

      THAT, in my opinion, is the slickest part of GrandCentral.

  5. FreeWorldDialup, Asterisk and IPKall by viking80 · · Score: 2, Informative

    http://www.freeworlddialup.com/ Gives anyone a free phone number forever, globally, and you can dial to and from most VOIP services.

    It works great with any VOIP SW or HW or Asterisk for a fancy home answering machine.

    If you need the POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) world to call you, http://www.ipkall.com/ will give you a free Washington phone nuumber.

    --
    don't cut it off www.mgmbill.org
    1. Re:FreeWorldDialup, Asterisk and IPKall by mrbluze · · Score: 5, Funny

      http://www.freeworlddialup.com/ [freeworlddialup.com] Gives anyone a free phone number forever, globally, and you can dial to and from most VOIP services.

      That just doesn't have the same feeling of excitement as getting up at 2am in the pouring rain, going to a telephone booth with a 555 timer chip and piezo, making freaking calls with your computer next to you plugged into the 12V socket of your car, then posting abusive messages anonymously on your favourite BBS. And all for free, man!

      --
      Do it yourself, because no one else will do it yourself. [beta blockade 10-17 Feb]
  6. Re:Please qualify the statement... by the+eric+conspiracy · · Score: 2, Informative

    Mostly it is the company you are buying the service from, and the contracts it has with terminating companies in the destination country.

    One thing to be aware of is the prepaid cards are generally given the lowest quality of service routes. The phone company already has your money, so it doesn't really care whether the call goes through or not. If you are placing the call on a billable basis then the phone company doesn't get any money if the call doesn't go through.

  7. Anyone read "The Religion War?" by cwolfsheep · · Score: 2, Interesting

    The idea of universal and free phone access was raised in Scott Adams' "The Religion War," as a hacker's dying act to make all telephone calls in the world free. The war ends almost as quick as it began, and society rededicates itself to sustaining this new and free communication network.

    --

    Life is irony, and nothing ever goes as planned.
  8. Re:Only Free?!? PAY US for info harvested from cal by zeroduck · · Score: 2, Informative

    I've been using the beta for a few months now, and its pretty slick. I think the intention is to charge for the service at some point. On the settings tab, they list what "plan" you have.

    Right now there is no advertising on the website or inserted into your calls.

  9. Re:Only Free?!? PAY US for info harvested from cal by quickgold192 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Gmail *does* pay you - with a free email account.