Phone Calls for Free with Google Voice

A short story to get into the big story...

I am currently using an iPhone 5 that is over 3 years old.  Last week I discovered that the case is warped and the screen is separating from the body of the phone.  The week before that I was looking at new phones, just to see what I had to choose from.

I decided to go with the iPhone 6, because it is newer technology, the case is not as big as some of the other phones available.  I don't think I would mind an Android phone, but all that I have looked at have larger screens and I don't want anything that large in my pocket.

It is a whole other story to go into why I have chosen StraightTalk as my cell service, but in a chat with them today, it appears that I will need to make my warped phone last another few days, so I was concerned with a Plan B.

The big story...

I have used Google Voice for several years, and currently my my Google Voice number rolls over to my cell number, so I don't miss calls (but most calls I get through Google Voice are sales calls or are wrong numbers).

I decided I would check out my set-up at the office this afternoon, just in case Plan B became necessary.  The scoop- it works like a charm.

As I have written in previous posts, my Chromebook is docked to a monitor and a sound system.  I plugged my Apogee 96K Mic into a USB port and immediately had all of the audio I need to make and receive calls on the Google Voice number.

So here are some notes:

• Get a Google Voice number.  When you first sign into Google Voice with your Google account, you are given the option of picking out a number that works for you.  I picked an Asheville area phone number (since it was the area I have been living for the past 10 years) that will be mine forever (and can be changed to a new number for an extra $10 dollars). You can forward calls from other phone numbers to your Google number and as they say, "Google Voice gives you one number for all of your phones — a phone number that is tied to you, not to a device or a location."
• Google Voice is a stand alone web page (google.com/voice/) which is integrated with Google Hangouts or your cell phone.  You can make calls and send texts, and receive calls, texts and voicemail at that page. You can use Hangouts or your cell phone to make phone calls anywhere in the continental USA for free. You can make long distance/international calls for a fee and you can add money to your account very easily through your Google account.  The rates are affordable-I used to call friends in Japan for 3 cents per minute (it was more expensive to call a cell phone), and I think that they are comparable to Skype rates.
• You can call call anyone internationally for free using Google Hangouts.  If your friend/co-worker has Hangouts, you can connect to their Google Voice number and even use video to converse.
• Google Voice is an extension that you can add to your Chrome browser/Chromebook that integrates with Gmail. When I open my Gmail, I have the option of making a call from a link at the bottom left corner of the screen.  So, Gmail becomes my one stop shop for communications.

There are many ways to use this technology for work and home use.   I can easily integrate this with any of the devices that I use, that includes iPad, iPhone and any of my computer systems through the Chrome browser. Calls for free on any device, that's hard to beat.

Currently, my workplace uses a Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) system for all of its staff.  Google Voice can be used in similar ways, and can be integrated with various kinds of hardware. Though the day of a desktop phone may be a thing of the past.  

Currently, I have a desktop phone device for work that is plugged into my router at my house (150 miles from the main office).  My "office phone" forwards to my cell phone 100% of the time (except when a cat happens to knock it off the hook).  I receive office calls all over the country when I am traveling, and most folks think they are reaching me at the Charlotte office.

With a little research and testing, I could devise a completely Chromebook driven office phone system for a small business or regionally dispersed working group for a fraction of the cost that most groups are paying, and they wold have advantage of all the tools built into the Chrome work environment. 

Is it time for you to rethink your home/office phone system?

USB Tests- iPhone and Flash Drive

I had a few minutes today to test some USB media on the Chromebook.

As I was fishing for my keys in the dish on my mantle, I happened across an old 2 GB Kingston flash drive that I hadn't seen in years.  I brought it to work to see what was on it.

I could have easily plugged it into my regular work devices, but I took this as an opportunity to test the Chromebook.

• Discovered some two-year-old files that were easily read on the Chromebook (using Files app)
• Easy to move files around to different locations on Google Drive
• Right clicking on the flash drive in the files menu gave me two options: Eject or Format
• I formatted the disk which emptied the contents, restored it to a 2 GB capacity.  I discovered that you cannot rename newly formatted flash media on a Chromebook, but it was easy enough to do it on a Windows machine and the name persisted.  
• I was able to read documents on both Windows and Mac that were created on the Chromebook and transferred by flash drive.
• I would say that this was a positive test with the exception of not being able to change the name of the drive.

Having seen everything work so well, I tried another test, with my iPhone.  I plugged the iPhone into the Chromebook with the Lightning/USB cord, it was immediately recognized and began charging as if I had plugged it into my Mac, or a USB power socket.

• After a few moments, the iPhone appeared in the Files app, but I was not able to see files of images on the Chromebook.  
• I opened my iPhone and had to "Allow" files to be seen on the Chromebook, then the files appeared with their thumbnail pic on the Chromebook.
• I could move image files to folders on my Google Drive.  I was not able to move images to the iPhone (which is fine with me).
• I quickly created a new video on the iPhone and uploaded it to Google Drive.  I was able to manipulate and edit with no problems in the WeVideo app.
• I would say this was another successful test.  Being able to move images and videos to the Chromebook is a great finding.  I have an audio recording app on the iPhone that saves clips to Dropbox, and those are easily read on the Chromebook too.

The takeaway- USB media seems to work almost seamlessly between the Chromebook and other devices.