I've been waiting for this one for quite a long time. Would you like the ability to make unlimited calls anywhere for free?By using a combination of two free services, and your high speed internet, you can make calls for nothing. This works great for me, as I can keep a cheap cell phone plan, and I can pick my area code that I want to be calling from.
I signed up for the Google Voice Beta about 9 months ago. I finally got approved for it this past week. Google Voice is a service that offers you a free telephone number for life. If someone calls your google voice number, you can have it ring any number of your other lines at once.
I have it set to ring my cell phone, and my girlfriends at the same time. Google also offers call screening and a voice mail box.
The best part about it, is that we could pick our phone number. I chose a 480 area code, with a Scottsdale, AZ extension. We live in New York, but having an AZ line will be beneficial on the job hunt.
Google Voice is at www.google.com/voice
The second free service is Gizmo5. You can get a free account and install their software at www.gizmo5.com
Google Voice will dial any phone, and use your phones airtime to make the call, but they do not offer phone calls for free. Gizmo allows you to answer incoming calls, and talk for free.
If you add your Gizmo SIP number to google voice, Google will call your Gizmo line, and connect you to any number. Basically you can talk for free for nothing.
Even the caller ID works great. It shows my Arizona number.
I have been using this FAQ that spells out all the details.
http://nyquil.org/archives/1218-Unlimited-Free-Calls-Using-Google-Voice-and-Gizmo.html
For talking, I am using a $9 Xact plastic USB phone. It works great. I suppose you could use a headset, or get an adapter to use a regular house phone.
The sound quality is better than my Sprint PCS cell phone. I have a 10mbps Time Warner roadrunner connection herer.
