So if I get the $40/mo plan (1200 mins)...

[n00dz]

How many minutes would I be able to talk per day for the whole month?

 

[garybeck]

How many minutes would I be able to talk per day for the whole month?

uh.... I think you need a calculator my friend... and a skype account.

or, is this a 3rd grade math quiz??

1200 minutes over 30 days = 40 minutes per day.

but if you use skype or other wifi calling system you can talk as much as you want.

 

[n00dz]

Sorry for the stupid question :/ I was just making sure my math was right. Can you use Google voice to make calls? If so how? (sorry if that's another dumb question, I'm new to this)

 

[lou61166]

I use the 40 dollar plan and never once came close to running out of minutes,and this is my only phone no house phone,the 300 plan is not enough for me.

 

[garybeck]

Sorry for the stupid question :/ I was just making sure my math was right. Can you use Google voice to make calls? If so how? (sorry if that's another dumb question, I'm new to this)

no worries... I've heard that Google voice can also make wifi calls but I haven't tried it (or Skype) yet.

from what I've heard, with Skype you can call other people that have a skype account for free. if you want to call real phones, it's something like $3/month.

not sure if you can call real phones with Google Voice. I'm sure someone will chime in here.

I've heard some people are getting Androids or iPhones and not getting any kind of account at all and just using wifi for free calling and supposedly it works pretty good.

 

[lizm]

The only way you can use Google Voice to make calls without using minutes is in conjunction with a VoIP app. Groove iP is really easy, cost around $5. There are others, more complicated to set up.

 

[adam97202]

I have the 1200-minute plan and I actually HAVE come close to going over, because I've got a couple of friends who like to talk a lot late at night (they all have "free nights and weekends" plans).

My solution: I use Google Voice (Gmail Chat) on my laptop for those late-night calls; I'm always home then anyway. And I don't have to worry about the poor cell phone reception in my house.

 

[cutterjohn]

The only way you can use Google Voice to make calls without using minutes is in conjunction with a VoIP app. Groove iP is really easy, cost around $5. There are others, more complicated to set up.

nettalk is even easier to setup, however their app is crap, i.e. it doesn't use the proximity sensor to disable the screen...

It works OK over WiFi, slight delay as usual with most VOIP that I've tried. I've never tried it over 3G as on a "good" day I get about 200kbps up/down and on "worse" days I get 56k dialup rates... never came close to those fabled 1+Mbps rates...

 

[garybeck]

I have the 1200-minute plan and I actually HAVE come close to going over, because I've got a couple of friends who like to talk a lot late at night (they all have "free nights and weekends" plans).

My solution: I use Google Voice (Gmail Chat) on my laptop for those late-night calls; I'm always home then anyway. And I don't have to worry about the poor cell phone reception in my house.

be aware... if you spend over 500 minutes per month with a cell phone next to your ear, multiple peer-reviewed medical studies show you are increasing your risk of brain cancer. get a headset (preferably an air-tube type) and stay healthy

 

[Jenny Z]

The only way you can use Google Voice to make calls without using minutes is in conjunction with a VoIP app. Groove iP is really easy, cost around $5. There are others, more complicated to set up.

Oh wow, just picked up Groove IP, works great. Thanks for the suggestion!

 

[Raig]

be aware... if you spend over 500 minutes per month with a cell phone next to your ear, multiple peer-reviewed medical studies show you are increasing your risk of brain cancer. get a headset (preferably an air-tube type) and stay healthy

There's a few products in the "Cellular Bluetooth Gateway" category that allow you to connect your mobile to your landline phone jacks, allowing you to answer from and call out using traditional telephones. I find this so much more pleasant, with really decent sound quality, minimal lag. There are a few different manufacturers out there. The one I got is a "Xlink Bt" -- the "Bttn" model lets you also do this even if you still have landline service.

XLINK Communication Hubs and Bluetooth Cellular Gateway | Make or take cellular calls from any phone in the house.

Couldn't find it in any local retailers, ordered it online for less than $100. Way cool, and less risk of brain cancer...

 

[lizm]

allow you to connect your mobile to your landline phone jacks

O the irony. Connecting a portable phone to a landline jack...but then I've also considered connecting my wireless remote to the TV with string so it stops getting lost

 

[cutterjohn]

O the irony. Connecting a portable phone to a landline jack...but then I've also considered connecting my wireless remote to the TV with string so it stops getting lost

...but that's what googe voice is ALL about connecting all of your various "phones" together under one common number... Seems like a good thing to me, your phone rings everywhere, and they do, do VOIP but it's slightly complicated to setup ATM. (They're probably trying to figure out how to monetize it w/o alienating current users and/or scaring away new ones...)

 

[OverBoard]

Skype Out to call regular phone numbers and not just other skype users, comes down to $2.50/month if you pay $30 for the year all at once.

I use it on PC and ipod Touch and it works really well. Reluctant to install it on Android until it matures a little more, but that's not to say that it does not work well. There are many good reviews for the android version.

