Receive calls through pc?

[the_r_sole]

Does anyone know of an app (for hero) that would allow me to make and recieve calls on my desktop when my phone is plugged in via usb?
I have desktopSMS going and was wondering if there is something similar for calls. I have unlimited voice/text so i don't need anything to avoid that, my problem is that where i sit in the office i can't get a signal on the phone, but plugged in via usb my phone can sit on the window sill and get reception so it would be handy not to have to run across the room everytime it rings!

i tried searching the forums for this but on and pc are too short to search so you can imagine how many hits for "receive calls" there were!!

 

[mrqs]

i'm not aware of any (i'd prefer wifi over usb btw), but you could always use 3.5 mm plugs to connect the phone to the pc's audio instead of usb, so the phone would think it's a headset - of course this way you'd still have to get to the phone to press the button answer the call (unless you set up auto-answer)

if you've got bluetooth on your pc, i'd google for some software for that to act as a bluetooth "headset"

 

[DaWeav]

I imagine it would also depend on the type of phone you have. For example, my HTC phone didn't come with a headset, and I don't know if I can use the 3.5mm jack at the top for a headset other then just audio out. I think I need to use the USB port for a headset with a mic.

Anyway, if you have a 2.5mm headset jack on your phone, then this Amazon.com: 2.5mm Mobile Headset To Pc Converter: Electronics might be a start. However, you should note that a PC microphone will pickup a lot of surrounding noise and you'll get a lot of bounce back audio from the computer speakers which is why they use headsets video teleconferencing calls (aka Skype) which is why the TWIT.TV podcasts all use Headsets when they are doing their shows.

 

[gruss]

You don't need an app I don't believe if the pc has BlueTooth. I have an Eris and while I didnt try to use it like this when I paired it up to my laptop it looked like I could use the mic and speakers on there instead of the actual phone. If no BT there are cables you could buy that would plug into the headphone jack as mentioned but the easiest solution would just be a BT headset

 

[the_r_sole]

thanks for the replies, it's the htc hero i have... I am almost in possession of a bluetooth headset, basically i wanted to use the headset with the computer (for skype) and then the phone with the computer so that i don't have to pick and choose which device the headset is associated with...
i guess i'll just have to play around and see if i can figure out a way to do it, just thought there might be an app out there somewhere!

 

[gruss]

isnt skype available for android phones now?? I don't use it so I don't know for sure. Set up skype on the hero and your all set for calls either way with a BT headset. No pc required right?

 

[the_r_sole]

you would think eh??
skype are not rushing to do an official app, currently running fring on the phone to access skype, but no bluetooth support!!
i'm only one little bit away from having an ideal set up...

 

[jev]

I've got a wired headset connected to my PC and the hero connected through BT. Standard BlueSoleil software runs on the PC. Works like a charm. I've also tried the same configuration but use a BT headset instead of the wired one and that works okay too (it's just the battery use of the BT headset that stopped me from using it continuously, there's nothing worse than having your skype or phone conversations cut off because the headset runs out of juice).

 

[TheSultan]

i'm pretty sure they just announced today that Google Voice is working on just that...PC phone calls for free!

 

[the_r_sole]

hi jev,
I have the bluesoliel software on my computer, i've got the hero detected, but what settings does it need to have to get the hero to use the computers audio?

 

[gruss]

Oh yeah ribbit mobile (ribbitmobile.com) has a softphone, maybe not ideal but you could use it as a "follow me" type thing, if you don't answer your Hero it will "ring" the softphone on your pc if you have it open. I've been using it for voicemail and it works ok...actually transcription seems to be a little better than GV. Not as many options as GV but for your particular situation it may work for ya!

 

[jev]

what settings does it need to have to get the hero to use the computers audio?

I think it's the AV Headphone Service but since I'm not at the office until monday I'm not entirely sure.

 

[jev]

Okay, at the office now. You need the service "Voice Gateway", that needs to be connected to your phone. For some stupid reason, once I connect it it starts dialing my primary favorite immediately but otherwise it works great.

It seems to be part of the widcomm tools but it's supported through bluesoleil. Therefore it could be the BT peripheral on your PC might not provide the necessary support - YMMV. I'm using a cheap Kensington bluetooth EDR dongle which seems to be built by broadcom.

 

[the_r_sole]

cheers jev,
seems the version of bluesoleil i have doesn't have that, or maybe i'm just looking at it wrong, going to try the trail of a newer version and see if i can get it working with that, then maybe consider buying it!
hopefully it's just software and not hardware, i can use skype fine with my bt headset, so it supports voice of some description!
thanks again for your help