Hi
everyone ...
As of last August 25th, you can call landline phones or
mobile phones from Gmail. It's very cool ... I've
been making calls and it's as simple as can
be! All you need to do is ensure that the application
that enables you to call is installed, and dial the
number!
Here
is quick "how to" listing followed by
a couple of great
useful applications!
To Get Started:
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Open your Gmail account. If you
don't have one simply go to Google and create
a Google account and within that account you
can access Gmail to create a Gmail
account. |
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Go to "Chat" on the left hand side of your Gmail screen. Look for the tab that says "Call phone". There will be a green phone symbol located next to this
line. Click
on the green phone and this image will appear: |
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A box
appears to explain what
the service is, that US/Canada calls are free
in 2010, and that emergency calls cannot be
made via Google
Voice. You will be asked to agree to the
terms of service. |
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You will need to have installed
and activated the voice and video plug-in if
you haven't already done so. The download
function will appear on its own in the
process. It takes one minute max. Close your
browser and re-open and you are good to
dial!! |
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That's it! Just type in
your number and click on Call. It all works
over your computer speakers. Very convenient
and easy. |
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US and Canada calls are
free. |
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International calls have a low
rate. Click on the American Flag in the dial
box to get a list of international dial
codes.and/or click on the $10.00 at the top of
the dial box to get a list of rates. |
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To have people call you, simple
click on the "upgrade your
account" link under the "call phone" button.
You will have an option of using your existing
telephone numbers or creating a Google number.
There are options for setting up voice mail,
forwarding and more. Find out all about these
options by clicking here! |
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The more you explore this new
calling feature the more options appear that
require personalization. You will have
to just spend some time choosing what is best
for you. One tip, I have found that creating a
Google number is a very time consuming task
the way it is set up. You have to keep
searching for a number until you choose one
that is available. If anyone discovers a
different way, please let me know. I
have entered my existing cell phone. |
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Voicemail Widgets can be put on any web page, and allow people to leave you a voicemail from that web page. When somebody clicks on the widget,
Google calls them and connects them to your voicemail. Your number is always kept private. You can create multiple voicemail widgets and have different settings for each of them. |
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AND
... Here are a couple of applications that
have been discovered upon first use of Google
Voice ...
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| Conducting
Interviews |
A candidate called
an interviewer's mobile phone via Gmail and
the interviewer's phone rang GUT his computer "rang" as well.
He had the pleasure of conducting an interview via headphones and
his computer's microphone rather than trying to squeeze
his mobile phone between his shoulder and ear for an hour.
The same interviewer has done plenty of interviews over Skype, but this time the call came in from the phone system without
the interviewer having to get a candidate to sign up for Skype or for
him to pay for a SkypeIn phone number. |
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| Save
On Cell Phone Minutes |
A
person came
back to their desk to see a missed call announced on
their Gmail screen. They simply clicked the phone number to call back and had a quick chat through
their computer. Nothing fancy, but no mobile phone minutes were consumed in this process, and
they didn't have to tell anybody anything except
their Google Voice phone number. |
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How
does this compare to Skype telephone calling?
From
my most recent use of Skype, both parties have to have
Skype installed to have a free telephone call. Otherwise
there is a fee. And, of course, Google
voice is not supporting visual communications such as
provided by Skype.
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What I
like the most about Google Voice? Have to say
I wasn't sold at first, but now I do enjoy the voicemail
part of it. Again, I attached just my cell phone to
Google voice and all my messages go to Gmail. In
Gmail I can "read" each message as they are
transcribed by Google or click on a link to hear the
voice recording! I actually love this part of
Google voice. So nice to be able to file my voice
mails AND listen to them as well!
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Visit
my
blog and let me know if you have tried Google Voice
and
what you like about it! Would love to share
uses and such. AND ... if you don't have your own
blog yet take advantage of my weekly special seen right
here ...
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Weekly
Special
First
2 people to call will receive
COMPLIMENTARY
Help
Setting Up A Google Blogspot BLOG!!
Call 310-306-1453 |
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