 

[jmessick]

I've been a Google boice user for years but for me Skype on Android is the way to go. I have poor cell reception where I live, and I'm home a lot. For $2.99 Skype lets me make all the calls I want and I can set it to show my cell number as the outbound caller-id, to avoid confusing people. I'm on the 300 minute plan. I also use to have a 1000 minute plan on another carrier and never came close to using it.

 

[mjv5864]

There's a few products in the "Cellular Bluetooth Gateway" category that allow you to connect your mobile to your landline phone jacks, allowing you to answer from and call out using traditional telephones. I find this so much more pleasant, with really decent sound quality, minimal lag. There are a few different manufacturers out there. The one I got is a "Xlink Bt" -- the "Bttn" model lets you also do this even if you still have landline service.

XLINK Communication Hubs and Bluetooth Cellular Gateway | Make or take cellular calls from any phone in the house.

Couldn't find it in any local retailers, ordered it online for less than $100. Way cool, and less risk of brain cancer...

Check your local Office Max-mine had it on clearance for $20.

 

[RMdroid]

The only way you can use Google Voice to make calls without using minutes is in conjunction with a VoIP app. Groove iP is really easy, cost around $5. There are others, more complicated to set up.

Not true.

I have Google Voice, and I picked up one of their free phone numbers as well. I've set it up so that when I dial a phone number, my Optimus asks me if I want to use Google Voice or not.

I have found that the voice quality of Google Voice is equal to that of a straight dialed Optimus call.

And the kicker is that for $25/month I now also have unlimited phone service!

 

[Predrag]

Google Voice allows you to port your cellphone number. That means that incoming calls to that number will go straight to Google Voice. Based on your Google Voice settings, that call can then go straight to your Google Voice app on your Optimus, completely bypassing Virgin Mobile voice plan. In other words, your Optimus V will pretty much work like an ordinary cellphone, but it will bypass cell minutes and use Google Voice app for both incoming and outgoing voice calls. Since Google Voice is completely free within the US (both incoming and outgoing calls), this effectively gives you free unlimited voice on top of your free unlimited data and text, all for $25, as RMdroid said.

 

[lizm]

...but that's what googe voice is ALL about connecting all of your various "phones" together under one common number... Seems like a good thing to me, your phone rings everywhere, and they do, do VOIP but it's slightly complicated to setup ATM. (They're probably trying to figure out how to monetize it w/o alienating current users and/or scaring away new ones...)

I was commenting on the fact that he set up his MOBILE phone to use with his wired home phones. Not Google Voice, which i have used for a few months and enjoy setting to ring whatever phone(s) I like.

 

[lizm]

Not true.

I have Google Voice, and I picked up one of their free phone numbers as well. I've set it up so that when I dial a phone number, my Optimus asks me if I want to use Google Voice or not.

I have found that the voice quality of Google Voice is equal to that of a straight dialed Optimus call.

And the kicker is that for $25/month I now also have unlimited phone service!

If you use Google Voice to call out you are still using your cell minutes, unless you also install VOIP.

 

[lizm]

Google Voice allows you to port your cellphone number. That means that incoming calls to that number will go straight to Google Voice. Based on your Google Voice settings, that call can then go straight to your Google Voice app on your Optimus, completely bypassing Virgin Mobile voice plan. In other words, your Optimus V will pretty much work like an ordinary cellphone, but it will bypass cell minutes and use Google Voice app for both incoming and outgoing voice calls. Since Google Voice is completely free within the US (both incoming and outgoing calls), this effectively gives you free unlimited voice on top of your free unlimited data and text, all for $25, as RMdroid said.

Not the way it works. Even if someone calls my Google Voice number, or i use GV to call out, I still see my 300 minutes drop by the amount of minutes I am on my Google Voice call.

http://www.google.com/support/mobile/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=1083068

If something has changed recently, apologies.

 

[Thorsten]

I have Google Voice, and I picked up one of their free phone numbers as well. I've set it up so that when I dial a phone number, my Optimus asks me if I want to use Google Voice or not.

And the kicker is that for $25/month I now also have unlimited phone service!

You may want to double-check your account page at the VMU website. I make all my calls via Google Voice (outgoing and incoming), but am still charged minutes for both. This has been discussed in this forum at length.

If you happen to know a new or secret setting that changes the behavior, please do share!

[EDIT] written before I had a chance to see lizm's recent messages

 

[Thorsten]

Google Voice allows you to port your cellphone number.

 

[Predrag]

My mistake; didn't research this properly.

There is this other thread from a few months ago that explains how to get Google Voice to bypass Virgin's voice network and essentially make and receive calls directly through VoIP. It involves an additional app (SIPdroid), and a free account with PBXes.com. The solution apparently isn't as integrated as this one, and a number of people failed to get it to work, but a (rather silent) majority apparently seems to have it working. It has its quirks (IP connectivity is obviously less robust than standard mobile voice coverage), but free is free; you can always use your minutes for those times when data connection is poor.

 

[Predrag]