How to live with no phone?
January 14, 2009 2:36 PM Subscribe
I'm looking for a number people can leave messages at, in a system I can use on my PC.
Got rid of the phone when they asked for a $150 deposit to renew my contract. Pay-as-you-go is full of hidden charges. Grand Central is closed. I have to stay in touch with a lot of people, and didn't take that into account when I told AT&T what they could do with my deposit and where they could take it. Any ideas from the hive?
Got rid of the phone when they asked for a $150 deposit to renew my contract. Pay-as-you-go is full of hidden charges. Grand Central is closed. I have to stay in touch with a lot of people, and didn't take that into account when I told AT&T what they could do with my deposit and where they could take it. Any ideas from the hive?
Best answer: You can pick up a MagicJack USB gadget for forty bucks, which includes your first year of all calls, local and long distance, and has voicemail and call waiting and caller id and local numbers and all the other standard goodies. After that first year it's 20 bucks a year.
And you don't have to use a USB VOIP phone, you can use a regular telephone which plugs into the USB gadget, thus you're freed from standing by your puter as you talk. Pretty good call quality, not as good as Sprint (yet), maybe as good as Sprint was when I started with them ten years ago, and since it's free calls I just hang up and call back.
I like it a lot, I've had good luck with it. I'm dropping Sprint later this month, too much money for me if I'm not traveling all the time, and I'm not. I'm going to 'park' the Sprint number at Vonage and point it to my MagicJack number and I'm golden; people won't lose contact with me as they're learning my new number. Supposedly in this coming year MagicJack will be able to port in a number for me, we'll see if that comes to pass or not.
Another thing -- if you know anyone from out of the country, you can send them a MagicJack gizmo and they can call anywhere in the US/Canada using it. And you can throw it in your laptop bag when you travel and if you've got a wireless connection you've got a telephone. I also carry a USB phone, small and easy to pack; you can use either regular or USB phone.
I'm not sure how it stacks up against Skype, just another option for you.
posted by dancestoblue at 4:24 PM on January 14, 2009
And you don't have to use a USB VOIP phone, you can use a regular telephone which plugs into the USB gadget, thus you're freed from standing by your puter as you talk. Pretty good call quality, not as good as Sprint (yet), maybe as good as Sprint was when I started with them ten years ago, and since it's free calls I just hang up and call back.
I like it a lot, I've had good luck with it. I'm dropping Sprint later this month, too much money for me if I'm not traveling all the time, and I'm not. I'm going to 'park' the Sprint number at Vonage and point it to my MagicJack number and I'm golden; people won't lose contact with me as they're learning my new number. Supposedly in this coming year MagicJack will be able to port in a number for me, we'll see if that comes to pass or not.
Another thing -- if you know anyone from out of the country, you can send them a MagicJack gizmo and they can call anywhere in the US/Canada using it. And you can throw it in your laptop bag when you travel and if you've got a wireless connection you've got a telephone. I also carry a USB phone, small and easy to pack; you can use either regular or USB phone.
I'm not sure how it stacks up against Skype, just another option for you.
posted by dancestoblue at 4:24 PM on January 14, 2009
Best answer: Vonage offers a softphone option, though it's one of those monthly service type deals. plus, you get the voicemail-on-the-web thing too. there are other providers like that if that kind of service is OK - it's more or less like normal phone service, except you get a box that plugs into your router. a lot of cable ISPs provide "Internet Phone" service too; it's largely the same thing, but check to see if you can use a program to work it rather than just the physical hardware that you'll get from 'em.
Gizmo is another option; it's mostly the same as Skype. it works with Grand Central, which is nice if they ever open up accounts again. also, some IM providers will let you call out using their IM services; AOL Instant Messenger is one.
posted by mrg at 4:37 PM on January 14, 2009
Gizmo is another option; it's mostly the same as Skype. it works with Grand Central, which is nice if they ever open up accounts again. also, some IM providers will let you call out using their IM services; AOL Instant Messenger is one.
posted by mrg at 4:37 PM on January 14, 2009
also - you didn't specify, but you got rid of a cell phone or a land line? if you still have a landline, you can always get a cheap voice modem - they'll usually come with some sort of answering software, and you just leave your computer on all the time.
posted by mrg at 4:39 PM on January 14, 2009
posted by mrg at 4:39 PM on January 14, 2009
Response by poster: Got rid of a cell phone, apologies. I want to have a number people can call, leave a voicemail, and I can check them on my laptop. It seems I have a few very good options here.
posted by Homeskillet Freshy Fresh at 5:23 PM on January 14, 2009
posted by Homeskillet Freshy Fresh at 5:23 PM on January 14, 2009
Best answer: Skype still seems like the option to me. I have a regular phone number (skype-in) through which I can take calls on my computer. If I'm not online, or don't answer, it goes to my skype voicemail which I can playback later.
posted by figment at 5:59 PM on January 14, 2009
posted by figment at 5:59 PM on January 14, 2009
maybe find someone willing to sell a grand central number? I love mine. I have a spare Minnesota one, but it's not for sale.
posted by thilmony at 9:04 PM on January 14, 2009
posted by thilmony at 9:04 PM on January 14, 2009
it's ashame that GrandCentral invites aren't available, because that's truly what you need. Skype would be my second choice.
posted by jrishel at 2:46 AM on January 15, 2009
posted by jrishel at 2:46 AM on January 15, 2009
Best answer: What about callcentric.com? It's not free, but I remember looking at it and thinking it was pretty cheap.
posted by thejanna at 8:20 AM on January 15, 2009
posted by thejanna at 8:20 AM on January 15, 2009
Response by poster: I saw Grand Central invites are going for $200 on eBay, that's a little out of my price range.
posted by Homeskillet Freshy Fresh at 2:22 PM on January 15, 2009
posted by Homeskillet Freshy Fresh at 2:22 PM on January 15, 2009
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by nitsuj at 2:42 PM on January 14, 2009