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Should I Avoid Buying Obi200 Because It Was Discontinued?

Started by audioresearch, August 14, 2020, 09:33:20 AM

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mellaby

It might be a good time to sell your Obi's if you use Google Voice. It looks like we only have a few more months till they shut down Google Chat which includes making calls to other phone numbers. I'm assuming this will disconnect the Obi from Google Voice.

drgeoff

Quote from: mellaby on October 17, 2020, 03:48:12 PM
It might be a good time to sell your Obi's if you use Google Voice. It looks like we only have a few more months till they shut down Google Chat which includes making calls to other phone numbers. I'm assuming this will disconnect the Obi from Google Voice.
@Rip van Winkle (aka mellaby)

Google withdrew Chat years ago.  OBis have not been dependent on Chat since then.

mellaby

drgeoff, How did you know I was that old!!! So your saying this change at Google should not affect Us at all? It did get me concerned that I will not be able to call phone numbers when I'm on gmail.

drgeoff

I'm saying that:


1.  Your warning about Google shutting down Chat in a few months time is years too late.  Google already did it. (While you were asleep.)

2.  As evidenced by the vast number of OBi owners still using their OBis to make Google Voice calls, the cessation of Chat was not fatal.

So what did you read or hear or imagine that prompted you to post "fake news"?

SteveInWA

#24
Quote from: mellaby on October 18, 2020, 11:39:35 AM
drgeoff, How did you know I was that old!!! So your saying this change at Google should not affect Us at all? It did get me concerned that I will not be able to call phone numbers when I'm on gmail.

What are you looking at that makes you believe this?  Cite your source, unless your computer is stuck on "nothing new since 2018 mode".  Read my announcement here:  http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=13824.0

Perhaps you are confused about the terminology, which is understandable given that Google keeps changing it.

The old "Google Chat" has been dead for years.  THAT was the issue that impacted Google Voice on OBiTALK devices.  That issue became moot after firmware updates to the OBiTALK products.

The new "Chat" is now one of the functions that is part of Google Workspace (formerly G Suite).  It is strictly a online chatting service.  If you are old enough to remember AOL IM or MSN Messenger, then you know what a "chat" app is -- people having a text conversation in a window on a computer or on a mobile app.  It has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with Google Voice nor OBiTALK devices.  Furthermore, it is not going away, it is the new platform that replaces Google Hangouts.

FYI, the old and new:

Old:  Google Voice, years ago, had no VoIP calling nor MMS capability.  "Google Chat" was used by Google Voice for VoIP calling and texting.  Google Chat was replaced by Google Hangouts.

New:  Hangouts is going away.  Google Voice now has its own, native SIP VoIP calling function and it now has its own, native MMS support.  The true "chatting" function of Hangouts is being replaced by the new Google Worspace's Chat.

mellaby

I read on cnet that Google was discontinuing Hangouts and you would not be able to make voice calls the phone numbers. I should not have assumed that google would also cutoff their link to the Obi. My apologies.

echovid

the Amazon link referred to earlier states, "Brand: Amazon Renewed". You click it and get "Products on Amazon Renewed have been inspected and tested by qualified suppliers to work and look like new, and come with the Amazon Renewed Guarantee."

SteveInWA

Disregard everything in this discussion thread.  It's a bunch of misinformation and errors.

"Nothing to see here; move along."