The route an Obie/Google Voice call takes
Rick:
Quote from: Lateralg on February 15, 2012, 10:34:59 am
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Thanks for the FYI Rick.
The GV, as in Green Valley Computer Club, does have technical support.
I don't know what that means. My point is that Google Voice (GV in my posts) has no technical support that your senior citizens (or anyone else) is going to find useful. Coupled with OBi's level of support, and this isn't the right solution for many.
Even if you put together a group of people to provide these people with support, you'll find that it's like talking Greek to them.
Lateralg:
Rick,
I understand the point you're trying to make, but have a real problem with the broad generalization based on a number (age). I've been your age. If you're lucky, you'll some day reach my age and see that it really is just a number.
I could find a sample of people in their 20's, 30's, or 40's that I wouldn't trust to turn on my computer. But I'm not about to generalize by characterizing any of these ages as being computer illiterate.
I hope you don't suddenly become computer illiterate when you become a senior citizen. You bring too much to the party for this to happen. I value, and thank you, for your technical input.
Lateralg:
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Ooma has excellent quality and reliability, with good support, but is IMO a poor value. The basic service is little more than a POTS replacement. In addition to a big up-front payment and a high porting charge, fees and taxes run ~$5/mo. An OBi with GV and a SIP provider for 911 would be less expensive and much more flexible. Ooma Premier includes concurrent calls and many other features, but at ~$15/mo. + hardware costs, one of the Vonage competitors is probably a better choice.
The original MagicJack is a piece of junk and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. The software is invasive, often causes problems with other applications and can't be completely uninstalled. To make or receive calls, the computer must be left on; power costs often negate any savings. MagicJack Plus doesn't require a computer and has several other advantages, though an OBi setup is usually a better choice. I might recommend MJ+ to for someone without technical skills, who didn't have a friend or family member to provide support.
Vonage World runs ~$34/mo. with fees and taxes and is a poor value for most people, except those with heavy calling (> 1500 min.) to the covered international destinations, or those that find a particular feature compelling. Vonage World Premium is about twice as expensive, but might make sense for those with high volume to mobiles in the included countries. There are several companies who, like Vonage, supply preconfigured equipment for use with their service and have good support. My favorites are VOIPo (less expensive) and Phonepower (more friendly for foreign use). Both include a "cloned line" feature, which allows you to make or receive a call while e.g. your wife is on the phone. Both offer 60 min./mo. of "free" international calling and an inexpensive option for 1200 min.; the list of included destinations is similar to that of Vonage World.
I recommend a free Skype account, in addition to other VoIP services that you may have, not for calling phones, but to call another Skype user on their computer or mobile device. Such calls are free and have much better sound quality than offered by a telephone, roughly what you hear on radio or TV. You also get video. I didn't think much of "talking head" video calling, but the proliferation of smartphones and tablets has made a huge difference. Your grandkid can walk around with a mobile device and show you what s/he has made or drawn, their vacation place, etc. It's the next best thing to a visit. Also, a traveler may have access to Skype, when other services are unavailable or expensive. Pay-per-minute calling on Skype to PSTN numbers is usually not a good value, but for certain heavy international calling patterns, a monthly Skype plan makes sense. For Skype calls from a regular phone, I recommend hardware intended for Skype; using the OBi is complex and not very robust.Quote
Thanks Stewart. My presentation keeps getting richer in content.
Rick:
Quote from: Lateralg on February 15, 2012, 11:09:46 am
Rick,
I understand the point you're trying to make, but have a real problem with the broad generalization based on a number (age). I've been your age. If you're lucky, you'll some day reach my age and see that it really is just a number.
I could find a sample of people in their 20's, 30's, or 40's that I wouldn't trust to turn on my computer. But I'm not about to generalize by characterizing any of these ages as being computer illiterate.
I hope you don't suddenly become computer illiterate when you become a senior citizen. You bring too much to the party for this to happen. I value, and thank you, for your technical input.
The only reason age comes into it is that as technology gets introduced, older generations have a harder time understanding it. True for all of us. My kids understand things that I can't follow at all.
My father in-law wired huge factory machines and is an electrician. He can't understand the basic cabling of a VCR to TV hookup... He has no grasp of how a VCR tape can exist on a DVD. And he confuses cell phone technology with a portable house phone. Simply a matter of things being invented that passed him by. Knows more about electrical wiring than I will ever know.
Lateralg:
Rick,
I Understand your position.
I'm going to re-check the connections and configurations on my TV, TiVo, DVD player, DVD recorder, Sound System, Desktop PC, Modem, Router, Two Laptops, Wife's desktop PC, External hard drive backup, Two Scanners, Two Printers.
I better do this because they were all set up when I was 76 years old.
If all is okay, I'll install & test the hard drive dock UPS delivered today.
Tomorrow, after Computer Club meeting on Android O/S, (I have a XOOM ... Ice Cream Sandwich O/S is a significant improvement over Honeycomb) I resume assembly of my MakerGear Mendel Prusa 3D printer. When my aged legs give out after 4-5 hours at the work bench, I'll resume enhancing my capabilities with one of: Sketchup 3D CAD, Photoshop, ProShow Gold, Excel, PowerPoint, Evernote, Obi-related stuff preparing for my presentation, and helping Stan, my 91-year-old friend, undo what he did to his PC.
About 7:00, wife & I will kick back in our senior-citizen chairs, & eat dinner while watching a streaming NetFlix movie.
Early the next morning: More mind candy.
Dang! Having a foggy, barely-functional, 77-year-old brain is a real drag.
It's just a number, Rick.
(All of the above is true, but I may have omitted a few things due to faulty memory)
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